Gaming
Gamecity Hamburg brings five start-ups to the Indie Arena Booth at gamescom 2024
gamescom, the world’s largest trade fair for video games, is returning to Cologne from August 21 to 25. Through the “Road to gamescom” program, Gamecity Hamburg enables five indie studios from Hamburg to participate in the Indie Arena Booth, the largest joint booth of game developers worldwide. The start-ups will present their games to numerous gamescom visitors as well as potential business partners and the press. Other companies from Hamburg will be at gamescom to showcase projects and hold business meetings.
“With our ‘Road to’ program, we bring indie studios to relevant games events and prepare them to meet publishers, make contacts, and present their games to consumers. Our joint stand at the Indie Arena Booth enables us to achieve all these goals at gamescom”, says Dennis Schoubye, Head of Gamecity Hamburg. The joint booth of Gamecity Hamburg will present five promising projects from Hamburg at the Indie Arena Booth in Hall 10.2, F010g – E019.
These five studios will present their games at the Indie Arena Booth:
Godcomplex Games – Stack ‘Em Up
Godcomplex Games completed the Games Lift Incubator 2022 and received prototype funding for their game in 2023. Stack ‘Em Up is an exciting online and offline multiplayer player party game for up to four players. They absorb slimes with unique abilities, which they can creatively combine and stack to collect points and eliminate opponents in fast-paced battles.
Markus Koepke – Journey Beyond the Edge of the World
Journey Beyond is an immersive first-person adventure set on an abandoned fishing trawler in the middle of the North Sea. Players explore the ship and its mysterious history, which is revealed through puzzles, radio recordings, and atmospheric music. Markus Koepke has successfully completed the Gamecity Hamburg Games Lift Incubator 2023.
Pipapo Games – Map Map – A Game About Maps
Pipapo Games completed the HAW Games Master, further developed their game in the Games Lift Incubator 2023 and received Gamecity Hamburg prototype funding in 2024. In the cozy exploration game Map Map – A Game About Maps, players slip into the role of adventure-hungry cartographers who explore and map the surroundings on unknown islands full of secrets and thus get closer to the trail of a buried treasure.
Slime King Games – Under the Island
Under the Island delivers fantastic graphics and presents a profound adventure story in the RPG genre. After moving to Seashell Island, the protagonist, Nia, must save her home from sinking, together with new friends. Solve puzzles, fight monsters, explore the map: Under the Island offers well-made old-school RPG classics and combines them with renewed ideas and a great soundtrack by Miyoko Takaoka (Sonic, Terranigma and others).
Sven Ahlgrimm & Mathilde Hoffmann – ODDADA
ODDADA is a music construction kit game. Players create their own musical landscapes: machines and buildings become instruments that play new compositions at different levels. The developer duo Ahlgrimm and Hoffmann are from Berlin/Hamburg. Hamburg native Mathilde Hoffmann has been a successful sound designer and composer for games for many years (including Unrailed, Deep Space Gardening, Closer the Distance, and many more), while Sven Ahlgrimm is an experienced programmer, artist, and game creator.
Three of the five projects presented received funding from Gamecity Hamburg, including participation in the Games Lift Incubator and the receipt of prototype funding.
Companies from Hamburg at gamescom 2024
Other companies from the Hamburg games industry will be on-site at gamescom 2024 to present their new games or to initiate new business partnerships. Some examples:
Osmotic Studios will be showing their narrative slice-of-life adventure game Closer the Distance, which will be released on August 2, 2024, for PC, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. A demo will be playable at the Indie Arena Booth.
Mooneye Studios will be represented as part of the Home of Indies in Hall 10.2 with the games Smushi Come Home, Farewell North, and Lost Ember.
InnoGames GmbH will be available for press and business contacts for individual appointments.
Bigpoint GmbH will be available in the B2B area for business contacts and press appointments.
Daedalic Entertainment will be available for talks in the B2B area, and they will be presenting the cozy puzzle game Woodo in the indie area in the B2C area.
In addition, the Hamburg gaming internet channel Rocket Beans TV will accompany gamescom with numerous live broadcasts.
Gamecity Hamburg supports the Hamburg games industry and the diversity in the industry
In addition to programs such as “Road to gamescom”, the Gamecity Hamburg initiative, which is financed by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, supports the regional games industry with other tailor-made funding programs: In the Games Lift Incubator, game developers and founders receive one year of intensive coaching and mentoring from international industry experts in addition to financial support. With prototype funding, Gamecity Hamburg also supports the development of game prototypes in Hamburg with up to 80,000 euros per project. In 2024, Gamecity Hamburg introduced a mandatory diversity checklist for all applicants of the funding programs, which actively contributes to more diversity in teams and projects.
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Bridging the gap between functional hardware and considered design, Phantum debuts its first line of high-performance mousepads. The collection is built for users who demand precision but won’t compromise on aesthetics. Developed in Paris by founders Amine G. and Victor B., the mousepads combine minimalist design with carefully selected materials and collectible elements, positioning the product as a functional tool and a design object.
Created for gamers and digital creatives, Phantum’s mousepads emphasize tactile performance while remaining visually restrained. The surfaces are crafted using Japanese Poron and advanced fabrics chosen for their durability, responsiveness, and sensory qualities. Each product is designed to enhance, not distract from, the overall composition of a desk setup.
The company’s visual language draws on space, transparency, and disappearance themes, an intentional move to create objects that integrate flawlessly into a work or play environment. “Every detail reflects our DNA: clean, sharp, and futuristic,” said co-founder Amine G., whose tech-focused YouTube channel, MRG TECH, has built a following of over 200,000 subscribers. “We create tools that disappear under the hand but leave a lasting impression through design, feel, and finish.”
Phantum’s founders launched the brand after finding few products that met their standards for both performance and design integrity. The debut line is only the beginning: the team is developing glass mousepads and matching performance sleeves, with plans to expand into a broader ecosystem of desk essentials. Each new release will continue to feature collectible packaging designed to add narrative value rather than act as decoration.
Though recently launched, Phantum is already drawing attention beyond France, particularly in Latin America, where design-conscious gamers have begun to integrate the mousepads into their setups. The first collection is now available on phantum.co, with new formats and accessories to follow.
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Asia
CyberPowerPC India launches ‘Play Guarantee’ campaign for a transparent and gamer-first experience
In a market where gamers often make high-investment purchases without knowing exactly how their machine will perform until they bring it home and install a game, CyberPowerPC India is changing the game. With the Play Guarantee, CyberPowerPC India reinforces its confidence in the performance and reliability of its systems, offering buyers added assurance that what they receive will meet or exceed expectations. This is a first-of-its-kind offer in India’s custom PC market.
Every system sold under the Play Guarantee will be built using 100% brand-new parts sourced from authorized manufacturers. Each PC will come pre-installed with a genuine and activated version of Microsoft Windows at the BIOS level, ensuring users avoid post-purchase license issues or hidden software costs.
Additionally, customers will receive one year of on-site support, with certified technicians dispatched to their location for repairs or replacements, eliminating the need for long shipping delays or third-party service centers. Before dispatch, all the PCs undergo rigorous stress testing using global industry benchmarks to ensure performance integrity across GPU, CPU, thermals, and memory.
Vishal Parekh, Chief Operating Officer, CyberPowerPC India commented,“As more Indian gamers upgrade to high-performance PCs, trust becomes a critical factor. Gamers shouldn’t have to take a leap of faith when buying a PC. They should know what they’re getting and know it works right out of the box. We at CyberPowerPC India always believed in transparency, may it be sharing FPS benchmarks before purchase or building with only brand-new components. The ‘Play Guarantee’ campaign aligns perfectly with our commitment to building a credible, consumer-first ecosystem in Indian PC gaming, especially as the community becomes more competitive and discerning.”
According to a NeoGrowth study, 54% of Indian consumers prefer offline shopping due to the assurance of authenticity and product quality, underscoring a strong demand for transparency in purchase decisions. CyberPowerPC India’s ‘Play Ready’ campaign aims to replicate this confidence in the online custom PC market.
This campaign follows the company’s recent efforts to strengthen grassroots esports infrastructure, including its partnership with Indian esports organization Orangutan to power ApeCity, a dedicated esports arena in Navi Mumbai, with high-performance systems.
As part of its ongoing investment in the growth of India’s PC gaming market, CyberPowerPC India is also working to make high-performance gaming setups more accessible to a wider range of gamers. With the launch of its ‘Play Ready’ campaign, the company aims to foster a gaming culture built on transparency, trust, and a seamless user experience.
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In the latest round of Prototype Funding, Gamecity Hamburg, part of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, supports six promising digital games with up to 80,000 euros each as a non-repayable grant. This funding enables start-ups in Hamburg and supports companies in developing marketable prototypes. In addition, start-ups and developers can apply for Gamecity Hamburg’s Games Lift Incubator until June 10: https://www.gamecity-hamburg.de/de/inkubator/
The awarding committee selected projects with the greatest market potential from the many applications. Including this seventh round of funding, the development of 37 prototypes has been supported as part of Prototype Funding since 2020. The application phase for the next Prototype Funding round will start in spring 2026.
“The high quality of the projects submitted to this funding round led to an intensive decision process within the awarding committee. The funded projects show a wide variety of genres, ideas, and teams. With the Prototype Funding, we are supporting established companies and up-and-coming start-ups in Hamburg as a games location,” commented Dennis Schoubye, Head of Gamecity Hamburg and member of the awarding committee.
The 2025 funding recipients were selected by the awarding committee, consisting of Hamburg industry experts Nina Müller (VP Publishing & Development Services, Goodgame Studios), Jonas Hüsges (Publishing Director, Daedalic Entertainment), Valentina Birke (Director Indie Arena Booth / Super Crowd Entertainment), Michael Schade (CEO & Co-Founder ROCKFISH Games) and Dennis Schoubye (Head of Gamecity Hamburg).
The Funded Projects 2025
- NeverLight by Nightless Games – € 80,000
- Pet Universe by Tivola Games – € 80,000
- Space Station Manager by gameXcite – € 80,000
- Unbreachable by Buckfish – € 72,000
- Deep Fog Signals by Symmetry Break Studio – € 32,000
- Cosmic Run by Zinktank Labs – € 30,000
NeverLight by Nightless Games
NeverLight is a dark, cooperative role-playing game with fantasy and extraction elements, in which up to three players act as hunters in an endless night in search of terrifying monsters and collect valuable loot. The game combines monster hunting with the excitement of having to bring each reward to safety with the team to receive it.
Pet Universe by Tivola Games
In the 3D animal shelter simulation “Pet Universe”, players build their animal shelter from the ground up, organize animal care, collect donations, and design the shelter grounds according to their own ideas. The aim is to care for the animals with their individual needs and to find them a loving home.
Space Station Manager by gameXcite
In this strategy building game with real-time space battles, players manage a space station that serves as a base for spaceships, battles, recruitment, and a strategy hub for missions. In addition to organizing the base, players manage their limited resources and various upgrades, improve crew morals, and explore the galaxy with their individual fleets.
Unbreachable by Buckfish
In the multiplayer strategy game “Unbreachable”, players build a fortress in each run that competes with ten castles of rival players. Players strategically construct the different fortress buildings to increase attack power or minimize weaknesses to climb the leaderboard in competition with other players.
Deep Fog Signals by Symmetry Break Studio
In this sci-fi horror game with puzzle mechanics, players are trapped in the communication room of a remote research station during a toxic storm. To escape, they must coordinate the various crew members, decipher cryptic transmissions, and complete the research as the threatening situation escalates over several days.
Cosmic Run by Zinktank Labs
In this humorous and fast-paced roguelite, players fight their way through space with their ship in order to escape from a capitalist alien dictatorship. Weapons, shields, upgrades for the engine, and customization of the ship determine the narrative of the game. Depending on the character chosen, the course of the game and the story told vary in several runs.
All detailed information on the teams and games can be found at: https://gamecity-hamburg.de/funding/#Funded_Projects_2025
Developers, start-ups, and companies from Hamburg were able to apply for Gamecity Hamburg’s prototype funding from March 3 to April 7. In 2024, Gamecity Hamburg introduced a diversity checklist when applying for prototype funding, the answers to which can optionally be used by the awarding committee in the evaluation process.
The next application phase for prototype funding will start in spring 2026.
Further funding opportunities through Gamecity Hamburg
Each year, the Games Lift Incubator supports five teams, developers, and start-ups in the development of digital games. In addition to € 15,000 in start-up funding, the recipients receive a comprehensive coaching and mentoring program with international experts as well as workshops and follow-up individual support. Since 2024, the program has also included a visit to an international industry event.
Teams and developers can currently apply for the Games Lift Incubator until June 10.
All information can be found at: https://gamecity-hamburg.de/incubator/apply-now/
The post Gamecity Hamburg Supports six new Digital Games with Prototype Funding appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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