Gaming – Page 39

Football Manager and Wordle Amongst 2022’s Top 10 Fastest-Growing Mobile Games, Study Reveals

May 20, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

Reading Time: 3 minutes

A new study from Mozillion has revealed the mobile phone apps which are the fastest growing in 2022 so far, as well as those which have decreased in popularity most since 2021. Researchers from the mobile phone marketplace analysed data for more than 500 of the most popular apps currently on the market, to reveal which have shot up (or down) in popularity with mobile phone users. The study also revealed the mobile gaming apps which have increased and decreased in popularity most over the past six months.

The top 20 fastest growing mobile games in 2022

Delivery game Deliver It 3D was the mobile game which has shot up the charts most, increasing by 997 positions in the App Store over the past six months. Hugely popular mobile games including Angry Bird, Football Manager, Wordle and HeadsUp! also featured in the top ten fastest growing mobile games in 2022 so far.

Rank	Mobile Game	Increase in App Store Chart Position (Oct ’21 – Apr ’22)
1	Deliver It 3D	997
2	Rovio Classics: Angry Bird	996
3	Football Manager 2022 Mobile	994
4	Fill The Fridge	991
5	Wordle	986
6	Heads Up!	983
7	Football Manager 2021 Mobile	983
8	Tall Man Run	973
9	Total War: MEDIEVAL II	971
10	Poppy Playtime Chapter 1	959
11	Arcadia – Arcade Watch Games	958
12	Super Goal – Soccer Sticman	955
13	Coffee Inc 2	953
14	Worms3	950
15	Labyrinth City	949
16	Convenience Stories	947
17	Fishdom	942
18	Coloring Match	940
19	Papa’s Cluckeria	939
20	Slay the Spire	938

The top 20 mobile games that have decreased in popularity most in 2022

Once-popular games Traffic Cop 3D and Paper Fold were found to be amongst the apps that have seen the biggest decreases in popularity in 2022 so far, dropping between 996 and 999 spots on the App Store charts since 2021.

Rank	Mobile Game	Decrease in App Store Chart Position (Oct ’21 – Apr ’22)
1	Traffic Cop 3D	-999
2	Retro Bowl	-998
3	Paper Fold	-996
4	Moon Pioneer	-994
5	Flex Run 3D	-985
6	Candy Challenge 3D	-983
7	Watersort Puzzle	-978
8	Youtubers Life	-977
9	MAD FUT 22 Draft & Pack	-977
10	Shot Factor	-976
11	Turn Left!!	-975
12	Keyboard Art	-972
13	Zen Match	-966
14	Water Sort Puzzle	-964
15	Stacky Dash	-951
16	Call of Duty	-950
17	Magic Tiles 3	-950
18	Stone Miner	-946
19	The Cube	-941
20	Survival Challenge 3D	-939

The most consistent mobile games of 2022

While some apps are only destined to spend a short time ruling the top positions of the App Store charts, others have remained consistent as we transitioned into the new year of 2022. Hugely popular mobile gaming app Minecraft remained in the top five of the charts over the six-month period, as did popular pizza game Papa’s Pizzeria.

Mobile Game	Increase/Decrease in App Store Chart Position (Oct ’21 – Apr ’22)
Minecraft	0
Papa’s Pizzeria	0

Founder at Mozillion, Len Leeson comments:

“Apps are a huge part of everyday life for mobile phone owners in 2022. From tracking fitness and nutrition, mobile gaming or social networking with friends and family, checking the weather – or even finding your life partner! Apps are becoming more technologically advanced and user-friendly every year, allowing our mobile phones to help us become more efficient and connected in our day-to-day lives.

Our research has shown that while some apps are just fleeting trends, others are very clearly here to stay and remain firm favourites amongst mobile phone users, year after year.

There’s an amazing choice of apps that are out there now, and alongside the fun ones, some are increasingly important and useful. With this in mind, we recommend you look for at least 128GB or even 256GB of storage when buying a new phone, so that the capacity keeps pace with the (many) apps you may want to download.”

To view the full list of the apps growing and decreasing in popularity in 2022, visit: https://www.mozillion.com/resources/the-mozillion-app-trends-report-2022/

Bidstack onboard Highbrow Interactive with 4 exclusive new partnerships

May 19, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Bidstack, the leading in-game advertising platform, is pleased to announce an exclusive new partnership with Highbrow Interactive which will see four exceptional simulation games added to their portfolio. Founded in 2013, Highbrow Interactive specialises in game production, virtual reality and augmented reality and has seen over 80 million installs across its library of games.

The first two new titles to be added to Bidstack’s portfolio are Euro Train Simulator alongside its successor Euro Train Simulator 2. Boasting over ten million and five million downloads respectively, both games have provided train aficionados with first-class gameplay faithful to real-life experiences, with Euro Train Simulator 2 being the first mobile train simulator to feature officially-licensed trains from Germany’s largest railway company Deutsche Bahn.

Indian Train Simulator also joins the Bidstack portfolio. A game with stunning attention to detail, it has seen over ten million lifetime installs and has enabled access to a more diverse player base through translations. Indonesian Train Simulator is the final game to be added. With high-quality graphics and sophisticated AI trains contributing to a comprehensively authentic railroad environment, it is no wonder the game has garnered over ten million installs.

Through Bidstack, Highbrow Interactive will be able to take advantage of their in-game, in-menu and rewarded video products creating a new revenue stream whilst also contributing to the accuracy of its games without compromising on the player’s experience.

The addition of these four games to their portfolio will see Bidstack’s simulation vertical continue to grow, allowing them to provide brands with a greater selection of high-quality inventory for them to reach and engage diverse audiences.

Of the partnership, CEO and Co Founder at Highbrow Interactive Jeno Manickam Durairaj said, “We’re excited to be taking this step forward with Bidstack in enhancing our players’ experience through the use of non-intrusive advertising. Bidstack’s revolutionary technology that makes advertising seamless and organic in open-world games perfectly fits our catalogue of simulation titles. We believe that this partnership will help our games grow closer to the thrill and reality of trains and railways whilst also diversifying our revenue streams. The Bidstack team has been consistently attentive making onboarding and integration simple and hassle-free.”

Bidstack’s VP of Gaming Antoine Jullemier added, “We’re delighted to be partnering exclusively with renowned game developer Highbrow Interactive. The addition of four of their high-quality games to our growing mobile vertical stands testament to the quality of our technology and gives our brand partners access to a rich global audience of gamers.

The highly detailed gaming environments provide optimal housing for seamless in-game ads, accurately simulating true train travel without detracting from the gaming experience. We look forward to a future of delivering first-class campaigns for our new partner.”

Mayhem Studios announces its first Battle Royale title

May 19, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Underworld Gang Wars” or UGW, which revolves around the rivalry between two gangs, launched through India’s largest drone show designed for a game reveal

Mayhem Studios, India’s first studio for AAA games has announced its first title “Underworld Gang Wars” (UGW), a Battle Royale game set in India. With the characters and plot rooted in India, the game promises an exciting setting with some interesting characters inspired by stories of India.

Set in a truly Indian plot, the locations, the gangs and the icons represent an Indian context in a AAA game for the first time. The theme, weapons, and the maps of the game have been designed to offer a unique experience to the gamers.

The gameplay becomes intense in UGW as the underdog gang from the West wants to take control of the Eastern region from its arch-rival urban gang.

To provide an authentic experience, each region depicted in the game resembles a real location in India, be it the coal mines or the next-door apartment complex. It also has iconic landmarks including a fort, station, stadium and a racecourse.

Scheduled to be launched later this year, the game’s pre-registration window will open from 22^nd May.

Commenting on the announcement, Ojas Vipat, CEO of Mayhem Studios, said: “We are thrilled to come up with the first Battle Royale Title that promises to offer one of the most relatable storylines for gamers. UGW’s unique locations and the highly relatable universe with great graphics are sure to provide a great experience for Battle Royale players. We are also excited to put together a blockbuster game with some unique stories of India for the world.”

Mayhem Studios has conducted India’s biggest game reveal through a drone show at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Through this drone show, the studio revealed the game logo and also created a QR code that directed the onlookers to the game teaser.

The event was also attended by leading gaming influencers and enthusiasts like Tanmay Bhat, Mortal, Scout and Dynamo Gaming.

Apex Legends Mobile version Launched in India | Quotes From ESFI, Qlan & Alpha Zegus

May 18, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

Reading Time: 2 minutes

As per the recent announcement by EA, the Apex Legends Mobile version launched in India. The battle royale game is finally ready to be unleashed for smartphone gamers on Android and iOS from today. Apex Legends is a free-to-play battle royale-hero shooter game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts.

Some statistics around the game globally:

On April 14, 2021, Respawn announced that Apex Legends has hit100 million players in total. This will have been boosted largely thanks to the release of the game on Steam and Nintendo Switch. The milestone is an important achievement for the battle royale over two years after it launched on Feb. 4, 2019.

In regards to their announcement, please find below the quotes of our clients, we request you to add this to your story if you are planning any around it.

Mr Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF):

The launch of the mobile version of the free-to-play battle royale-hero shooter game Apex Legends is going to be a game-changer for the esports title in our country. The battle royale genre games have a huge player base in India and the title gets a major boost with more than 300 million mobile gamers in India. The first reactions from both professionals and casual gamers will be critical as this will reflect on the overall acceptance of Apex Legends mobile in India. Also, publishers need to look at the Indian market seriously by hosting major tournaments for our esports athletes.

Mr Sagar Nair, Co-Founder & CEO, Qlan, The Gamer’s Social Network:

Apex Legends Mobile launch is a very significant step towards tapping the Indian gaming ecosystem as mobile titles are big in India as they facilitate easier connectivity and accessibility for users and leverage the power of the mobile-first ecosystem of the country. With more than 100 million players already playing this battle royale game globally, the publisher needs to aggressively tap the Indian esports industry by hosting multiple tournaments and get it accessible easily for the third party tournament organisers which will fuel the game’s popularity in the region. The battle royale genre is among the favourites in the Indian esports circuit and as per the latest Newzoo report, India is among the emerging market which dominates mobile esports titles.

Rohit Agarwal, Founder & Director, Alpha Zegus, the next-gen marketing agency specializing in the domains of gaming & lifestyle:

With the launch of Apex Legend Mobile Version, it’s clear that companies that initially made AAA titles for PC/Console are now seeing the need to adapt to the rapidly growing mobile gaming market. It’ll also help bridge a critical gap, where mobile players would want to try out the PC version for a more immersive experience after playing the mobile version, and vice versa. Lastly, if this game becomes cross-platform play, it’ll be a game-changer.

Kinguin Launches NFT Marketplace in Partnership with Immutable X

May 17, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Kinguin is launching its NFT marketplace, in partnership with Immutable X. Featuring 40+ collections and over 200,000 unique NFTs, it will give gaming and esports customers access to a vast array of exclusive NFT offerings.

The marketplace, built on top of the Immutable X protocol, is mixing the familiarity and practicality of web2 with the freedom and potential of web3. Kinguin offers its users the stability and security of an established digital goods marketplace. Some top NFT games like Gods Unchained, Guild of Guardians, PlanetQuest and Habbo Hotel will all offer NFTs on the marketplace, with more to be announced in the coming months.

But there’s more than just the high-quality content that will appeal to Kinguin’s vast community. Immutable X, created by Immutable and Starkware, is the technologically leading layer 2 scaling solution for NFTs on Ethereum. The combination of Immutable’s deep knowledge of blockchain technology with Starkware’s cutting-edge ZK-rollup technology, means the Kinguin NFT Marketplace will be lightning fast (at 9,000 TPS) and carbon-neutral, without compromising on security.

The partnership presents mass adoption opportunities for both developers and end-users. By combining Kinguin’s 13 million registered users with Immutable X’s scaling solution, you don’t have to compromise your assets’ security, transaction speed, gas fees and negative impact when diving deeper into NFT, making it easier to scale the game and NFT industries together.

Other features include a dedicated search option, making it easy for everyone to buy and sell NFTs. Users can also connect their MetaMask crypto wallet with the Kinguin NFT marketplace, a free hot wallet service available as a smartphone app or web browser extension. With that, every user can buy NFTs or deposit Ethereum for purchase purposes and also check their NFT balance.

Robert Kalbarczyk, Chief Operating Officer & Acting CEO at Kinguin said “We remain focused on our community’s interests and passions. With Play and Earn on the rise, this felt like the natural next step for us. We’re thankful to have partners that share our vision and we’re looking forward to working with Immutable X to offer our customers a range of exclusive NFT gaming assets.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome Kinguin’s 13 million users to Immutable’s open order book, and help power the next generation of mainstream gamers to truly own their in-game items,” said Robbie Ferguson, Co-Founder at Immutable. “This is an incredibly significant move — one of the powerhouses of digital goods trading from web2 is expanding their offering to NFTs, and they’ve chosen layer-2 Ethereum as the way to do it. We look forward to helping Kinguin scale this marketplace across hundreds of games and millions of players.”

The NFT marketplace may still be in early stages but long term plans are being considered to ensure its continuous evolution. As well as collaborations with big marketplaces, Kinguin also hopes, in time, to develop its own NFT games.

German mobile games market grows by 22 per cent

May 12, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The huge variety of mobile games and their easy availability on smartphones and tablets have made them especially popular choices. Be it casual puzzle games, familiar PC and console games adapted for mobile use, or location-based games like “Pokémon Go” or “Jurassic World Live”, the popularity of games apps is undiminished. Sales revenue continues to increase, and the German mobile games market once again experienced strong growth in 2021, with a 22 per cent increase in sales revenue from games apps to about 2.8 billion euros. This growth is a continuation of the impressive trend in recent years, as sales revenue in 2020 had already risen by 23 per cent. These are the figures released today by game – the German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by the market research companies data.ai and GfK.

In-app purchases continue to drive growth in the mobile games market, accounting for approximately 99 per cent of total sales revenue in this segment in 2021. Sales revenue from in-app purchases enjoyed yet another year of significant growth, increasing by 22 per cent from about 2.3 billion euros in 2020 to nearly 2.8 billion euros in 2021. This is primarily due to the tremendous popularity of free-to-play games that allow players to enhance their game experiences with in-app purchases. Players can buy additional content such as additional levels and new skins for their own avatars. Sales revenue generated by games offered for purchase, on the other hand, continues to decline, amounting to just 7 million euros in 2021. Subscription fees for apps like the Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass services generated 12 million euros in sales revenue, an increase of 200 per cent over the previous year.

The average age of mobile games players remained almost unchanged in 2021 at 38.3; the previous year the average player was 38.8 years old. In 2019, mobile games players were 37.4 years old on average. As in the previous year, there were roughly the same number of male and female players of mobile games. Even so, at 51 per cent there were slightly more women than men playing games on their smartphones or tablets in 2021.

According to Felix Falk, Managing Director of game: ‘The mobile games sector is getting bigger year after year. Games apps are an integral part of the daily lives of millions of people in Germany thanks in no small part to their tremendous variety and accessibility. Mobile games also make it easy to network with other players – anytime and anywhere. This includes location-based games, multiplayer games and even mobile esports. Playing mobile games has turned into a popular social gaming experience.’

Another year of strong growth for the German games market

Following a historic 2020 performance with 32 per cent growth, sales revenues in the German games market continued to rise significantly in 2021 with a total of approximately 9.8 billion euros in sales revenue generated by games, games hardware and fees for online gaming services – an increase of 17 per cent compared to the previous year. Sales revenue from computer and video games grew by 19 per cent to about 5.4 billion euros, due among other things to increases in in-game and in-app purchases. Sales revenue from games hardware has also grown, by 18 per cent overall to about 3.6 billion euros. Demand for games consoles and gaming PC accessories was particularly strong.

About the market data

The market data is based on statistics compiled by the GfK Consumer Panel and data.ai. The methods used by GfK to collect data on Germany’s video games market are unique in terms of both their quality and their global use. They include an ongoing survey of 25,000 consumers who are representative of the German population as a whole regarding their video game purchasing and usage habits, as well as a retail panel. The data collection methods provide a unique insight into the German market for computer and video games.

game – the German Games Industry Association

We are the association of the German games industry. Our members include developers, publishers and many other games industry actors such as esports event organisers, educational establishments and service providers. As a joint organiser of gamescom, we are responsible for the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. We are an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, and answer questions relating to market development, games culture and media literacy. Our mission is to make Germany the best games location.

GameRefinery unveils the finalists for its annual Mobile GameDev Awards, celebrating the best in mobile game design

May 12, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The 2022 Mobile GameDev Awards finalists announced in seven categories covering different aspects of mobile game innovation and feature design, in USA, Japan and China.

Today, mobile game analytics specialist GameRefinery, a Liftoff company, is excited to announce that its jury has decided on the finalists for its second annual Mobile GameDev Awards. The awards recognise and celebrate innovation in mobile game design amongst developers in the USA, China and Japan.

The seven categories are:

Innovation and Excellence in Core Gameplay, (all regions)

Most Promising Soft Launch Game, (all regions) Biggest Evolver individually in USA, Japan, China Best Newcomer individually in USA, Japan, China

Best Feature Innovation, Best Event individually in USA, Japan, China and

Best Use of IP in Collaboration Events (all regions).

GameRefinery will announce the winners on the 24th of May 2022.

The 2022 Mobile GameDev Awards finalists have been selected by a panel of GameRefinery analysts, drawing on their extensive experience and expertise in games analysis.

GameRefinery’s platform tracks over 100,000 mobile games for market research, competitor intelligence, and player insights while providing more than 2,500+ in-depth game feature deconstructions and analyses.

Mobile GameDev Awards 2022 Finalists

Innovation & Excellence in Core Gameplay

The most innovative and well-executed core gameplay seen in 2021:

无尽的拉格朗日 (Infnite Lagrange, China)
Gold and Goblins: Idle Merge
哈利波特：魔法觉醒 (Harry Potter Magic Awakened, China)
Kingdom Guard: Tower Defence
ウマ娘プリティーダービー (Umamusume Pretty Derby, Japan)
The Ants: Underground Kingdom
League of Legends: Wild Rift

Most Promising Soft Launch Game

The 2021 soft launch game most likely to be a breakout launch success based on gameplay:

Apex Legends
Clash Mini
Star Blast
Tower of Fantasy
Diablo Immortal
Honkai: Star Rail
Star Wars: Hunters

Biggest Evolver

The game that has developed the most during 2021 in terms of gameplay:

USA Finalists:

Merge Dragons!
Clash Royale
Garena Free Fire
Lords Mobile: Tower Defense
Rise of Kingdoms
Yahtzee® with Buddies
Cookie Run: Kingdom

Japan Finalists:

ステート・オブ・サバイバル (State of Survival)
Shin Sangokushi
ドラゴンクエストタクト (Dragon Quest Tact)
パズル＆ドラゴンズ (Puzzle & Dragons)
プロ野球スピリッツＡ (Pro Yakyuu Spirits A)

China Finalists:

植物大战僵尸2 (Plants vs. Zombies 2)
天谕 (Revelation)
原神 (Genshin Impact)
跑跑卡丁车官方竞速版 (PopKart Mobile)
魂斗罗:归来-特战集结 (Contra Returns)

Best Newcomer

The best new entry into the market during 2021:

USA Finalists:

Beatstar
The Ants: Underground Kingdom
Royal Match
Kingdom Guard: Tower Defence
Family Farm Adventure
Zen Match – Relaxing Puzzle
The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War
No Limit Drag Racing 2
Idle Lumber Empire
League of Legends: Wild Rift

Japan Finalists:

ウマ娘プリティーダービー (Umamusume Pretty Derby)
二ノ国：Cross Worlds (Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds)
ガーディアンテイルズ (Guardian Tales)
グランサガ(Gran Saga)
Nier Re[in]carnation

China Finalists:

哈利波特：魔法觉醒 (Harry Potter: Magic Awakened)
王牌竞速 (Ace Racer)
幻塔（Tower of Fantasy）
无尽的拉格朗日 (Infnite Lagrange)
英雄联盟手游（League of Legends: Wild Rift）
重返帝国
金铲铲之战 (Battle of the Golden Spatula)

Best Feature Innovation

The most innovative new feature introduced in a game during 2021

松松总动员 (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan, China) – Login calendar meets IAP offers
松松总动员 (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan, China) – Innovative limited-time gacha event
Garena Free Fire – Special PvP modes
Cooking Diary – Social hangout areas
Yahtzee® with Buddies – Kingdom feature
Rise of Kingdoms – MOBA mode
Puzzle & Dragons (Japan) – Synchronous PvP mode
PUBG MOBILE – RP Activity Packs in Battle Pass
Highrise – NFT cosmetics
XFLAG’s Kotodaman and Monster Strike (Japan) – New gacha type with a social twist
Ensemble Stars!! Music (Japan) – Music co-op newcomer tasks

Best Event

The best in-game event held during 2021:

USA Finalists:

Yahtzee® with Buddies – Derby event

POP! Slots™ Vegas Casino Games – Win Zone event

Gardenscapes – Klondike Expedition event

Genshin Impact – Midsummer Island Adventure

Call of Duty®: Mobile – Anniversary event

Garena Free Fire – Pet Mania event

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – Aspirants Unite event

State of Survival – 2nd Anniversary Airship Building event

Japan Finalists:

プロジェクトセカイカラフルステージ！ 初音ミク (Project Sekai Colorful Stage feat. Hatsune Miku) – New Year’s event

ドラゴンボールレジェンズ (Dragon Ball Legends) – Legends Festival

妖怪ウォッチぷにぷに (Youkai Watch Punipuni) – Collaboration event with Neon Genesis Evangelion

二ノ国：Cross Worlds (Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds) – General events

NieR Re[in]carnation – Collaborations events with the earlier titles in the series (NieR Automata (launch), NieR Replicant and Drakengard 3)

China Finalists:

明日之后 (LifeAfter) – Romantic event July 2021

松松总动员 (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan) – June 2021 Gacha event

御龙在天 (Legend of Yulong) – Fight the Landlord-card game event (doudizhu) in Jan

神武4 (Shén wǔ 4) – Event with a real-life map to beat monsters and get points

阴阳师 (Onmyoji) – recurring event with event-only customizable character

富豪麻将 (Fuhao Majiang) – collaboration event with China Mahjong Masters Tournament

Best Use of IP in a Collaboration Event

Finalists:

跑跑卡丁车官方竞速版 (PopKart Mobile) & Ali the Fox (China)

香肠派对 (Sausage Man) & Pizza Hut (China)

Top War: Battle Game & Transformers

江南百景图 (Canal Towns) & Kentucky Fried Chicken (China)

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang & Hello Kitty (Sanrio Characters)

Roblox & 24kGoldn Concert Experience

PUBG MOBILE & Arcane (League of Legends)

獅子の如く～戦国覇王戦記～ (Shishi no Gotoku – Sengoku Haousenki) & Rurouni Kenshin (Japan)

State of Survival & The Walking Dead (US)

Application phase for the Games Lift Incubator 2022 starts

May 12, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Developers and games start-ups from Hamburg can apply for the extensive funding and support program Games Lift Incubator until June 14, 11:59 pm CEST. As part of the program run by the location initiative Gamecity Hamburg, five teams get financial support of 15,000 euros, three months of coaching and mentoring, slots in a co-working space as well as access to the Games Lift Network composed of numerous mentors from the international games industry. Upon completing the program, the teams will get continued support for twelve months with additional coaching and the help of a PR agency specializing in video games. A quick overview of the program and its benefits in only 30 seconds is available in this trailer video: https://youtu.be/VA5RxX_nq2A

Gamecity Hamburg has been organizing the Games Lift Incubator once a year since 2020 to support solo devs, developers, founders and start-ups in Hamburg with the development of digital games with high market potential.

„The development of digital games is a Herculean task – especially for young teams who have just begun working on their projects. With the Games Lift Incubator, we create the ideal environment to support the teams at each step of their way and help them to manage challenges as well as to reach milestones in the best way possible. The closely-knit network of developers and companies in Hamburg allows us to offer the teams a unique combination of expertise, coaching and public funding”, explains Amanda Förtsch, project manager at Gamecity Hamburg and member of the Games Lift Incubator 2022 Awarding Committee.

The timeline for the Games Lift Incubator 2022

Applicants and teams from Hamburg as well as devs and teams who aim to relocate to Hamburg can apply for the Games Lift Incubator 2022 until June 14. The Awarding Committee invites the most promising teams to pitch their projects online and five teams are subsequently accepted in the Incubator. The incubator program begins September 12 and runs until the beginning of December. Following the graduation event for the five teams on December 8, Gamecity Hamburg continues to support the graduates for another year of individual coaching with professional advisors and the help of a PR agency specialized in video games.

Further information about the Games Lift Incubator is available on the official website: https://www.gamecity-hamburg.de/incubator/. Applications can be submitted online until June 14, 11:59 pm CEST.

“Games Lift Insights” information event on May 24

To give an impression of what awaits participating teams in the workshop program of the Games Lift Incubator, Gamecity Hamburg will host the online workshop “Games Lift Insights” on May 24, 2022, 4:30 pm CEST. Cassia Curran, business development and strategic advisor specialized in games and Games Lift mentor, will share her knowledge on market analysis for indie games. Also, the Gamecity Hamburg team will join in to answer participants’ question about the Games Lift program and application process. More information and registration for the event: https://games-lift-insights-2022-market-analysis.eventbrite.de

The Awarding Committee

The Awarding Committee, composed of experts from the local games industry as well as representatives of Gamecity Hamburg and Hamburg’s Ministry of Culture and Media, decides which applications are accepted into the Games Lift Incubator 2022:

Mareike Ottrand is professor of Interactive Illustration and Games at the HAW Hamburg University of Applied Sciences as well as co-founder and art director at Studio Fizbin. The German development studio is known for titles like “The Inner World” and was awarded the title of “Best Studio” at the German Video Game Awards last year.

Ole Schaper is CEO and CTO of the mobile games studio Sviper, known for the game “Super Spell Heroes”, which was able to raise a seven-figure sum from international investors. He brings his experience from both developer and management positions at development studios as well as founder and CEO of his own companies to the table.

Wolf Lang is co-founder of the Hamburg-based indie studio THREAKS and CEO of the event agency Super Crowd Entertainment, which specializes in the games industry. Super Crowd Entertainment was awarded a special prize by the jury of the German Computer Game Award for its virtual exhibition concept called “Indie Arena Booth Online”, which allows indie developers to be digitally present at gamescom, the largest European video game exhibition.

Jens Unrau is Head of the Department of Media and Digital Economy at the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and has been supporting the development of the local media and digital economy for over 20 years. He has been a point of contact for the games industry in Hamburg since 2003 and brings his experience as the initiator of the first Hamburg prototype funding program as well as member of the Awarding Committee of the new Gamecity Hamburg prototype funding to the table.

Amanda Förtsch is project manager at Gamecity Hamburg and responsible for the concept and execution of networking events and funding programs like the Games Lift Incubator. She previously handled numerous clients and projects at Super Crowd Entertainment and was involved in the development of the Gamecity Online Hub as well as the organization of the community convention MAG! and the Hamburg Games Conference.

The mentors

A variety of professional mentors are available to the participating teams as part of the Games Lift Incubator. This year’s mentors include Heather Chandler, consultant in the games industry and former Senior Producer for Fortnite, as well as Jörg Luibl, experienced games journalist, amongst others. Additional supporters of this year’s Incubator program will be revealed soon.

Voodoo Becomes World’s Most Downloaded Mobile Game Maker with 6 Billion Downloads

May 7, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Voodoo, one of the world’s leading mobile game publishers, has announced that it has passed the 6 billion download mark over Q1 2022.

Voodoo has become the 3rd highest company in terms of downloads since the creation of the App Store, next to Meta & Google and ahead of Microsoft, Tencent Games and Bytedance. Born in Paris in 2013, Voodoo is the youngest and the only European player among the top 5, which is dominated by U.S. and Chinese tech giants.

“This is a huge achievement and I am proud of our amazing team to have been able to get a European tech company onto the top charts of such a competitive industry. This achievement is the result of a never ending hunger for excellence in technology, product innovation, and business operations. We feel now there is no limit to our expansion in new segments of entertaining consumer apps,” Alexandre Yazdi, Co-Founder and CEO of Voodoo, said.

Voodoo, which celebrated its 9th anniversary on April 10, invented a new genre of mobile games: Hyper Casual. More recently, Voodoo has expanded its business model to become a diversified app publisher, serving both gaming and non-gaming segments. In Q1, more than a third of Voodoo’s revenue came from non-Hyper-Casual Apps (with apps such as the social network Wizz, the skill gaming platform Blitz, the leading backgammon game Lord of the Board, and the battle game Mob Control). Voodoo is committed to developing the mobile blockchain gaming segment by making the next generation of play-to-earn games and recently led the investment rounds into blockchain studios Volt Games and Tummy Games. The company is currently building the blockchain technology to support their scale.

FACEIT partners with crypto fintech platform Cake DeFi in multi million dollar deal that will allow players to earn cryptocurrency

May 7, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

Reading Time: 3 minutes

FACEIT, the world’s leading platform for competitive online gaming, has today announced a multi-million dollar partnership with Cake DeFi, one of the world’s fastest growing crypto fintech platforms, which allows users to earn cash flow from their crypto. Facilitated by Pivot Agency, the collaboration will provide Cake DeFi with authentic brand exposure to all FACEIT users globally through a series of bespoke and multifaceted gaming experiences which will offer the community a chance to win crypto. This year Cake DeFi will be offering players more than half a million dollars in prizes, paid in crypto.

Research suggests that 55% of the Millennials gamers own crypto as compared to just 5% of all Millennials¹, illustrating the natural connection between the gaming and crypto industry.

The partnership with FACEIT marks Cake DeFi’s first move into the gaming and esports space. The agreement will offer the company access to FACEIT’s 25 million user base, the largest network of competitive gamers, and will offer players a unique opportunity to earn actual crypto prizes while playing. Furthermore, through Cake DeFi’s platform and access to decentralised finance applications, they can compound their winnings and earn returns on their crypto.

Michele Attisani, Co-Founder & CBO of FACEIT said: The FACEIT platform is home to the largest community of competitive gamers, which means we have a unique understanding of this audience. Our users are incredibly forward thinking and educated when it comes to crypto, so the partnership we chose had to bring tangible and substantial value to be of interest. The collaboration with Cake DeFi is much more than brand integration, and offers our community clear experiential and financial benefits which go beyond what any partnerships of this type has delivered before.

FACEIT users are core gamers who spend an average of 2.5hrs a day on the platform. A recent survey of FACEIT users found that many were already interested in, and investing in crypto, showing a natural synergy between both brands and industries:

They are innovative thinkers with 66% agreeing that cryptocurrencies are the future of online transactions
80% have heard of Crypto
36% invest in Crypto
46% very Likely or Likely to use Crypto in next 12 months – 4x more likely than the general population to use Cryptocurrency for online purchases

The partnership will incorporate Cake DeFi Missions, involving in-game tasks and monthly challenges for players to complete in order to win crypto prizes. It will also include Cake DeFi Weekly Tournaments which will run throughout the year and will be open to FACEIT players around the world. Players will be able to earn even greater rewards on the crypto they win when they sign up to Cake DeFi. All crypto prizes are redeemable through their Cake DeFi account, allowing FACEIT to expand its current play-to-earn offering.

Speaking about the partnership, Dr. Julian Hosp, CEO and Co-Founder of Cake DeFi said, “Gamers have a natural affinity with crypto and they can now join us on the DeFi movement. Cake DeFi’s partnership with FACEIT will allow players to earn crypto while they game, and further earn returns on their crypto through our platform. In 2021, we paid out US$230 million in rewards to our customers. So it’s a win-win-win for FACEIT gamers.”

Cake DeFi is the leading crypto fintech platform that provides users access to DeFi (decentralised finance) services and applications such as liquidity mining, staking and lending, which generates regular returns for users. They currently manage over $1 billion in customer assets and offer users one of the highest returns on crypto in the market, as a one stop platform that is easy-to-use, secure and transparent. Last year they paid out $230 million in rewards to customers and this year they are looking to increase this to 74% more, or $400 million, in rewards.

Tag: Gaming

Football Manager and Wordle Amongst 2022’s Top 10 Fastest-Growing Mobile Games, Study Reveals

Bidstack onboard Highbrow Interactive with 4 exclusive new partnerships

Mayhem Studios announces its first Battle Royale title

Apex Legends Mobile version Launched in India | Quotes From ESFI, Qlan & Alpha Zegus

Kinguin Launches NFT Marketplace in Partnership with Immutable X

German mobile games market grows by 22 per cent

GameRefinery unveils the finalists for its annual Mobile GameDev Awards, celebrating the best in mobile game design

Application phase for the Games Lift Incubator 2022 starts

Voodoo Becomes World’s Most Downloaded Mobile Game Maker with 6 Billion Downloads

FACEIT partners with crypto fintech platform Cake DeFi in multi million dollar deal that will allow players to earn cryptocurrency

Latest Members

Who is online

Latest Hashtags