Games Lift Incubator

Games Lift supports developer teams in creating and refining concepts for digital games. Up to five teams will be supported per year. During a three months long intensive program, the teams receive financing of up to €15,000, a workshop and mentoring program held by experienced industry professionals as well as office desks in a co-working facility. After the end of the intensive program, the teams receive additional individual coachings during the following 12 months to help them prepare their game for release.

What Games Lift offers:

During the intensive program (September - December 2021):

Financial support of €15,000
Talks, workshops and mentoring tailored to the needs of game developer start-ups
Provision of office space in a co-working facility.

As additional follow-up support until December 2022:

Individual coaching sessions with professional consultants
Time budget with a PR agency specialized on indie games.

This year's application period for the Games Lift Incubator 2021 runs from Monday, June 21 until Monday, July 26.

Apply now

Apply now

The application phase for Games Lift 2021 runs from June 21 to July 26. You can find all information regarding the application process on the Apply now page.

Apply now

News

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Games Lift returns: Apply now to grow your game – like these developers did last year

Last year, Gamecity Hamburg launched the Games Lift Incubator. Five teams took their projects to the next stage during their time in the incubator. Now Games Lift is about to return.

Games Lift Insights on July 8: Basic Market Analysis for Indies

On July 8, our Project Manager Maggie Schneider and Cassia Curran, Founder and Strategic Advisor of Curran Games Agency, will provide insights into the Games Lift Incubator program and host a workshop on market analysis for indie developers. The workshop will be held in English.

Games Lift 2021 application phase has started

From June 21, the Games Lift incubator program launches its application phase for 2021, supporting five games developer teams in creating concepts for digital games with high market potential.

Games Lift Insights on June 3: Crowdfunding for Game Developers

On June 3, our Project Manager Maggie Schneider and Jan Theysen, Co-Founder and Creative Director of KING Art Games will provide you with insights into our Games Lift Incubator program and a basic workshop about crowdfunding for game devs!

Making game development work: Two examples from our Incubator

What is the best way to make a game? Don’t answer! It’s a trick question. There may never be one universal way of managing work across different teams and project sizes. Still, valuable lessons can be learned from the actual experience of the professionals in our teams.

The bar is set: Games Lift Graduation saw 5 strong presentations

We have reached our destination. After three months of hard work, our five teams got to present what they did during the Games Lift incubator. For most of them, this was their biggest showing yet. But to us, it did not feel like an exam – it felt like the celebration after.

Going Live: What to expect from Games Lift Graduation

You can see it in their faces, hear it in their voices, even tell it by the way their e-mails are worded: Our teams are excited. And they have very good reason to. On December 8, the Incubator will end with a public presentation. What’s in store?

Games Lift Graduation is here! Join us live on December 8

The five Hamburg-based teams of the first Games Lift Incubator are coming out of three months of intensive workshops and coaching concerning the development and marketing of computer games. In the final event on December 8, the founders will present how the mentors' input has been applied to further develop their game concepts.

How to promote an indie game: Insights from the Games Lift PR workshop

Working on Public Relations for video games is challenging; it is especially so for small game developers working on tight schedules and limited budgets. That is why at Gamecity’s Games Lift Incubator, PR is a special focus. We sat in on two luminaries coaching our teams.

Games Lift: The Amusement gives VR walking simulators a new meaning

It may be powered by a technical achievement, but this novel VR game is all about the story. Players will walk around a dilapidated amusement park, solve puzzles and take in the scenery. There is a layer cake of a tale to discover.

Games Lift: Leif’s Adventure builds on decades of experience

And it might be done soon! Developer Roman Fuhrer has worked at a variety of successful game studios. But this action-adventure is his very own. And he wants to get it just right.

Games Lift: In Alchymia, players won’t skip the fun

Developer Julia Reberg has a small, but enticing idea: Research alchemy in a fantasy world and find a miracle cure. If you don’t, Zombies will arrive and end the game. But we do not need to worry yet.

Time for the Milestone Pitch: What have the teams achieved in 6 weeks of Games Lift?

The Milestone Pitch on October 19 marked the end of the first half of Gamecity’s Games Lift Incubator 2020. In a two hour presentation, the awarding committee and mentors of the program got to check in on the progress of our five teams. There was a lot to see and talk about.

Games Lift: Crumbling feels like playing with action figures

Ole Jürgensen and Leonie Brosz still remember the way we all used to play when we were kids. Now, they are bringing it back. The novel idea at the heart of VR game „Crumbling“ is a really natural way of controlling your character.

Games Lift: Ninja Brigade will suck you into an Arcade

Or, to be more precise, it is keyboardist and composer Jonah Weingarten who gets sucked in. Players get to look like him and fight through a fantastic landscape inspired by feudal Japan. Dev team members Nico Plötz and Robin Stephan explain their wild idea.

5 unique ideas: The projects that make up Games Lift

It’s time to talk teams and projects. They define the Games Lift Incubator’s purpose: The whole point of the program is to help them thrive. In the coming weeks, we will take a closer look at each of them. But in order to get a sense of their diversity, let’s start with an overview.

Games Lift - What's in a workshop

Good workshops are hard to find. In the Games Lift incubator, they are a main attraction of the program. It’s seasoned game devs giving personal advice to a small group. But there is a crinkle: Because of the pandemic, this time around all talks and workshops of the Games Lift Incubator are being held remotely.

The Games Lift Incubator starts now. What does it incubate, exactly?

As another important program to support up-and-coming game developers and the games ecosystem in Hamburg, our Games Lift Incubator finally lifts off. Time for a quick inventory: What does the program do? What does it hope to achieve? We asked Gamecity Hamburg’s project manager Margarete Schneider to get us into the details of this new incubation program.

More News

Timeline

June 21 - July 26Now

Online Application Phase

Online applications are open from Monday, June 21 (1 pm) to Monday, July 26 (11:59 pm). All information regarding how to apply can be found on the Apply Now page.

July 27 - August 13

Awarding Process

After careful consideration of all eligible applications, the Awarding Committee will invite a selection of applicants to pitch their projects online. The final decision on which teams will enter the Incubator will be made after the online pitches.

September 9 - October 20

Incubator Phase 1 | Foundations

The Gamecity Incubator program will start on September 9 with workshops, the first batch of financing and offering of co-working space.

October 21

Milestone Pitch

Teams will present a pitch to the awarding committee as well as their mentors based on the progress they made on their project and new knowledge they gained during the first phase. The second batch of financing will be provided to all teams who successfully completed the first phase as well as the milestone pitch.

October 22 - Early December

Incubator Phase 2 | Polishing

Further workshops and talks will deepen the knowledge gained during the first phase. Teams prepare their projects for a final pitch.

Early December

Graduation

Teams will present the results of their work in a final, public pitch. Watch the Graduation pitch of the 2020 teams here!

December 2021 - December 2022

Follow-up Support

After the end of the intensive program, Gamecity Hamburg provides a time budget with a selection of professional coaches as well as a PR agency specialized on indie games that the Games Lift teams can use to book individual sessions.

Watch the Graduation of the 2020 teams

Awarding Committee

Anne Beuttenmüller
Director Marketing EMEA
Niantic, Inc
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Wolf Lang
CEO
Super Crowd
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Ole Schaper
CEO & CTO
Sviper
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Margarete Schneider
Project Manager
Gamecity Hamburg
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Jens Unrau
Head of the Media and Digital Industry Department
Ministry of Culture and Media City of Hamburg
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Funded Projects 2020

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Alchymia

by Julia Reberg

A rogue-lite economy sim about the noble art of alchemy. Study the various effects of strange ingredients, create all kinds of miracle cures and strive to save your city from an approaching horde of undead!

Crumbling

by Team Crumbling

Crumbling is a unique rogue-like adventure in VR. You lead the last Crumblings into battle in third person, like action figures. Will you prevail against the dark forces that once shattered the world of Crumb?

The Amusement/Luna Park

by Curvature Games

The Amusement is a Singleplayer VR Adventure with a strong focus on narration and exploration. It is set in mid-1920s in a derelict amusement park and leverages “Redirected Walking” techniques for natural locomotion in VR.

Ninja Brigade

by Impawsible Games

A relaxing evening in an arcade hall turns into an action-packed adventure when an incident draws you into the arcade station "Ninja Brigade". Can you manage to defeat the Yokai, beat your high score and re-enter your world?

Leif's Adventure: Netherworld Hero

by OneManOnMars

Leif's Adventure: Netherworld Hero, is a story-driven cooperative action-adventure about friendship and teamwork. A boy never meant to be a hero, learns that pure strength is not always the answer! Guide two completely different characters through the adventure of their lifetime.

Coaches & Network

André Bernhardt
Managing Director
IndieAdvisor
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Andreas Suika
Technical Evangelist
EPIC Games
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Anne Beuttenmüller
Director Marketing EMEA
Niantic, Inc
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Arno Heinisch
CEO & Co-Founder
Rocket Beans Entertainment GmbH
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Björn Bergstein
Coach & Consultant for Management and Leadership
Bergstein Consulting
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Carsten Fichtelmann
CEO & Founder
Daedalic Entertainment
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Caspar Michel
Project Manager
ROCKFISH Games
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Cassia Curran
Business Development & Strategic Advisor
Curran Games Agency
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Dr. Christian Rauda
Fachanwalt für IT-Recht sowie Urheber- und Medienrecht
GRAEF Rechtsanwälte
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Ed Valiente
Scout & Consultant
Thunderful Publishing
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Jan Taaks
Managing Director & Founder
Overhype Studios
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Jan Theysen
Co-Founder & Creative Director
KING Art
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Jan Wilfarth
Regional Head Hamburg
allaboutHRLaw
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Jan-Peter Ewert
Business Development & Legal
Valve
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Johan Toresson
Chief Say That Again Officer
Raw Fury
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Jörg Luibl
Editor-in-Chief
4players.de
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Linda Rendel
Associate Producer
Ubisoft
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Markus Windelen
Managing Director
Six Foot LLC
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Marta Adamska
Business Development
GOG
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Martina Santoro
Unreal Evangelist
EPIC Games
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Michael Schade
CEO & Co-Founder
ROCKFISH Games
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Michael Schieben
Facilitator & Co-Author Product Field
Product Field Works GmbH
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Paulina Kwiecińska
Head of Business Development
Techland
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Rebecca Lautner
CBO
Landfall Games
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Simon Carless
Founder
GameDiscoverCo
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Stefan Walter
Product Owner
InnoGames
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Steffen Rühl
Digital and Analog Games Industries Expert
Rühl Gamesconsult
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Tobias Kringe
Founder
Bytro Labs
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Valentina Birke
Head of Project
Indie Arena Booth
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Wolf Lang
CEO
Super Crowd
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FAQ

What are the goals of the Games Lift Incubator? ↓

The Games Lift Incubator aims to enable young developer teams to create successful concepts for digital games and games related projects with high market potential. Its mission is to provide the developer teams with the necessary resources to allow them to work on their projects with high concentration accompanied by input from experienced industry professionals.

Who can apply for the Games Lift Incubator? ↓

Eligible to apply are both natural persons as well as Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs); developers and developer associations, student teams, start-ups, and teams in the process of founding a company.

Please note:

Team size should not exceed 5 members per team.
All team members should be available to attend Games Lift events and workshops on approx. 2 days per week for the three-months intensive phase of the Incubator program (September to early December).
The precondition is always that the team is already based in Hamburg or can prove that they will relocate their residence to Hamburg or open a subsidiary or branch establishment in Hamburg upon entering the Games Lift Incubator program.

When and how can I apply? ↓

Gamecity Hamburg runs one application period for Games Lift each year. In 2021, the application phase starts on June 21 and ends on July 26 (11:59 pm). To make sure you are up to date with all deadlines regarding our funding programs, join our Discord Server and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. A detailed document on How to apply for the Games Lift Incubator can be found here and will take you through the application form step by step.

We strongly recommend a consultation appointment before submitting the application. Please contact us at funding@gamecity-hamburg.de to set up an appointment and include the following information:

Short project outline (max. half a page of text or a slide) of the project
Background of the team (max. half a page of text or a slide)
All your questions regarding the application

What does the Games Lift Incubator offer? ↓

During a three months long intensive program, Games Lift provides developer teams with a workshop & mentoring program, financial support, and office space in a co-working facility. After the end of the intensive program, the teams receive additional individual coachings during the following 12 months to help them prepare their game for release.

All FAQ