More initiatives of the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft
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More initiatives of the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft

Big Success for the first Portside Game Assembly 2025

On June 26 and 27 we celebrated the successful premiere of Portside Game Assembly. A B2B conference for indie studios with 100 selected studio directors from 15 countries on a ship cruising through the port of Hamburg. The event provided a confidential setting for studio executives to exchange ideas and gain new perspectives.

What a wonderful conference! We are still very stoked about the 1.5 days of Portside Game Assembly, together with international indie game studios, the Hamburg games industry and many more participants who joined our new event format!

Portside Game Assembly provided a confidential setting for studio executives to exchange ideas and gain new perspectives. In addition to the conference, three other Portside Game Assembly events facilitated interaction between industry members of the Hamburg games industry and international guests, as well as additional networking with conference participants, publishers, and game studios.  200 additional games industry peers met with the conference attendees in three other extraordinary Hamburg locations for networking and exchange. Following a successful premiere and receiving very positive feedback from attendees, we can announce the date for the second Portside Game Assembly in Hamburg: Mark your calendars for June 25 and 26, 2026!

The program of Portside Game Assembly included a keynote on the Triple-i Initiative, short impulse talks and roundtables focusing on thought provoking and subsequent discussions. All of this on a conference ship cruising through the port of Hamburg and along the river Elbe.  

After a keynote speech by Benjamin Laulan (COO & Co-Founder Evil Empire), the two conference tracks (impulse talks & roundtables) provided numerous opportunities for input, exchange and insights from speakers like Philomena Schwab (Co-Founder Stray Fawn Studio), Søren Lundgaard (CEO Ghost Ship Games), Mauricio García (Studio Director The Game Kitchen), Kevin Zuhn (Creative Director & Co-Founder Young Horses), René Habermann (Director Bippinbits) and many more. 

Participating studios at the premiere of the Portside Game Assembly included Bippinbits, Bolt Blaster Games, Byterockers' Games, Chasing Carrots, Cipsoft, Color Gray, Cybernetic Walrus, Digital Cybercherries, Digital Sun, Evil Empire, Fair Games, Foulball Hangover, Gamious, Ghost Ship Games, Grizzly Games, Happy Volcano, Hutlihut, Indoor Astronaut, Kafi, kaleidoscube, Keen, Maschinen-Mensch, Megagon Industries, Mooneye, Osmotic Studios, Overhype Studios, Paint Bucket Games, Rockfish Games, Spellgarden Games, Stray Fawn Studio, Studio Seufz, Styrax Studios, The Game Kitchen, The Good Evil, Tiny Roar, Torpor Games, Toukana Interactive and Young Horses. 

Thank you for helping to shape the premiere of the Portside Game Assembly and thank you to everyone who attended! We'll see you again next year in June!

Many thanks to our sponsors and partners photon and Twin Harbour Interactive.

You can find a complete overview of the photos on Flickr: Photo Gallery

All further information about the Portside Game Assembly: Portside Game Assembly Website

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