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

Recap: Road to Polaris 2022

The Polaris Convention, Hamburg's new community convention centered around gaming, e-sports, and Asian pop-culture, attracted around 10,000 visitors to the Hamburg exhibition halls for its first edition from October 28 to 30. Gamecity Hamburg participated with a joint booth, where we featured five indie developers from Hamburg though our Road to Polaris program, presenting their game projects to a broad audience.

Whether in the Cyberdome, the Sandbox, the Munchi Market, or in one of the many other themed worlds with around 150 different national and international exhibitors, numerous stage shows, competitions, and gameplay stations - there was no chance of boredom during this weekend at the first-ever Polaris Convention. Our five indie teams had a lot on their hands, presenting their games and exchanging feedback and user experiences with the visitors.

The five Hamburg indie studios at our joint booth

With our "Road to" programs, Gamecity Hamburg offers game developers and independent game companies from Hamburg access to national and international events where they can present their projects, make new business contacts, show their games to the visitors and close deals.

For the Polaris, Gamecity Hamburg brought these five Hamburg-based indies to the event, providing a free joint booth via the Road to Polaris support program: 

► Read more about the teams and their games in our pre-Polaris news article.

Our teams had a great time at the Polaris Convention

Also, the PLAY Creative Gaming Festival, which started right after the Polaris Convention gave visitors a glimpse of the fun and experiences that await them during the festival with a small gaming installation on our booth.

First Mayor of Hamburg, Dr. Peter Tschentscher, visited the Gamecity Hamburg booth

And not only did visitors enjoy testing the games, even the First Mayor of Hamburg, Dr. Peter Tschentscher, paid a visit to the Gamecity Hamburg booth and discussed with our developers about their games and Hamburg as an important games location. 

Click here to see some impresions from the Polaris Convention in our photo gallery

In addition to playing games at the booth, visitors were able to demonstrate their drawing skills at our "Drawmerama" challenge, by drawing their favorite content creators as video game characters. 

We are pleased about the positive feedback of the first Polaris Convention 2022 and are already looking forward to 2023!

If you already miss the convention feeling, we highly recommend you check out the PLAY Creative Gaming Festival, that celebrates gaming culture in uptown Hamburg from October 31 to November 6.

Gamecity Treff meets Polaris 2022

The Gamecity Treff at the Grüner Jäger music club 

On Friday, October 28. from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm we met up at the Grüner Jäger music club in Hamburg St. Pauli for a new edition of our traditional Gamecity Treff casual networking event for the whole games and gaming industry in Hamburg. More than 250 people attended to celebrate together with us the first day of the Polaris convention, but also to meet familiar faces and make new contacts from the Hamburg games industry over a snack and a drink. A big thank you to all attendees and the event's sponsor Bytro!

Click here for some impressions of the evening in the Gamecity Treff photo gallery. 


Do you want to know more about our "Road to" program that takes Hamburg developers to international game events? Then check out the program here and subscribe to our monthly newsletter to never miss a call for participation.

News

Hamburg-based Overhype Studios release MENACE in Early Access

On February 5, Hamburg-based Overhype Studios release their new game MENACE into Early Access, published by Hooded Horse. 

Portside Game Assembly 2026 - Tickets now available for Networking Brunch and Games Industry Party

Portside Game Assembly is back in Hamburg on June 25–26, 2026 — with international indie studios, new mentoring opportunities for up‑and‑coming developers, and a “Games Made in Hamburg” showcase. Tickets for the Networking Brunch and Games Industry Party are now on sale.

Games Lift: Curio Compass Points to New Ideas

The trio behind Curio Compass shows a knack for original ideas with “Limbo City AfterLIVE”. And in the Games Lift Incubator, they don’t shy away from making big changes.

SalsaShark Studios release Super Chipflake Ü: Quest for the Uncooked Schnitzel

Super Chipflake Ü is the debut game from Hamburg-based SalsaShark Studios. The entertaining, colorful 3D platformer is coming to Switch and PC on January 19, 2026.

Pitch Level Up

Gamecity Hamburg Preview for 2026

For 2026, we have several topics, events, and programs planned and can already share some important dates and updates.

Games Lift: Lots of News at Graduation

Games Lift Graduation 2025 is in the books! At the final event of the year, all five teams lit up the stage with strong presentations and clear progress: new project titles, new characters, and a new sense of confidence were evident.

Recap 2025

What do you mean, it’s time for the recap? Has it really been a year already?

Stellenausschreibung: Wir suchen eine*n Projektmanager*in in Teilzeit

Bewirb Dich jetzt als Projektmanager*in (w/m/d) in Teilzeit (20h/Woche) und werde Teil der Standort-Initiative Gamecity Hamburg.

Games Lift: Leif Gutowski plays with cursed trading cards

His idea sounds highly original. Once you meet its creator, you get where it comes from. “Encaged & Ungraded” is a reflection of Leif as much as it reflects the zeitgeist.

Games Lift: Fading Skies is a grand adventure for a small team

Ronja and Marc Fleps have been chasing a dream for years. “Fading Skies” is surprisingly ambitious. It is also surprisingly far along.

Recap: This was the Game Playtest Night #4 at XPERION Hamburg

What a night! Game Playtest Night #4 at XPERION Hamburg brought together developers and players for a a fantastic evening full of games, conversations, and creativity – and a one-of-a-kind opportunity to peek behind the curtain of game development.

Games Lift: Hacking and snacking with Project Slimepot

They impress the Games Lift Incubator as a flexible team, capable of rapid progress. No wonder: The four professionals behind Project Slimepot have real experience working together.

More News
Cookies are used to make this website work and to enhance your experience.

To learn more about the types of cookies this website uses, see our Cookie Policy. You can decide for yourself which categories you want to allow. Please note that based on your settings, not all functions of the website may be available.

Cookies are used to make this website work and to enhance your experience.

To learn more about the types of cookies this website uses, see our Cookie Policy. You can decide for yourself which categories you want to allow. Please note that based on your settings, not all functions of the website may be available.

Your cookie preferences have been saved.