One of the most important recurring events to kick off the year for Hamburg's games industry is the Senators Roundtable, which once again created an opportunity for open dialog between industry and politics on 29 January 2025. Senator for Culture and Media Dr. Carsten Brosda and Gamecity Hamburg invited managing directors from the local gaming industry to address current challenges, discuss possible solutions and present and evaluate the activities of Gamecity Hamburg. In addition, State Councillor Jana Schiedek and the entire management of the Department of Culture and Media joined in from the city. 

The discussion began with the question of which topics will have the highest priority for companies in 2025. The invited industry voices emphasized the relevance of funding programs from the City of Hamburg and the federal government for the industry. In addition, the participants identified the topic of recruiting specialists, especially for senior positions and specialization in user acquisition, as a challenge. The companies also named commercial user acquisition for free-to-play games as an issue. 

Positive news about Hamburg as a game's location were also acknowledged: A total of 20 developers from Hamburg received the Press Start: Start-up Grant from the federal government. Among them are teams behind three projects from the Games Lift Incubator 2024, which can advance projects with the financial support of 49,500 euros per person.