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

UPDATE May 13 - Road to gamescom 2020 - Offers for Hamburg game developers and game companies

*UPDATE May 13, 2020*

gamescom 2020 will be held purely digital and online only. Our Road to gamescom 2020 program still stands. You can find the updated information and call for entries on this page: Call for entries Indie Arena Booth Online

*UPDATE*

________________________________________________

*UPDATE April 17, 2020*

This year, gamescom 2020 will happen online only. This fact has an impact on our "Road to gamescom 2020" call for entries, where we wanted to provide indie developers and companies an opportunity to present themselves at the award-winning Indie Arena Booth. We are currently in close exchange with the Indie Arena Booth team and will find ways to enable participation in the digital version of gamescom. We will keep you up to date - but be sure it will be worth the wait!

*UPDATE*

Over 370,000 visitors, more than 1,000 exhibitors, over 50 participating countries - gamescom from August 25-29, 2020 in Cologne is the leading trade exhibition for games culture in Europe and an important business platform for the games industry.

This year, gamecity:Hamburg is taking a completely new approach to supporting games developers and game companies at gamescom. Unlike in previous years, gamecity:Hamburg will not be offering a joint stand in the business area, but will be offering together with Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft two services at once, enabling companies and teams from Hamburg to present themselves in the gamescom consumer area. To this end, gamecity:Hamburg is entering into a partnership with the Indie Arena Booth -2019, awarded "Best Booth of gamescom" - to offer a Hamburg joint area in the consumer area in Hall 10.2 for the first time. At the Indie Arena Booth, Hamburg game developers and companies can meet publishers, journalists, business contacts and trade fair visitors.

  • With the Road to gamescom program of gamecity:Hamburg, up to 6 game developers and companies from Hamburg will be supported with a free Small Booth at the Indie Arena Booth
  • The Game Mixer@gamescom 2020 program from Creative Ports supports up to 5 game developers with a special program and the possibility to present their game

Creative Ports is an EU-funded Interreg project for the Baltic Sea Region in the field of cultural and creative industries. The project is a cooperation of 14 partners from the Baltic Sea countries - funding agencies, municipalities, international cultural institutes, and universities - who have joined forces in a consortium led by the Goethe-Institut. The Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft is a part of it. With the program "Game Mixer" Creative Ports promotes the professional exchange between game developers from all over the world. This year, the Game Mixer will focus on gamescom 2020 for the first time.

UPDATE

Further information about the Game Mixer program and the application process here:

GAME MIXER PROGRAM

The offers include the participation as an exhibitor at the gamecity:Hamburg joint area at the Indie Arena Booth or as an exhibitor at the Creative Ports joint area at the Indie Arena Booth.

It is important to note that applicants can't receive double funding from the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft and therefore only one application per team/ company is possible for either the gamecity program or the Game Mixer program.

For the gamecity:Hamburg program a jury consisting of representatives of gamecity:Hamburg, Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, and the Indie Arena Booth will decide on the allocation of places.

For the Game Mixer program, a jury consisting of representatives of the Goethe Institute, gamecity:Hamburg and the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft will decide on the allocation of places.

Conditions of Participation

 

gamecity:Hamburg program:

  • The game developer/game company must be commercially oriented and belong to the games industry.
  • The headquarters or a branch office of the applicant must be located in Hamburg.
  • A playable version of the submitted game must be available for gamescom 2020.
  • In addition to the conditions listed here, the eligibility criteria of the Indie Arena Booth must be fulfilled as stated in the application process on the Indie Arena Booth Website.

Kreativ Gesellschaft: Game Mixer@gamescom 2020 program:

  • At least one commercially published computer game and a playable version of the submitted game must be available for gamescom 2020
  • Head office or branch office of the teams/studios in the city of Hamburg
  • Good knowledge of English
  • Willingness to participate full-time in the seven-day program

© Vianca Reinig Photography | Indie Arena Booth

Application process

 

To apply for the gamecity:Hamburg program the following steps are necessary:

  • Application via the Indie Arena Booth registration page: Apply
  • In the text field "Short Game Description" the following information must be entered: "We would like to participate in the gamecity:Hamburg program".

The following documents are required to apply for the Game Mixer program:

  • a one-page letter of motivation to Sophia.Jaenicke@kreativgesellschaft.org
  • a curriculum vitae highlighting the professional background
  • a one-page profile of the studio/team with the following information: date of foundation, number of produced/released games, number of developers, achievements (e.g. downloads, users, revenues)
  • a one-page summary of the game shown during the showcase, including game details, game performance (e.g. downloads, users, revenue, KPIs), screenshots

The application phase for the gamecity:Hamburg program runs from March, 10 until April, 30. Further information about the application start of the Game Mixer program can be found at: LINK

The selection of the juries in both programs will take place at the beginning of May. Information on the criteria can be found in the conditions of participation. The selected applicants will then be informed.

 

 

Overview of offers:

 

gamecity:Hamburg – Road to gamescom

Game Mixer@gamescom 2020 Program by Creative Ports

Number of participants

  • Max. 2 exhibitor passes per exhibitor for gamescom
  • If required, additional exhibitor passes can be ordered from the Indie Arena Booth at your own expense
  • 1 exhibitor pass for the gamescom
  • One person per exhibitor

Booth at the Indie Arena Booth in Hall 10.2 (Consumer Area)

  • Exhibitor at the gamecity:Hamburg joint area at the Indie Arena Booth
  • Free Small Booth (incl. monitor and PC) branded for their own game for the entire gamescom (25. - 29.08.) - Delivery of the design by exhibitors
  • When upgrading from Small Booth to Big Booth (+1.800€ plus VAT) or Arcade Booth (+200€ plus VAT) the exhibitor pays the difference
  • Exhibitor at the Creative Ports joint area at the Indie Arena Booth
  • Small Booth (incl. monitor and PC) without branding for their game in rotation with other exhibitors (funded up to and including August 26)

Business Lounge at the Indie Arena Booth in Hall 10.2 (Consumer Area)

  • Two business lounges for gamecity:Hamburg exhibitors at the Indie Arena Booth

                       -

VIP events

  • Invitation to the Booth Reception on August 25 and other IAB events
  • Invitation to the Booth Reception on August 25 and other IAB events

Road to gamescom workshop in Hamburg

  • Workshop on pitching, press work, networking etc. in May/June
  • Workshop on pitching, press work, networking etc. in May/June

Game Mixer program

                             -

  • Game Mixer Dinner on August 19 in Cologne
  • Game Camp with workshops on August 20
  • Internal showcase on August 21

devcom

                             -

  • 1 devcom Ticket: tbc.

Travel expense support

                             -

  • Travel expenses/accommodation for one person

DOWNLOADS:

Announcement: LINK EN

Announcement: LINK DE

Conditions of Participation: LINK EN

Conditions of Participation: LINK DE

News

Gamecity Hamburg Prototype Funding 2025: Six Prototypes Funded

In the latest round of funding 2025, Gamecity Hamburg supports six promising digital games with up to 80,000 euros each as a non-repayable grant.

Deutscher Computerspielpreis 2025 Photo by Franziska Krug/ DCP via Getty Images

Games Lift: An Incubator With Quantifiable Success

Is the Games Lift incubator worth it? Sure. Anyone can say that, but facts are better than empty claims. We have numbers to show what the incubator brings. 

Applications open for “Games Forged in Germany”: The Steam Sale organized by Games Germany enters its fourth round

German Developers, studios and publishers with their headquarter in Germany can now apply for the Games Germany Steam Sale for "Games Forged in Germany" 2025 until June 9, 2025.

Portside Game Assembly: Conference Speaker and Program Announced

Portside Game Assembly will take place on June 27, 2025 - Time to announce the full conference speaker and program line-up! This new dedicated B2B conference invites dedicated international indie game leaders aboard a ship cruising Hamburg’s famous harbour. In this focused and collaborative setting, indie leaders and decision makers will engage in a curated program of keynotes, impulse talks, and roundtables.

Games Lift 2025: Apply now from May 2 until June 10

Applications for Gamecity Hamburg's 2025 Games Lift are open from May 2 to June 10. Five teams will receive financial support in form of 15,000 euros, a comprehensive workshop program and access to the Games Lift Network of international industry experts. In addition, the teams can benefit from 1,000 euros in coaching budget. After a three-month workshop phase, the teams will be further supported with individual mentoring and will travel together to an international industry event until August 2026.

Road to Nordic 2025 - These Four Hamburg Games are Traveling to Malmö

With a spacious expo area, exciting developer showcases and many opportunities for business meetings, the Nordic Game Conference is one of the most important games conferences in Europe. It offers developers plenty of opportunities to network and meet relevant business contacts in person. Gamecity Hamburg will be back again in 2025, bringing four indie games from Hamburg to Malmö as part of the “Road to Nordic” program.

Road to gamescom 2025 - Apply until April 16!

Road to gamescom is back: We offer spots at our joint Gamecity Hamburg booth at the Indie Arena Booth for Hamburg-based studios, teams and devs. Apply now until April 16!

Prototype Funding 2025: Applications open until April 7

Applications for Gamecity Hamburg's 2025 prototype funding are open from March 3 to April 7. This year's funding round provides 400,000 euros in total and up to 80,000 euros per accepted application team.

Road to Nordic Game 2025

Gamecity Hamburg offers a Road to Nordic Game Conference program: We offer four spots at our Gamecity Hamburg booth for Hamburg-based studios, teams and devs. Apply now until March 30!

Recap: This was Pitch Level Up 2025

The fourth round of Pitch Level Up took place on February 20, 2025. Read our recap here in order to learn more about this beloved mentoring event, which will come back 2026.

School Internship Games January 2025: Pupils discover games industry in Hamburg companies

During a three-week internship, 15 9th grade students from Hamburg gained insights into the various job profiles and companies in the games industry. We visited them for their final presentation and found out what they learned.

Portside Game Assembly: Ticket sales for brunch and party launched

With Portside Game Assembly, Gamecity Hamburg is welcoming studio heads and directors from successful indie game studios on a conference ship and other extraordinary locations in Hamburg on June 27, 2025. More participating studios are announced and the ticket sale for all events has started.

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.