Portside Game Assembly, the B2B conference for established indie studios, will set sail again through the Hamburg Harbour on June 26, 2026, following its successful premiere. 

• Portside Game Assembly returns on June 25 to 26, 2026 
• Curated participant list: Interested studios with at least one successfully released game can register now 
• First participating studios from seven countries confirmed, including Landfall (PEAK), Eremite Games (Against the Storm) and Massive Monster (Cult of the Lamb) 
   

Hamburg, October 29: The Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft announces through its Gamecity Hamburg initiative that the second Portside Game Assembly will be held on June 25 and 26, 2026. The conference for established indie studios successfully premiered in June 2025 at various iconic Hamburg locations, including aboard the MS Stubnitz and the MS Princess, cruising the Hamburg Harbour. The supporting program for the Portside Game Assembly will remain the same: the conference with curated participants on board a ship will be accompanied by a networking brunch beforehand and an industry party afterwards. An optional get-together the day before the conference is also planned. Ticket sales for the brunch and party will start in the first quarter of 2026. 

 
Conference registration started 

Registration opens with the announcement of the date of the second Portside Game Assembly. Indie studios who are interested in participating and who have successfully released at least one game can register now and, if confirmed, will receive access to ticket sales. In addition to the regular ticket, a supporter option is available, allowing participating studios to further support the independent nature of the conference. 

Link to the registration form: 
https://portsideassembly.com/registration   

First participating studios announced 
These studios are already registered for Portside Game Assembly '26: 

• bippinbits – Dome Keeper & PVKK (DE) 
• Brave At Night – Yes, Your Grace (UK) 
• ByteRockers' Games – Beat Slayer (DE) 
• Clever Plays – Operation: Tango (CA) 
• Eremite Games – Against the Storm (PL) 
• Foulball Hangover – Hydroneer (UK) 
• Grizzly Games – Thronefall (DE) 
• Happy Volcano – Modulus (BE) 
• Hutlihut Games – Void Crew (DK) 
• kaleidoscube – Recur (DE) 
• Landfall – PEAK (SWE) 
• Massive Monster – Cult of the Lamb (UK) 
• moi rai games – Aethermancer (DE) 
• Nosebleed Interactive – Arcade Paradise (UK) 
• Overhype Studios – Menace (DE) 
• Spellgarden Games – Sticky Business (DE) 
• Square Glade Games – Outbound (NL) 
• tobspr games – shapez 2 (DE) 

The current status of participating studios of Portside Game Assembly '26 can be found on the official website. 
 
Positive premiere feedback incorporated into further planning 

The positive feedback from former participants was also decisive for the continuation of the Portside Game Assembly with its current concept: 

Kathrin Radtke (Co-Founder Spellgarden Games): 
“I had such a great time at the first Portside Game Assembly! It was awesome catching up with old friends, meeting new people, and just enjoying the Hamburg harbour views. I especially loved being able to chat openly about the topics that keep me up at night with other indies that are facing similar challenges.” 

René Habermann (Director bippinbits): 
“It will be a must-go for myself in the future, an absolute no-brainer. Portside Game Assembly felt like a new generation of event, sticking out from all the rest.” 

Jeroen Janssen (Studio Head Happy Volcano): 
“Everyone in the room has been through the same challenges, and that shared experience creates a rare level of openness. Ideas, insights, and best practices were shared freely, and I left with a notebook full of actionable takeaways. Absolutely worth it.” 

With a successful premiere to look back on, Dennis Schoubye, head of Gamecity Hamburg, is optimistic about the future of Portside Game Assembly: "The overwhelmingly positive feedback from participating studio directors confirms, that Portside fills a need in the busy B2B event calendar: By curating the participants and focusing on people who run indie studios, we offer a safe space to talk about specific challenges. Portside enables a direct and confidential sharing of experiences, making new contacts with international studios, and unique locations for all events within the Portside Game Assembly." 

The Portside Game Assembly's talk and roundtable program is all about getting people to interact and is designed for independent, successful game studios. The following speakers were on board for the first conference in June this year:  René Habermann (bippinbits - Dome Keeper), Benjamin Laulan (Evil Empire - Dead Cells), Christian Nyhus Andreasen (Fair Games - Necesse), Søren Lundgaard (Ghost Ship Publishing - Deep Rock Galactic), Jonas Tyroller (Grizzly Games - Thronefall), Mariève Beauchemin (Indie Asylum), Leonie Wolf (Maschinen-Mensch - Curious Expedition 2), Manny Hachey (Positive Impact Games - The Regreening), Sophie Atkin (Secret Sauce), Philomena Schwab (Stray Fawn Studio - Dungeonclawler), Mauricio García (The Game Kitchen - Blasphemous), Kevin Zuhn (Young Horses - Bugsnax), Ali Farha (Star Stable) and Andreas Suika (Independent Developer). 
 

For further information and questions please contact:  

Senta Gohr
senta.gohr@gamecity-hamburg.de

Anna Jäger
anna.jaeger@gamecity-hamburg.de   
 

About Portside Game Assembly  

Portside Game Assembly is the expert conference for internationally successful indie game studios. The B2B conference connects studio managers and decision makers on a ship cruising through the Hamburg harbor to exchange strategies, get inspired, and make relevant contacts. The conference also includes two evening events and a networking brunch at selected locations. Portside Game Assembly is organized by Gamecity Hamburg as part of the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft.  

Gamecity Hamburg 
Gamecity Hamburg supports, connects and makes the gaming hub Hamburg visible. The aim is to improve the general conditions for companies and founders of the games value chain in the city, to support them in their further development and to anchor Hamburg in the public perception as one of the leading games locations in Germany. Gamecity Hamburg is the contact point for Hamburg's games funding as well as the Games Lift Incubator and also offers programs, events, and services in close cooperation with the games industry to strengthen local developers. At the same time, the exchange of knowledge within the sector and with other industries is promoted. The promotion of young talent, the development of new formats that activate the strong network of games companies in the city, and internationalization are the focus of the location initiative's activities. Gamecity Hamburg is part of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft. 

Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft 
Since 2010, Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft has been the municipal economic promotion agency for the creative industries in Hamburg. It plays a pioneering role in promoting the creative industries throughout Germany and sets standards in this field. As one of the largest and oldest institutions of its kind in Germany, it supports creative professionals in all eleven sub-markets – from design and music to film and architecture to games and advertising. As a publicly funded, independent institution, Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft creates support programs, consultations, networking events, and innovation formats.