Riot Games hired Hoby Darling as new president © Riot Games Website People Riot Games Appoints Hoby Darling as President Riot Games has introduced a new president, Hoby Darling, who has experience in both gaming and sports. In his new role, Darling will be tasked with inspiring teams to reach new levels of excellence. According to Riot, Darling’s mission is to make the company “the best place to make By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
The Esports World Cup in Riyadh begins and ends with a big fireworks display (archive image from 2024). © Esports World Cup Federation Business Esports World Cup Federation Unveils Timeline, Schedule, Lineup for EWC 2025 The organisers of the Esports World Cup 2025 have revealed new details about this year’s landmark event. Around 2,000 players from 200 clubs, representing over 100 countries, will compete across 24 games, with an impressive total prize pool of $70 million. The EMC Club Champion will receive $7 By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Tobias Gadow Joins Bandai Namco Entertainment Germany as Key Account Manager © Bandai Namco Games People Tobias Gadow Joins Bandai Namco Entertainment as Key Account Manager Tobias Gadow has joined the German sales team at Bandai Namco Entertainment, led by Christian Vogel, bringing his experience as a Key Account Manager to the role. Gadow previously worked for companies including Electronic Arts. As Key Account Manager at Bandai Namco Entertainment Germany, Gadow is responsible for developing and By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Katerina Dudinskaya Succeeds Alexey Meleshkevich as CEO of Goodville AG © Goodville People Katerina Dudinskaya Succeeds Alexey Meleshkevich as CEO of Goodville AG On 1 May, there will be a change at the top of the Swiss games company Goodville AG. The former CMO Katerina Dudinskaya will take over from co-founder and future CPO Alexey Meleshkevich, who will focus on a strategic overview and long-term vision. Katerina Dudinskaya will formally take up her By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© Warner Business Minecraft Movie Remains Box Office Leader in the US, Germany, and More Even after its second weekend in cinemas, A Minecraft Movie remains number one in many countries—including the USA, UK, France, Germany, and Austria. The worldwide box office has already surpassed half a billion US dollars. Following its sensational debut, A Minecraft Movie continues to perform strongly. The film, based By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Thalita Malagò, General Manager of IIDEA © Pictures by IIDEA Business Italy’s Games Market Grows by 3%, Domestic Industry on the Rise With almost €2.4 billion in revenue—3% more than in the previous year—the Italian games market had a strong year in 2024. According to the association IIDEA, the domestic industry also experienced significant growth, supported by €12 million in tax credits. Despite a notable decline in hardware sales, By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
© Persistent Studios Business Persistent's PopcornFX Supports Switch 2 With support for the Switch 2, Persistent Studios is reinforcing its ambition to position its PopcornFX visual effects middleware as a broadly applicable solution across multiple platforms and engines. So far, however, the middleware has been used more frequently in games not typically associated with the Switch. In any case, By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
The winners of the DevGamm Awards 2024 (archive image) © Devgamm Business DevGamm Unveils New Round of Its Global Awards with $100,000 Prize Pool The DevGamm Awards are entering their next round. Teams of up to 50 people have until 1 September to submit their projects. The DevGamm Awards are presented in 11 categories, with additional sponsor categories possible. 2024 three studios from GSA were among the winners. Following last year’s success, the By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
© GM Collage Business game Recognises 3 Platinum and 1 Gold Sales Award in March Ubisoft, Capcom, Plaion, and Electronic Arts can look forward to new game sales awards in retail (digital and physical). These honours confirm the sales success of recent and current chart-toppers. Even though specific monthly sales figures are not published, the latest game Sales Awards show that March was a strong By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Stefan Marcinek, CEO of Assemble Entertainment and Organiser of the GermanDevDays © Assemble Business GermanDevDays Registration is Now Open From now on, anyone interested can register for a ticket to GermanDevDays. Invitations will be sent out separately, i.e. registration does not yet entitle you to attend. This year's GermanDevDays will take place in Frankfurt on 9 and 10 July. However, in order to attend what the By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
While the price of the PlayStation 5 with disc drive remains the same in Europe and the UK, the recommended retail price for the Digital Edition is increasing with immediate effect © Sony Interactive Entertainment Business Sony Interactive Entertainment Partially Raising PlayStation 5 Prices in EMEA Normally, the prices of consoles go down after some time on the market. However, the economic conditions, including inflation, are also turning the gaming world upside down. In EMEA, the recommended retail price of the PS5 Digital Edition is going up with immediate effect. There will be no change to By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
In 2024, Hesse had an area in the Indie Arena Booth where participants from Hessen could meet and present themselves (archive image). © Hessen Agentur Business Hessen with State Booth in gamescom Business Area This year, another German federal state, Hesse, is organising a joint booth in the business area of gamescom. In 2024, only studios were supported in making an appearance at the Indie Arena Booth. Not only does the number of international country pavilions at gamescom 2025 continue to rise, now, with By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
