From May 20 to 23, 2025, the Nordic Game Conference, one of the most significant gaming conferences in Europe, transformed the Swedish coastal city of Malmö into a hotspot for the gaming industry. In the atmospheric Slagthuset near the city center, over 2,500 participants met on 3,800 m² for more than 150 program points, or visited one of the many exhibitor booths which addressed the professional audience.

Of course, Gamecity Hamburg was also part of the event: At the shared booth with medianet berlinbrandenburg, eight promising developer teams and their games - four from Berlin/Brandenburg, four from Hamburg - were presented at individual gaming stations. The Hamburg teams had been able to apply for a free gaming station via our Road to Nordic program.

Selected Road to Nordic 2025 Games: 

• Card Buster – Bagpack Games + Vikka Games  

• Light of Atlantis – Duck’n’Run Games    

• NeverLight – Nightless Games  

• REPLICORE – Amberdive Interactive  

In addition to showcasing their game, the teams had the opportunity to meet with publishers and make important new contacts via booked meetings. 

Games Lift at the Nordic Game Conference 2025 

Not only the exhibiting teams made use of the many networking opportunities: The teams from the Games Lift Incubator 2024 were also on site as part of their planned visit to an international industry event. They did not miss out on this opportunity and eagerly booked meetings, met publishers, listened to exciting talks and made valuable new contacts in the Northern European games industry. For more impressions of the Games Lift teams at the Nordic Game Conference, read more in our Incubator Log.

From Gamecity Hamburg itself, Maggie, Dennis and Senta accompanied the developers. In total, the Hamburg delegation had over 20 members - quite impressive!

Beside the Nordic Game Conference, there were also countless opportunities to exchange ideas - one of them right next door. WINGS, the international initiative for women working in the games industry, provided a safe space for additional meetings in the neighboring café and hosted a top-class discussion panel that enabled an exciting change of perspective into the decision-making processes of publishers.

There were also plenty of opportunities to meet international colleagues from the industry beyond the fairgrounds: In the historic old town center of Malmö, the branches of funding institutions such as Games Habitat as well as prestigeous studios and publishers such as Sharkmob and Raw Fury are located close together and provided attractive events after the official conference had already closed their doors. 

The crowning finale of the Nordic Game Conference on Thursday were the Nordic Game Awards, which not only marked the official end of the exhibitor days, but also honored the best games in Northern Europe. 

Those who didn't want to say goodbye to Malmö just yet were able to take advantage of the Nordic Game workshop day on Friday and deepen their knowledge in focused program points on various topics. 

Find out more about our "Road to program": All you need to know about our: Road to Program