July 25, 2022
Hamburg at gamescom 22: Six Hamburg Indies at the Indie Arena Booth & more
The gamescom is finally back as a live event again! Of course we'll be there, too. Six indie developers from Hamburg will present their games at our booth at the Indie Arena Booth as part of the gamescom 2022 through our "Road to gamescom" program and numerous other companies from Hamburg will be at gamescom 22 as well.
In this article:
Once again the gamescom, Europe's largest trade fair for video games, will open its doors in Cologne. We will be participating with a Gamecity Hamburg booth at the Indie Arena Booth in Hall 10.2, booth F020g - E021g. Here, six indie developers and studios from Hamburg will present their games to visitors, publishers and the press.
We're already quite excited for the international games industry to meet in person again. So, if you're attending gamescom 2022, make sure to visit our Gamecity Hamburg booth, have a chat with the Gamecity team and check out some sweet games from Hamburg!
These six Hamburg games companies are part of the Gamecity Hamburg delegation:
XEL by Tiny Roar
(Publisher: Assemble Entertainment)
Tiny Roar was founded in 2015 in Hamburg and has since released or contributed to six games. Their newly released Sci-Fi adventure game leaves players stranded on the alien planet "XEL" where the protagonist Reid has been shipwrecked. There, she has to fight through dungeons and solve tricky puzzles without any memory of her past. Tiny Roar lets the players create their unique gaming experience through the exciting narration, and different weapon and skill options. They combine old-school gameplay with new features, unique design, and a timeless soundtrack. The game was released on July 12, 2022 for PC and Switch.
THREAKS was founded in 2009 in Hamburg and has developed games and projects for PC, consoles, mobile games, VR & AR. "Transform into the monsters you fight!" - "Project MORPH" is a Souls-like action role-playing game in which players use the DNA of their opponents to "transform" themselves into different alien creatures. Thus, they expand their abilities, beat their opponents with their weapons, and open up new scenarios. The game's goal is to save the galaxy from the apocalypse.
"Leif's Adventure: Netherworld Hero" by OneManOnMars
OneManOnMars founder Roman Fuhrer has been in the game industry for over 20 years. As a solo developer, art, programming, and game design come from a single source. In the game, mysterious phantom warriors attack the village of the title character Leif. In search of his brother, the hero is pulled through a portal into the "Netherworld" and finds a supernatural helper in a spirit creature to fight his way back home. The game is designed in hand-drawn 2D art and includes an additional co-op mode for two players. Each level will have additional gameplay elements as well as enemy types. The game is scheduled for release in 2022 on various platforms.
Soulitaire by Beardshaker Games
In 2012, Beardshaker Games founded their indie studio in Hamburg. They've already developed eight games and serious games for browser and mobile platforms. Soulitaire is a cozy story game in which players of the popular card game Solitaire can see into the future of their guests. The game focuses on the "Choose your own Adventure" mechanic, in which players can become part of their customers' lives. The game is planned for the PC, Switch, and mobile platforms. At gamescom, Beadshaker Games will publicly show impressions from the game for the first time.
Wild Woods by Octofox Games
(Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment)
Octofox Games was founded by former master students of the HAW Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. They developed their first ideas for their couch co-op game "Wild Woods" during their studies. With their game concept, they won the Ubisoft Newcomer Award at the German Developer Award in 2019. In Wild Woods, one to four players take on the role of brave cats who cross a dangerous forest with their wooden wagon. They have to protect their wagon from bandit rabbits and badgers, constantly collect resources, and improve their equipment.
Heart of Muriet by CRATR.games
CRATR.games from Hamburg are known for browser games such as Knightfight or MonstersGame, among others. For Heart of Muriet, they teamed up with Microtale to develop a real-time strategy game with voxel optics, set in the fantastic setting of the enchanted land of Muriet. The focus of the real-time strategy game Heart of Muriet lies on pursuing grand strategies instead of small-scale management of individual units. Players build and expand settlements, unlock powerful spells, and deploy units for epic battles.
At the core of the story is the "Seener," once powerful wizards who want to find their way back to their old strength with the help of a young wizard.
Beardshaker Games, THREAKS and Octofox Games were grantees of the Gamecity Hamburg Prototype Funding program in 2020. OneManOnMars successfully participated in Gamecity Hamburg's Games Lift Incubator in 2020 with the project "Leif's Adventure".
Find out more about the Indie Arena Booth in the Line-up trailer:
More information
Developers and publishers from Hamburg were able to apply for free participation slots in the Indie Arena Booth via Gamecity Hamburg's "Road to gamescom" program until May 17. The chosen studios already participated in a Workshop Day as preparation for a successful gamescom.
About the Indie Arena Booth
Since 2013, the Indie Arena Booth has offered indie developers the opportunity to present themselves at gamescom at conditions that are feasible even for small companies.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hamburg-based agency and Indie Arena Booth inventor Super Crowd Entertainment had developed a successful digital version for the gamescom 2020 and continued with the fully playable multiplayer platform experience in 2021.
For the development of the concept and the platform, Super Crowd Entertainment was awarded a special prize of the German Computer Games Award (Deutscher Computerspielepreis) in 2021. Since 2021, the Indie Arena Booth Online is an official partner of gamescom and an integral part of the trade fair program, which in its digital version in 2020 was also able to inspire several million visitors from 180 countries. This year, they will showcase indie games on-site and in a digital version as well.
You can find more info about the Indie Arena Booth on their website.
About Gamecity Hamburg's "Road to" programs
Gamecity Hamburg’s "Road to" programs are designed to give game developers and independent game companies from Hamburg access to national and international events where they can present their projects, make new business contacts and close deals. Gamecity Hamburg arranges delegation packages with organizers of various industry events and offers these to Hamburg games companies for free participation.
We have compiled more information on "Road to" here on our website.
More Hamburg companies at gamescom 2022
But that wasn't all - of course, many more companies form the vast Hamburg games industry landscape will be present at gamescom 22.
In case you want to do a Hamburg-tour at gamescom 22, we've got some directions here for you where to find Hamburg-based game companies:
In the B2C area:
- Indie publisher and development studio Daedalic Entertainment will present several new titles in the B2C area, including their highly polished action adventure game "The Lord of the Rings: Gollum" that is currently in development, Inkulinati, Potion Tycoon, Children of Silentown, Wild Woods, Fling to the Finish. Find them at the Indie Arena Booth.
- Mooneye Studios, also active as a publisher and developer, will showcase new demos of the not-yet-released games "Farewell North" and "Shumi Come Home” as well as their already released games "Lost Ember" and "Haven Park". Find them at the Indie Arena Booth (F020g-E-021g) and the Indie Area (E-010g-D-021g).
- The Hamburg-based internet broadcaster Rocket Beans TV will also cover gamescom 2022 with numerous live broadcasts from its booth. In the B2B area, which is only open to trade visitors, InnoGames (Germany's second-largest employer in the games sector), Goodgame Studios, Deep Silver FISHLABS, Tivola Games, Bytro Labs, and Daedalic Entertainment will be among the exhibitors. Find them in the entertainment area in hall 7.1.
In the B2B area:
(accessible to trade visitors only, for business oportunities and meetings)
- InnoGames at the joint booth of the game - The German Games Industry Association
- Goodgame Studios at the Stilfront Group booth in hall 4.1, C-031
- Deep Silver FISHLABS at the Koch Media booth
- Tivola Games at the joint booth of the game - The German Games Industry Association
- Bytro Labs at the Stillfront Group booth in hall 4.1, C-031
- Daedalic Entertainment at hall 04.1 / B-051.
Your company's booth is missing from this list? Let us know!
Also, many of our friends from the Games Germany network of public funding and network institutions will be present in the B2B area in Hall 4. In the open space next to booth C-070, you'll find a signpost guiding you to other Games Germany members.
