Central Europe
Twenty Years of Supporting the Games Industry in Hamburg
Hamburg is one of Europe’s gaming hotspots; 2,500 people are working in over 190 game companies in the city. Since 2003, the location initiative Gamecity Hamburg is supporting the industry in the name of the city of Hamburg and was thus the first public funding institution for the games industry at the state level in Germany.
Since 2018, Gamecity Hamburg is part of the city-owned Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft. For its 20th anniversary, the location initiative plans several events and activities to spotlight and celebrate the local industry. To kick the festivities off, industry stakeholders look back on the development of the Hamburg games industry and cast a glance into the future.
“Hamburg is one of the top locations for the games industry,” the Minister of Culture and Media, Dr Carsten Brosda, said. “We owe this to a highly creative network in the city that recognized the importance of the games industry early on and developed the vision of a ‘Gamecity’. With the Gamecity Hamburg initiative, we have been creating a suitable environment for the games industry for 20 years. In the future, we also want to ensure that the industry in Hamburg finds sufficient talent and the potential for further growth in the Hanseatic city through a large network and good opportunities for education and training.”
“A diverse ecosystem of the games industry has developed in Hamburg with companies such as InnoGames, Goodgame Studios and the Applike Group; some of the largest games companies in Germany are located here,” the Head of Gamecity Hamburg, Dennis Schoubye, said. “The lively scene of Hamburg game studios also includes other well-known names such as Daedalic Entertainment, Bytro, Fishlabs and Rockfish Games. Gamecity Hamburg has established itself as a central point of contact for all games companies and founders, both for financial support and for access to the strong network in town.”
Gamecity Hamburg currently supports the local industry with two funding programs, the Prototype Funding program and the Games Lift Incubator, for which a combined sum of €520,000 is available annually. In addition, Gamecity Hamburg is offering a number of events such as the international Hamburg Games Conference, the ‘Gamecity Treff’ – a meet-up for all participants of the industry, which was established in 2003 – and other programs to connect the industry and further the exchange of knowledge.
“Hamburg recognized the potential of the games industry early on and created Gamecity, a ground-breaking games support program,” the Managing Director of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, Egbert Rühl, said. “I am particularly pleased that the energy of the early years has now returned under the sponsorship of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft. Together with the entire games ecosystem, Gamecity is successfully working to expand Hamburg as a games location and prepare it for the future.”
“The games industry has become an integral and important part of Hamburg’s economy. The support provided by Gamecity Hamburg with funding, networking events and political initiatives was and is immensely important in this regard,” the Managing Director of Mooneye Studios and a spokesperson for the regional representative office of game Hamburg – The German Games Industry Association, Tobias Graff, said.
Gamecity Hamburg will also share stories from the past two decades of the local industry throughout the year on its online channels. A first impression can be gained from the anniversary video, in which insiders recap the evolution of the industry.
20th Anniversary in 2023: Gamecity Hamburg celebrates the Hamburg games industry
To celebrate the anniversary of the games industry in Hamburg, various activities and events are planned to look back on the last decades, but especially to look forward to the future of the games industry in Hamburg. On April 20, there will be a Senate reception at the invitation of Dr Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media. Numerous guests from the German and Hamburg games industry are expected at Hamburg’s Town Hall. With 20 years of runtime, the games industry meet-up ‘Gamecity Treff’, is a solid institution in the German games scene. The industry and all interested parties can look forward to a jubilee edition of the ‘Gamecity Treff’, to which Gamecity Hamburg invites on May 24. The ‘Gamecity Treff’ is supported by sponsors Bigpoint, Bytro and The Sandbox.
Interested parties can also make a note that the ‘Gamecity Treff’ meets Polaris on October 13, which is adjacent to the Hamburg Community Convention Polaris, with the kind support of the sponsors InnoGames and AWS for Games. Further public events are already being prepared and will be announced throughout the year.
Central Europe
Evoplay enters Czech market with exclusive Fortuna collaboration
Evoplay, the award-winning game development studio, has made its debut in the Czech Republic through an exclusive collaboration with leading operator Fortuna.
As part of the agreement, 39 of Evoplay’s top-performing games, including popular titles like Penalty Shoot-out and The Greatest Catch, are now available to Fortuna customers in the Central European country.
The collaboration not only introduces Evoplay’s diverse portfolio to the Czech market but also solidifies the company’s commitment to expanding in key territories.
Fortuna, a Fortuna Entertainment Group (FEG) brand, is a prominent online casino operator in the Czech market, and the partnership offers Evoplay a solid platform to reach more local players, supporting both companies’ growth objectives.
The strategic move marks a significant milestone for Evoplay, as it becomes the studio’s inaugural partnership in the market with plans for further expansion.
Ihor Zarechnyi, CBDO at Evoplay, said: “Breaking into the Czech market with an exclusive partner like Fortuna underscores our strategic vision for regulated markets. We’re thrilled to bring our diverse content offering to Czech players and are confident this collaboration will yield outstanding results.”
Myke Foster, Group Head of Commercial Gaming Operations at FEG, said: “This partnership reflects our commitment to delivering best-in-class entertainment and exceptional gaming experiences to all FEG customers, with Evoplay providing a broad content portfolio proven with players around the globe.”
“We are thrilled to be the first operator to take Evoplay’s titles live in the Czech market, and we anticipate a new level of engagement among our local audience.”
Central Europe
Amusnet Partners with Kajot Intacto
Amusnet proudly announces its strategic partnership with Kajot Intacto, a prominent Central and Eastern European gaming market operator. This collaboration aims to enhance players’ gaming experience by combining Amusnet’s cutting-edge offerings and diverse game portfolio with Kajot Intacto’s established market presence and expertise.
“At Amusnet, our focus is on enhancing player engagement and satisfaction, and our partnership with Kajot Intacto exemplifies this dedication. By utilizing the operator’s established market presence, we can effectively introduce our diverse portfolio of games to a wider audience in Slovakia. As we begin this collaborative journey, we are committed to evolving our offerings and remaining at the forefront of market trends, ensuring we meet the needs of players now and into the future,” said Irina Rusimova, Chief Commercial Officer at Amusnet.
“We are pleased to announce the addition of Amusnet as a valued game provider for our players. Renowned for its classic games enhanced with innovative features, Amusnet aligns perfectly with our commitment to delivering quality gaming experiences. Notably, the most popular game at Kajot Intacto is 100 Burning Hot, which exemplifies Amusnet’s signature style and underscores our dedication to offering engaging content to our player base,” said André Kruf, Sales Director at Kajot Intacto.
On Kajot Intacto’s platform, Slovak players can find some of Amusnet’s top-performing games, such as Hot Deco, 20 Golden Coins, Great 27, 100 Power Hot, Extra Crown, 100 Super Hot, 100 Burning Hot, Aztec Forest, Fruits & Gold, 20 Hot Blast and other top-notch titles like Secrets of Sherwood, Candy Palace, and Drops of Water.
Central Europe
NOVOMATIC builds the Group’s largest photovoltaic system in Lower Austria
NOVOMATIC has underscored its clear commitment to sustainability by installing the Group’s largest photovoltaic system. More than 4,600 solar panels have been installed on the roof of the headquarters in Lower Austria, covering a total area of 20,000 m2 and ceremoniously commissioned in the presence of Lower Austrian Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner, NOVOMATIC’s Executive Board and the mayor of Gumpoldskirchen, Ferdinand Köck.
The PV system, with a size equivalent to three football pitches, will produce around two million kilowatt-hours of electricity every year, thereby enabling the company to meet a substantial portion of this location’s annual energy needs. In addition to being used in the offices and production facilities, this green electricity will also find its way into the company’s dedicated charging stations for its fleet of e-vehicles. It is a similar situation with international subsidiaries in countries such as Germany, Italy, Spain, Romania, North Macedonia, Bosnia, Poland, South Africa and Australia, which are already meeting substantial portions of their electricity needs from dedicated PV systems.
State Governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, emphasizes “Lower Austria is a pioneer in efforts to develop the use of wind energy and photovoltaics. Half of all the wind power produced in Austria and a quarter of all the country’s photovoltaic electricity already comes from Lower Austria today. We can do this because many companies do their bit to ensure the green and sustainable future of the state’s economic engine, investing in the development of renewable energy sources. Thank you for this investment and the trust placed in the economic hub that is Lower Austria.”
“The completion of the Group’s largest photovoltaic plant is not just a key milestone in the sustainability strategy of NOVOMATIC AG, but it also means we have sent a clear signal of our intentions to foster a strong and efficient energy future. After all, it is only by taking responsibility that business success can be guaranteed in the long term,” says the Executive Board of the NOVOMATIC AG Group.
Installing the new PV system on already built-up areas helps NOVOMATIC to consistently reduce its carbon footprint, and enabling it now to save more than 1,100 tons of CO2 emissions every year, the equivalent of 90,500 trees compensating for CO2. The concept of “Going Green” is firmly anchored in the company’s comprehensive ESG program as Europe’s leading gaming technology group. In addition to its work to expand the use of photovoltaics across the Group, the company is also focusing its attention on monitoring resources and expanding e-mobility, all with a view to permanently cutting international CO2 emissions.
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