Playing and networking: ‘Press Start’ looks back on devcom and gamescom

Over the past eight months, the 132 grant holders of the ‘Press Start: Games Founding Grant’ have already taken major steps towards establishing their own game studios. Now, the second ‘half’ of the programme is officially beginning. The founding grant officially celebrated this halfway point with them in the penultimate week of August, when the gaming world traditionally looks to Cologne for the start of gamescom. ‘Press Start’ took this opportunity to follow the rest of the industry into the ‘Heart of Gaming’.

Even before the opening of gamescom, all grant holders were invited to the official half-time event of the ‘Press Start’ programme. It took place on August 18th as part of the devcom game developer conference. This meant a joyful reunion in person for the grant holders, who are scattered across the country, as well as the ‘Press Start’ team. This happend for the first time since the kick-off event in Berlin in February 2025, as the regular workshops take place online. In a keynote speech, industry pioneer Don Daglow (‘Utopia,’ ‘Neverwinter Nights,’ ‘Kool-Aid Man’) not only shared his knowledge, but also offered comfort in the face of current crises, as the gaming industry has already experienced several downturns – and has survived every one so far. This was followed by a thought-provoking panel discussion on combining one owns passion with economic thinking when making games. It featured Patryk Grzeszczuk, Marketing Director at 11 Bit Studios (‘This War of Mine’, ‘The Alters’), Marina Díez, Game Director at Blue Backpack (formerly btf Games, ‘The Berlin Apartment’) and games business consultant Jason Della Rocca. The half-day event was moderated by Melissa Lee. Afterwards, the grant holders were able to participate in the regular devcom programme. For many, it was their first visit to an international trade conference and a valuable step towards networking in the games industry.

Following devcom, gamescom – the world’s largest gaming event – opened its doors. The ‘Press Start: Games Founding Grant’ had its own booth at the Indie Arena Booth in Hall 10.2, where three titles were playable. From 20 to 24 August, private and trade visitors were able to try out Cosmo Drill by Happy Hippo, Hieronymus by Rhenus Vina Musica and Seaward by THE ROOF Interactive – and many took advantage of the opportunity! Three other ‘Press Start’ teams presented their games to the 357,000 visitors at gamescom at other stands. Garden Ink by Kranich Games was at the ‘Games Made in Hessen’ booth, also at Indie Arena Booth. At the neighbouring Home of Indies, Rootbound from Brainlag Games could be played, and Bot slash Bot from Traveller’s Box was on display at the ‘Raw Talent’ booth, which was also located in the immediate vicinity of the Indie Arena Booth. In addition, two other teams were able to present their games to trade visitors in the business area: Kiosk Simulator by Neptun Interactive at the ‘Film- und Medienstiftung NRW’ booth and Portal to the Cosmobeat by 4bpm at the joint booth of the State of Hesse. All grant holders had also received trade visitor tickets through the founding grant, so that even teams not exhibiting could visit gamescom and establish important contacts for the future.

“We are delighted to be able to support our grant holders in making the most of the world’s most important gaming event as a launch pad for their careers,” said Niels Boehnke, project manager of Press Start at the Foundation for Digital Games Culture. “Both the new contacts they have made and the public attention generated by devcom and gamescom will benefit them as they continue on their journey.”