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GGJ goes THE LÄND: Kokolores Ludwigsburg

Global Game Jam goes THE LÄND 2026 – From January 26 to February 1, 2026, it’s time to design, code, and create amazing things once again: the Global Game Jam, the world’s largest game event, is coming to THE LÄND! Game studios, companies, universities, associations, and (cultural) institutions in Baden-Württemberg are organizing their own “sites” – locations where local game jams take place – often in collaboration with other stakeholders from their region. GGJ goes THE LÄND is coordinated by MFG Baden-Württemberg & Games BW and funded by the Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Württemberg, in partnership with game – Verband der deutschen Games-Branche e.V. Baden-Württemberg. The goal: to strengthen cooperation and expertise in game development, game design, and game art – regionally, interdisciplinarily, and across university and company boundaries.

The Kokolores Creative Collective e.V., in cooperation with the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and the Wirtschaftsförderung Ludwigsburg, is also taking part. GGJ goes THE LÄND: Kokolores Ludwigsburg will take place from Monday, January 26 to Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at the Filmgalerie of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Akademiehof 10, 71638 Ludwigsburg.
There are still free spots available. Registration and further information can be found here.

Poster GGJ goes THE LÄND – Kokolores Ludwigsburg

Further sites of GGJ goes THE LÄND (including Heilbronn, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, and the Lake Constance region) can be found here: https://hola.mfg.de/

In addition, GGJ26 @ Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart will take place at the Stuttgart City Library with Chasing Carrots from Friday, January 30 to Sunday, February 1, 2026. Further information and registration can be found here.

Calls for Entries ITFS 2026 – German Animation Screenplay Award, Animated Games Award and Trickstar Business Award

The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) 2026 will take place from May 5 to 10, 2026. It focuses on artistic animated films and the promotion of young talent. In addition to the feature film competition (submission deadline January 15, 2026), additional categories are now open for submissions: the German Animation Screenplay Award, the Animated Games Award Germany, and the Trickstar Business Award.

The German Animation Screenplay Award recognises outstanding screenplays for feature-length animated films. The goal of the competition is to honor the central role of professional screenwriters in the creation of outstanding films and to encourage the development of exceptional stories for animated films.

The Award for the Best Screenplay for a Feature-Length Animated Film comes with €2,500, sponsored by the Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS).

The Award for the Screenplay with the Greatest International Market Potential is endowed with €2,500, sponsored by our CREATORS from SOLA MEDIA.

For the best screenplay award submissions are possible in German and English, for the market potential award submissions are only possible in English. 
Submission Deadline: February 1, 2026 | Regulations | Submit here

The two awards will be presented on May 7, 2026, as part of the AniX Awards.

Stefanie Larson with Peter Keydel, Producer of the Best Screenplay at ITFS 2025, “Miss December and the Moon Clan”
Jens Opatz (Authors) and Matthias Drescher (Author, Producer): Winner Screenplay with the Greatest International Market Potential ITFS 2025, “Nessie Junior“

The Animated Games Award Germany is endowed with €5,000 and is sponsored by MFG Baden-Württemberg. It targets developers of high-quality video games who have their primary or secondary residence in Germany.

Eligible for submission are completed games for commercially available platforms that were released after January 1, 2025. The top five games will be nominated for the GameZone and showcased to the public during the event.
Submission Deadline: February 15, 2026 |  Regulations | Submit here

The Trickstar Business Award honours the best innovative and groundbreaking business model for a particular project or a company in the field of animation. The prize of €7,500 is sponsored by the Verband Region Stuttgart and will be awarded on May 7, 2026, as part of the AniX Awards.

Submission Deadline: February 25, 2026 | Regulations | Submit here

Winner Animated Games Award ITFS 2025: Slow Bros. GmbH with “Harold Halibut“
Winners AniX Award ITFS 2025, all photos: Reiner Pfisterer

Panel Discussion: Gaming@Museum

© MFG Baden-Württemberg

Games and other playful formats create connections – and open up new opportunities for museums in terms of education and participation. With the panel discussion “Gaming@Museum – neue Spielräume für Co-Creation?” on November 12, 2025, 18:00 CET, MFG Baden-Württemberg is highlighting the potential of games for culture as part of the Level Up! Gamification im Museum program. The focus lies on the question of how museums can become more open and co-creative spaces.

Actors from museums, academia, cultural policy, media education, and the games and creative industries will discuss playful formats for culture as well as the opportunities and challenges of cooperation. Taking part in the discussion are:

  • State Secretary Arne Braun (Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst BW)
  • Kevin Körner (Lecturer Digital Humanities, Universität Tübingen)
  • Jonas Kirchner (Managing Director Pixelcloud)
  • Laura Schuppli (Curator of Digital Media at the Stadtmuseum Aarau & Co-Founder Spielekultur GmbH)
  • Dejan Simonović (Media Education Officer ComputerSpielSchule Stuttgart)

Moderation: Tina Lorenz (Head of Hertzlab, ZKM Karlsruhe) 

Afterwards, MFG invites attendees to a reception for networking and exchange. Previously, starting at 16:00 CET, visitors can explore and try out different video game genres and consoles – guided by puzzle designer and game author Annekatrin Baumann.

Venue: Literaturhaus Stuttgart, 1. OG
Breitscheidstraße 4
70174 Stuttgart

Registration until November 11, 2025

Source and more information

Pre-Fixe with Animation Lounge – Mucks! Games

Together with the Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (organizer of Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film) and the AMCRS, MFG organizes the Pre Fixe with Animation Lounge as a prelude to the monthly network meeting of the film industry (Jour Fixe). Speakers from the animation film scene present practical examples of current projects and provide insights into their work.

The next Animation Lounge will take place on Monday, November 10, 2025, 18:00 CET. Under the title “Making Meaningful Games – Social Impact without the Seriousness,” the founders of Mucks! Games will talk about their studio and the games they create.

About Mucks! Games: We are a weird bunch of creatives located in Ludwigsburg, Germany. After working together on games and interactive installations during our studies at Animationsinstitut in Ludwigsburg, we decided to start something all our own. A place to show our unique visual style, to tell stories that go deep and create experiences with an impact. We want to make meaningful, beautiful games that stay with you, long after you have turned off the screen.

The event will take place at the Kulturzentrum Merlin, Augustenstraße 72, 70178 Stuttgart. Admission is free.

All participants are cordially invited to attend the subsequent MFG Jour Fixe from 19:00 CET. The Jour Fixe offers a unique opportunity for exchange and networking with colleagues from the MFG Film Funding Unit.

More information

Open Stage Games BW, September 24, 2025

Whether independent developer studios or large publishers, recent graduates or recruiters looking for artists and graphic designers – the diverse players in the games industry have the opportunity to exchange ideas at Open Stage Games BW. The open stage character also gives everyone the opportunity to bring their concerns to the stage.

The next Open Stage Games BW will take place on September 24, 2025 from 19:00 to 22:00 CET in Karlsruhe (Alte Hackerei, Alter Schlachthof 11a, 76131 Karlsruhe).

Part of the program is an impulse talk from the games industry: Dominik Schön, kaleidoscube GmbH, will share his experiences with the Indie Arena Booth and the Business Area at Gamescom 2025.

Dominik Schön at Gamescom
(all photos: THE LÄND @ Gamescom 2025 (c) Tobias Vollmer)
State Secretary Dr. Patrick Rapp and MFG Managing Director Carl Bergengruen at the Kaleidoscube booth in the Indie Area
The Kaleidoscube team at the THE LÄND joint booth

After the talk, the stage will – as always – be open to everyone. Do you have a topic, or would you like to present yourself, your team, or your project? Feel free to decide spontaneously during the event and simply sign up on site.

During the networking session that follows, you can connect over drinks and snacks, showcase your games, and exchange ideas.

Target group: Cultural and creative professionals, founders, freelancers, and small business owners from the games sector as well as the wider cultural and creative industries.

Participation is free of charge. Registration is required by September 23. More information and registration here

The Open Stage Games BW is jointly organized by MFG Baden-Württemberg, game Baden-Württemberg, CyberForum, the K³ Kultur- und Kreativwirtschaftsbüro Karlsruhe, and the Film Commission Region Stuttgart, and is funded by the Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Württemberg

Games BW: https://games-bw.mfg.de/

Source: MFG Baden-Württemberg

GiG – Games & Gamification im Gesundheitswesen

With GiG – Games & Gamification im Gesundheitswesen (Games & Gamification in Healthcare), the state of Baden-Württemberg is specifically supporting innovation at the intersection of games and health. As the state agency for the creative industries and the games sector, MFG Baden-Württemberg, in partnership with BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg, the state agency for the healthcare industry, invites participants to the following formats:

  • GiG xTalks: Building knowledge bridges for successful collaboration between the healthcare and games markets.
  • GiG xLabs: A hands-on program where ideas are developed and innovative approaches for the use of games in healthcare are tested.
  • Funding: Financial support to further develop ideas from the GiG xLabs into concrete concepts.
  • Networking & Partnerships: Platforms for exchange, bringing together developers, manufacturers, and researchers of healthcare solutions with playful approaches to initiate new collaborations.
  • More information

The GiG xLab is an innovation lab that brings together creative minds, developers, healthcare professionals, and patients or end users. Its goal is to jointly develop new approaches and ideas to address concrete, measurable problems related to the use or effectiveness of a healthcare product or service. In 2025, the focus topic is “Mentale Gesundheit & Prävention“ (Mental Health & Prevention), with five real and very diverse challenges on the table – ranging from VR in behavioral therapy, to support in applying for care allowances, to apps for people with dementia, screen addiction, or high stress levels. In addition, the lab serves as an incubator for concrete development partnerships between the creative industries, the games sector, and the healthcare field.

GiG xLab “Mentale Gesundheit & Prävention“
Dates: October 10, 2025, 10:00-18:30 CET | October 11, 2025, 9:00-18:30 CET | Venue: CUBEX ONE, Mannheim (Franz-Volhard-Straße 5, 68167 Mannheim)
Take part in the GiG xLab 2025: Fill out and submit the matching form by September 3, 2025. Further information and the matching form

The GiG xTalk format is designed for innovative developers, manufacturers, and researchers who create digital healthcare solutions with playful elements – and aim to achieve measurable impact in prevention, therapy, or education. Whether you’re at the very beginning of an idea or already an experienced player: here, we talk with those who have successfully brought GiG solutions to market, offering best practices to learn from.

Each GiG xTalk focuses on one example in which both the healthcare and games perspectives of the solution are represented. At the end, there is always time for questions and exchange – so that all participants can take away new inspiration for their own projects. More information

Live GiG xTalk – “Wetten, dass ich das schaffe?”
Date: September 24, 2025, 15:00-16:30 CET | Venue: Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Liederhalle Stuttgart, Berliner Platz 1-3, Rooms 22-24
Further information and registration (by September 17)

Our CREATORS at Gamescom 2025

THE LÄND joint booth at Gamescom 2024 (Photo: Tobias Vollmer)

Since 2013, MFG has organized a Baden-Württemberg state and joint booth in the business area of Gamescom in Cologne. At the booth, organized by the MFG initiative Games BW, exhibiting companies and institutions will once again have the opportunity at this year’s Gamescom (August 20 to 24, 2025) to showcase their latest developments to industry professionals and connect with the international gaming scene. The 2025 appearance will be held under the motto: “THE LÄND – Games & Virtual Worlds Made in Baden-Württemberg.” Come by!

This year, nine companies will be presenting at the THE LÄND booth. Our lineup of CREATORS includes b.ReX and kaleidoscube, both based in Stuttgart, and Zeitland media & games from Ludwigsburg. Other exhibitors include Blossom Seeker, GazeQuest, Half Soup Labs, kr3m. media, LAB132, and PONG.Li.

The THE LÄND state and joint booth can be visited from August 20 to 22, 2025, in the Business Area (Hall 4.1, Booth C64).

Additionally, for the first time this year, four indie studios from Baden-Württemberg will be presenting at the Indie Arena Booth (August 20–24) in Hall 10.2: Studio Seufz with “Lucky Tower Ultimate” and kaleidoscube with “Recur” – both members of AMCRS – alongside Application Systems Heidelberg and Walk The Frog.

You can find more information about the Indie Arena Booth 2025 here: indiearenabooth.de/gamescom2025/games 

Gamescom 2024 (Photos: Tobias Vollmer)

The state booth is organized by MFG Baden-Württemberg in cooperation with Baden-Württemberg International (BW_i), with support from the City of Karlsruhe through K³ Kultur- und Kreativwirtschaftsbüro Karlsuhe / UNESCO City of Media Arts, as well as  ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medien. The project is funded by the  Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Tourismus Baden-Württemberg.

More about the Gamescom Business Area

Source: games-bw.mfg.de

GDD Indie Award 2025 Nomination for Studio Seufz

Screenshots: Studio Seufz

The game “Lucky Tower Ultimate” by Studio Seufz has been nominated for a GDD Indie Award 2025 – in not just one, but two categories: Best Game and Best Game Mechanics (game design).

Lucky Tower Ultimate is a comedic, roguelike adventure game following the trials and tribulations of a narcissistic knight… as he repeatedly tries to escape the dangerous tower he’s been trapped in. The levels and layout of the tower are procedurally generated, so no two runs of Lucky Tower Ultimate will ever be the same. There are many different traps, weapons, monsters, and rooms to experience.

Lucky Tower Ultimate is the third game in the Lucky Tower series and available on Steam. The publisher of the game is AMC Games, and it was supported, among others, by MFG Baden-Württemberg.

The GDD Indie Awards, with a total prize money of €10,000, will be presented on July 9, 2025, during the GermanDevDays (GDD) game developer conference, taking place on July 9 and 10, 2025 in Frankfurt. Fingers crossed!

More about the game: Lucky Tower Ultimate Webseite | Studio Seufz | AMC Games

More about the GermanDevDays

Nomination source: GamesMarkt

GAMESTATE Festival BW 2025

Photo: MFG

The GAMESTATE Festival BW on July 11, 2025 brings together professional developers, students, and career changers from Baden-Württemberg to strengthen statewide exchange within the games industry and explore future development opportunities. A diverse program of talks and roundtables, concluding with a party, offers numerous opportunities for in-depth exchange and networking.

The event is free of charge. Registration is required by July 4.

You can find the full program at www.gamestate-bw.de

Event details: July 11, 2025, 13:00-23:00 CET | Kulturwerk, Ostendstraße 106A, 70188 Stuttgart

The GAMESTATE Festival 2025 is organized by MFG Baden-Württemberg, game Baden-Württemberg, CyberForum and K³ Kultur- und Kreativwirtschaftsbüro der Stadt Karlsruhe, and is funded by the Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst.

Source: MFG Baden-Württemberg

Diploma Showroom 2025

The team of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationinsinsitut cordially invites you to its Diploma Showroom 2025 on Thursday, May 8, 15:00 to 19:00 CET at the Animationsinstitut. You’ll have the chance to meet the graduates behind the the newest creations, learn first-hand how they were made, watch films and trailers on the big screen and play-test the interactive experiences. Look forward to ten individually designed project rooms offering exclusive glimpses behind the scenes.

Diploma Showroom 2025, Animationsinstitut / FABW, Illustration: Daniel Almagor

On this page you can find further information and an overview of all projects and the teams behind them: https://animationsinstitut.de/en/beyond-study/diplomashowroom

Location: Animationsinstitut, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Akademiehof 10, 71638 Ludwigsburg

For visitors of Stuttgart Animated Week (ITFS, May 6-11, 2025 / FMX, May 6-9, 2025 / APD, May 6-8, 2025) they will offer guided tours by public transportation (14:15 CET Meeting points FMX: Speakers Counter / APD: Farewell Lunch / ITFS: Welcome Desk).