We’re back from gamescom 2026 after a packed few days in Cologne, where Malta’s games sector came together on one of the industry’s biggest international stages.
From business meetings and community events to game showcases, playtesting and international recognition, the week gave us plenty to take home.
At the centre of GamingMalta’s presence was our B2B booth, which brought together 24 organisations from across Malta’s games sector. Studios, educators, esports organisations, service providers and industry partners used the space as a base throughout the week.
For Malta-based studios, that meant direct access to publishers, investors, developers and potential collaborators. Educators and industry representatives also used the space to discuss talent, skills, and the sector’s future needs.
Some meetings opened immediate opportunities. Others started conversations and relationships that can continue well beyond Cologne.
Gamescom week had already started before the main conference doors opened.
At European Game Night, PawBeans Studios and FEENIX Group represented Malta among Europe’s indie games community, showcasing their work and connecting with developers and industry professionals from across the continent.
It gave both companies another route into international networks and set the tone for the days that followed.
As gamescom got into full swing, the GamingMalta gamescom Mixer created a different setting for the conversations taking place throughout the day.
Studios, partners, industry professionals and stakeholders came together away from the conference floor, giving everyone more time to reconnect, meet new contacts and explore where new collaborations could lead.
The week also marked an important moment for Malta’s local game development community with the official launch of Malta Game Developers Association (MGDA). The launch represents another step in giving Malta’s game developers and creatives a stronger collective voice, while creating more opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing and representation within the wider sector.
Malta’s presence was also visible across the wider gamescom floor.
Our very own Anvil Games Studios featured at the Indie Arena Booth, where the team gave visitors the opportunity to playtest its latest expansion. Being part of one of gamescom’s key spaces for independent developers put the studio directly in front of players, fellow developers and potential industry partners.
Then there was 4A Games.
4A Games was part of gamescom from the very start, presenting METRO 2039 during Opening Night Live and helping kick off the week’s activities in Cologne. The reveal placed the Malta-based studio and its latest title in front of gamescom’s global audience.
That presence continued on the show floor, where 4A Games hosted its own full-fledged booth alongside some of the biggest names in the global games and entertainment industry, including Nintendo, Samsung Gaming and Sony Pictures.
Gamescom attendees could also get hands-on with METRO 2039, giving players the opportunity to experience the studio’s latest work directly.
And the week ended on a high.
METRO 2039 took home the gamescom award for Best Visuals, recognising the creative and technical work behind the title and giving Malta another strong moment on the international stage.
Beyond the meetings, events and showcases, gamescom also brought an important part of Malta’s games story into focus: talent.
Malta’s educational organisations were part of the delegation throughout the week, connecting education directly with industry and the opportunities it creates.
That pathway is already visible. Emerging developers are moving from education into studios, while others are taking the next step and building teams and projects of their own.
Creating more of those journeys means continuing to connect education with industry, giving emerging talent practical exposure, and ensuring the skills being developed reflect where the sector is going.
This is also where the week in Cologne connects to the bigger picture.
Malta Vision 2050 places game development, specialised talent and high-value digital activity within Malta’s long-term economic direction.
What we saw at gamescom reflects that ambition in practice: established studios competing internationally, emerging teams finding new opportunities, local talent reaching global audiences and a community building stronger connections both within Malta and abroad.
The work now continues beyond Cologne.
GamingMalta will keep building on the relationships created at gamescom, supporting Malta-based studios and talent, strengthening international connections and helping create the conditions for more games, companies and careers to be built from Malta.
