Replay Masters EU

This May, REPLAY students took part in A MAZE. Berlin, one of Europe’s leading festivals for experimental games and playful media.

Several projects developed by REPLAY cohorts were showcased during the festival’s Open Screens, presenting a wide range of playful experiences:

👻 ECTO-TERMINATOR 20000
Created by Henrique Moraes, Tomás Franco, María Jose Vargas, and Angela Wu.

🍽️ Taarof: Be My Guest
Created by Talha Ahmed, Murtaza Imran, Nathaly Kalantar, and Osman Gelmez.

💼 Monster Suitcase
Created by Talha Ahmed, Osman Gelmez, and EZ Yu.

⛏️ Echoes Under the Mine
Created by Nathaly Kalantar, Maria Karra, Helena Mongim, and Lucia Tang.

🖋️ Ms+M
Created by RE:PLAY students Maria Karra and Talha Ahmed in collaboration with Jairo José Caldera, Nefeli Psykou, Ioannis Karkalas, and Christoforos Alamanis.

Alongside the showcase, a group of students from both REPLAY cohorts also supported the festival as volunteers, contributing to the event and engaging with the wider games community throughout the week.

March and April Game Seminars at REPLAY 🎮✨

Over the past months, we welcomed speakers from different creative and professional backgrounds to share their approaches to game development, artistic research, and applied games.

We hosted Olivier Hokke from Game Tailors, a Dutch studio specializing in applied games and simulations for education, healthcare, and learning. The session explored how game concepts can translate complex client needs into engaging interactive experiences.

We also welcomed researchers and artists Marieke Verbiessen and Sophie Prinssen, who presented their work in artistic research, interactive installations, collaborative storytelling, and role-playing games as spaces for experimentation and critical worldbuilding.

Thank you to all the speakers for sharing their practices, research, and perspectives with us!

Some of our REPLAY students took part in the "Transmedia Game Jam", an event that brings together creators to develop games based on existing IPs, expanding stories across different media and exploring how narratives can evolve through interactive experiences.

The team, formed by Diandra Kathyusha Herli, Alina Qureshi, Arya Rakha, Janne Denesse Nedamo, Jakab Heindl, and Mikko Aaltio, developed Tadpole: Rise Together in collaboration with Gigglebug, a Finland-based animation studio known for creating and producing original IPs for children and family audiences.

The game is based on the animation series IP A Super Epic Tadpole Journey to the Surface of Croak Creek (coming soon), translating its world into a playful, interactive experience.

In REPLAY, we believe that playtesting is a fundamental part of the design process. It allows ideas to be challenged, mechanics to be refined, and player experience to evolve!

These moments capture playtesting sessions from projects developed by the first and second intake during their studies in the Play in Context: Personal course.

This year at the Game Developers Conference, REPLAY was present at the alt.ctrl.GDC showcase, featuring Nobody and Plug’n’Panic as part of the exhibition of alternative controllers.

We also attended the Independent Games Festival Awards, celebrating innovation and creativity across the industry, with REPLAY students Conor Mulgrew, Nathaly Kalantar, Néd Richard, Pauline Scherer, and EZ Yu present at the conference.

Moments like these connect our work with the broader game development community and open space for new conversations, collaborations, and ideas!🎮

A look back at the Game Seminars we hosted in February at LUCA School of Arts 🎮

During the month, REPLAY welcomed guest speakers who shared different perspectives on game design, prototyping, and interdisciplinary practice.

In Game Experience and Prototyping, Nils Slijkerman and Ewoud van der Werf from Extra Nice discussed the development of "SCHiM" and their approach to iteration and building meaningful player experiences. Adam Pype also shared insights on the realities of working as an indie developer, drawing from his experience creating experimental projects such as "No Players Online".

Later in the month, Outside Perspectives brought Michael Van Ostade, who introduced "Surreal Estate", an interactive animation game built from handmade materials scanned into the game engine using photogrammetry, and Samuel Baidoo, who presented "Plum Road Tea Dream", an emotional project moving between video game, performance, and exhibition.

Thank you to all the speakers for sharing their practices and insights with our students!

RE:PLAY at GameStorm V - Antwerp Play & Connect 🎮⚡

Last month, we joined GameStorm: Antwerp Play & Connect and took part in the Show & Tell session, where we connected with fellow developers.

Our students met inspiring creators, studios, and professionals from the local scene. Events like this help us understand the Belgian game industry better, build new relationships, and stay connected to what’s happening on the ground.

Exceptional Re-opening of the REPLAY Call (2026–2028).

Due to exceptional circumstances, the REPLAY call will re-open from January 21 to January 30, 2026, exclusively for Iranian citizens currently residing in Iran.

For full details, please visit our website: https://www.replaymasters.eu

📚The Masterclass in Games for REPLAY II students will close on December 11th with Martim Taborda Barata, a Portuguese/European lawyer and Partner at ICTLC International, who will present "Legalities of Making Games: An Introduction."

👨‍⚖️About Martim:
Martim Taborda Barata is a Portuguese/European lawyer and Partner at ICTLC International, a global legal and cybersecurity consultancy.

With over eight years of experience advising indepeThe Masterclass in Games for REPLAY II students will conclude on December 11th with Martim Taborda Barata, a Portuguese/European lawyer and Partner at ICTLC International, presenting "Legalities of Making Games: An Introduction."ndent video game developers in Portugal and abroad, he specializes in intellectual property, contracts, company incorporation, privacy, and consumer law. In 2023, he was nominated for the “Community Impact” Spotlight Award for his support of the Portuguese game development community.

To date, Martim continues to work to support smaller developers in understanding their rights, anticipating future legal issues, interpreting complex contracts and protecting their assets, with the goal to help indie gamedevs flourish.