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The WeeklyBit is back, again talking about the most essential things in video game and tech history: Hats! When Team Fortress 2 first added hats and other quirky items in 2009, players thought it was just a fun way to dress up their characters. But that simple idea of customization quickly turned into something bigger—a full-blown, server-hosted economy that changed gaming forever. Valve’s servers tracked each item, allowing players to save, trade, and even cash in on their virtual hats and accessories. Suddenly, a new player-driven economy was born, and Team Fortress 2 became the unofficial birthplace of the “hat economy.” As demand grew, Valve didn’t just sit back and watch; they leaned in, launching the Mann Co. Store where players could buy items directly and setting up the Steam Marketplace for trading across games. Soon, other games caught on, and the model took off. Counter-Strike skins, Fortnite cosmetics, and countless others all followed suit, letting players buy, sell, and trade items in ways that made these virtual worlds feel more real—and a little bit richer. As of the most recent count, Team Fortress 2 boasts over 1,500 unique hats and cosmetics! The game’s “hat economy” has only grown since it started in 2009, with new hats added through updates, events, and even community contributions via the Steam Workshop. For GPORTAL, supporting these kinds of player-driven features is what we’re all about. When games rely on servers to store items, stats, or trade records, it takes a strong, reliable infrastructure to keep everything running smoothly. #weeklyBit

Is your multiplayer game ready for launch day? Do you think about working on a multiplayer game but don't know about the essentials you should focus on from the Start? We got you covered because getting ready to launch a multiplayer game is no small feat. From stress testing to real-time monitoring, ensuring your servers are ready for the big day can make or break the player experience. Take a look at the full checklist, the link to our article is in the comments below.

Great news from the Contabo family! The new Hub Europe Data Center is a huge step forward, and we’re excited about the impact it will have for us at GPORTAL. With 100% green energy and space for 50,000 servers, it’s a huge boost in both performance and sustainability. #Contabo #GPORTAL #DateCenter #GreenIT

It's WeeklyBit Time! This weeks topic? Discord. Did you know Discord started out as a solution just for gamers? Back in the days of TeamSpeak and Ventrilo, gamers struggled with high latency, complex setups, and frequent server crashes during big sessions. Discord set out to fix those problems, creating a smoother, more reliable experience. What began as a niche platform quickly grew, evolving beyond gaming to become a global communication tool used by millions for everything from study groups to work meetings. What’s unique about Discord’s rise is how it grew beyond its original purpose. It wasn’t just the technology that attracted people, but how easy it made building and managing communities. With customizable servers, real-time voice chat, and a reliable, low-latency experience, Discord quickly became the go-to platform for anyone wanting to connect online. It continued to evolve based on user feedback, adding features like video calls, screen sharing, and integrations that appealed to a broader audience—while still staying true to its gaming origins. At GPORTAL, we’ve seen a similar path. Starting from humble beginnings, we've spent over 20 years providing reliable server infrastructure to keep players connected. Like Discord, we’ve grown with the industry and are proud to keep supporting the communities that make gaming thrive.

Here are some wonderful news from our friends at game - German Games Industry Association: The announcement of the "Press Start: Founding Grant for Games" or "Press Start: Gründungsstipendium Games". The "Press Start: Founding Grant for Games" program, launched by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media, is designed to help kickstart new development studios in Germany's gaming industry. Over 18 months, selected founders will receive a monthly grant of 2,750 euros, giving them the financial support they need to focus on building their startups and developing their own games. In addition to the funding, participants will benefit from a broad education and networking program, along with ongoing coaching to help them navigate the gaming industry successfully. Up to 130 founders from across Germany will be selected for this pilot program, which has a cultural focus. Applications are open from October 28 to November 17, 2024 and the program is being run by game - German Games Industry Association in collaboration with Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur. Follow this link to fill out your application: https://lnkd.in/eP8CcX9H and read more details in the official press release: https://lnkd.in/esWfFrfA #gameverband #pressstart

gamescom asia is starting on the 17th of October! Our CEO Jörg Hensen and Director of Business Development Flavio Kappelhoff will be attending as well to discuss the invaluable role of privates in video games. Let's gather some quick information from our network: Who else will be attending? #gamescomasia #gportal #privates

On January 24, 2024, our partners at Keen Games released their highly anticipated game, Enshrouded, on Steam, with GPORTAL as the official server host. While the launch was a great success, not everything went according to plan. Now that the dust has settled, we wanted to take some time to reflect on our teamwork, discuss the challenges we faced, and look ahead to the future. To do that, we sat down with Keen Games' CFO, Pete Walentin. If you're interested in an honest summary of the ups and downs behind this success story made in Germany, we highly encourage you to read the following text:

We had an amazing time at TwitchCon!🎉 A huge thanks to all our industry friends and partners who caught up with Kayla Bolger and Kevin Stoffan over the weekend. The event was full of great conversations and exciting opportunities for GPORTAL, and we're grateful for every moment. It was fantastic to see so much energy and collaboration, and we’re excited to build on the connections we made. Thanks again to everyone involved—here’s to even more exciting things ahead. See you next time, TwitchCon!💜

The Fantastic Chieftains Update launches today, marking a major milestone in the Early Access journey for Soulmask. This innovative open-world survival and simulation game has been making waves in the gaming community since its Early Access release on May 30, 2024. At GPORTAL, we're proud to play a key role in this journey as the official server host. With that in mind, we sat down with Qooland Games and CampFire Studios to discuss the game's development, our successful partnership, and what the future holds for Soulmask. Read more in our official interview: "A Look Behind the Mask."

The WeeklyBit is back with another technological blast from the past. Before the widespread use of the internet, Play-by-Mail (PBM) was a method for players to engage in long-form, turn-based games, where players would submit their moves via postal mail. These games often had extended turns—days, weeks, or even months—because of the time it took for mail to be sent and received. Popular games like Diplomacy and Chess used this system, allowing players to compete in multiplayer strategy games without being in the same physical location. As technology advanced in the late 1970s and 1980s, Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) emerged. BBS were simple, text-based systems that allowed users to connect via dial-up modems to a central server, which could store and distribute information. With BBS, PBM games began transitioning from physical mail to digital submissions. These early BBS-hosted games simulated the traditional play-by-mail format but with much faster "turn" resolution. Players would dial into the BBS to send their moves, and the server would process and store the game's state. Some of the earliest examples of server-hosted games were based on this PBM model. The server acted as an intermediary, recording and handling each player's moves, much like how modern servers store data in turn-based or asynchronous multiplayer games. This transition marked one of the earliest uses of server-client models for games, paving the way for later innovations in online multiplayer gaming. In essence, PBM was a precursor to server-hosted multiplayer games, and its shift to BBS infrastructure represents an early form of server-based gameplay, long before the internet made real-time multiplayer gaming possible.