The German gaming and esports scene of the early 2000s was a vibrant ecosystem of enthusiastic players, tightly-knit forums, and passionate clans. During this golden age of multiplayer shooters, especially on the massive servers of Battlefield 2, a remarkable success story began to unfold: the evolution of the clan Wrecking Crew into the professional gaming magazine Scene Gamers – a journey significantly shaped by strong community cohesion, excellent industry contacts, and ultimately, the acquisition by Nitrado.
The Genesis: How Tactical Discussions Led to a Magazine
During the Battlefield 2 era, the Wrecking Crew was far more than just an ordinary clan measuring up on virtual battlefields. Early on, the squad displayed a strong affinity for structure, organization, and content creation. The clan's internal website, originally intended for match reports, tactical guides, and forum discussions, increasingly attracted players from outside its own ranks.
As Battlefield 2 began to show its age, the team faced a pivotal decision. Instead of letting the clan slowly dissolve, they leveraged their existing editorial infrastructure for a complete reboot. The clan's administrators, news writers, and forum moderators formed a genuine editorial team. The Wrecking Crew brand faded into the background, and Scene Gamers was born.
This transition was so seamless primarily because the creators knew exactly what their audience wanted to read. Their strong roots in the Battlefield scene proved to be their greatest asset: many ambitious individuals from the community heavily supported the ambitious project and its founder and CEO Sascha Siska during this critical initial phase. From guest articles and forum moderation to server administration, the surrounding community actively pitched in to help Scene Gamers get on its feet.
The EA Connection and Andreas Koch's Role
A milestone in Scene Gamers' history was the extremely close and trusting contact with Electronic Arts (EA), the publisher of the Battlefield series. While many independent portals struggled to connect with developers or publishers, Scene Gamers benefited from the deep roots it had established in the scene over the years.
An absolute key figure during this phase was Andreas Koch (also known in the scene by his pseudonyms “gamm4” or “Gamma”). For many years, Koch served as the German Battlefield Community Manager for EA. He acted as a direct link between the publisher and the passionate fans.
Thanks to this direct line to Andreas Koch and EA, projects and collaborations could be established that were exceptional for a magazine of this size. A prominent example of this was EA's “Battlefield Nights“ events. During these large livestream events, entirely dedicated to the community, Sascha Siska, CEO of Scene Gamers, appeared to discuss events, the Battlefield community, and giveaways. Such high-profile appearances lent the magazine enormous credibility and valuable reach.
Growth, Professionalization, and the Nitrado Era
With strong community backing and excellent relationships within the gaming industry, Scene Gamers grew rapidly throughout the 2010s. Its portfolio expanded: in addition to news and reviews of major blockbusters, it featured elaborate hardware tests, trade fair reports (such as from Gamescom), and its own YouTube channel, which generated tens of thousands of views.
Parallel to this editorial ascent, another essential partnership solidified: the collaboration with Nitrado, one of the world's leading providers of game servers. Nitrado initially served as a reliable sponsor, equipping Scene Gamers with the necessary server infrastructure (especially for Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4) and, in return, was featured as a permanent partner on the magazine's website and in its videos.
An interesting personnel change highlights how tightly interwoven the networks were during this period: Andreas Koch, who had supported Scene Gamers for years as EA's Community Manager, moved to Nitrado in 2015 as Lead Community Manager.
The Logical Conclusion: The Merger
The symbiosis of server hosting and community reach proved so fruitful that the story eventually culminated in a strategic merger. Nitrado, strongly pursuing expansion at that time, sought ways not only to provide infrastructure but also to strengthen direct contact with the gamer base through its own editorial platforms.
For Scene Gamers, this meant financial security, highly professional technical resources, and the opportunity to take the next editorial step. For Nitrado, it was the acquisition of an established mouthpiece directly into the hearts of the gaming community.
Conclusion
The journey of the Wrecking Crew to Scene Gamers is an impressive testament to what can be achieved through pure passion and genuine community cohesion. Without the active support of loyal Battlefield players and the open, peer-to-peer collaboration with industry giants like EA and Andreas Koch, this transformation would likely never have succeeded. In the end, it became a magazine that originated on the dusty maps of Battlefield 2 and grew into such a valuable asset that it eventually became part of a globally operating server giant.