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PROGRAM 2018 PROGRAM#nordicgame 2017 #nordicgame Welcome to Nordic Game 2018

It’s a great pleasure to welcome you to this fifteenth edition of Nordic Game, the only conference in the world with a dedicated focus on the entire Nordic games industry.

Over the years we’ve evolved from a humble regional conference into a truly global industry event, as our vision of a strong, united games community and the values so many of us share - openness, innovation and diversity - have resonated with games industry professionals around the world, and they have been welcomed into our extended family.

Of course, we continue to proudly celebrate the sheer quality and variety of games developed in the , and this year’s Nordic Game Awards (Thursday, 24 May from 18:00 in the Unreal Theatre) once again reflects the imagination and vitality of developers from the region we call home.

However, our rapidly changing, interconnected industry doesn’t allow us to rest on our laurels, and our opening keynote (Wednesday, 23 May at 11:00 in the Unreal Theatre) brings together a panel of leaders from some of our most prominent Nordic studios to explore key challenges and opportunities for game developers moving forward.

True to the many values we share with our extended global family, we’re also introducing a string of talks - the Impact sessions - that delve beyond the albeit important business and technical aspects of game development, to encourage all of us to think more deeply about the real impact of the games we create - and how we create them - on our world.

Also working hard to spread our vision of a strong, united games community across Europe (and soon around the globe), the Nordic Game Discovery Contest, now concluding its second season, will show the games of the sixteen NGDC finalists (23-24 May in the Round Bar) as well as crown this year’s winner (Friday, 25 May from 14:00 in the Unreal Theatre) at NG18.

With this brief introduction to all that’s Nordic Game this May, we hope that you’re ready to listen, learn, share, build, connect, evolve, inspire, eat, drink, be serious, have fun, be tired, but also be happy - and that you’ll enjoy NG18 as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it.

Thank you for joining us and may we all prosper!

The Nordic Game 2018 Team NG18 TIME SCHEDULE

Tuesday 22 May PRE-CONFERENCE DAY 13:00-17:00: Venue open, on-site registration & badge pick-up 12:00-20:00: Pre-conference networking events including Game Habitat Studio Tour,

Games Capital Summit (invite-only) and NG Exec Summit (invite-only), 14:00-18:00: NGDC Mentor Sessions (invite-only) 19:00: Games Germany/game mixer, (Restaurang M.E.C.K.,Malmö)

Wednesday 23 May: CONFERENCE DAY 1 8:30-18:00: Venue open, on-site registration & badge pick-up 8:30-17:00: NG18 Publisher Market, Room 9:30-18:00: Expo Floor and MeetToMatch (Room Helsinki) open 10:00-17:00: Game Hub Scandinavia track, Room Reykjavik 10:00-17:00: Dev Sessions, hosted by Game Habitat, Room 5 11:00-12:00: Opening & First Keynote, Unreal Theatre 12:15-17:00: Sessions in the six auditoriums 12:00-14:00: Mentor Lounge, Room 2 12:00–14:30: Lunch served in the Dining Hall 14:15-17:00: NGDC Season 2 Semi-Finals 1 & 2, Room 17:00-18:00: Happy Hour, hosted by Remedy, Black Bar at the Expo entrance 18:30: Speakers’ Reception Dinner (invite-only) 20:00: IGDA Party, (Moriskan Paviljongen, Malmö)

Thursday 24 May: CONFERENCE DAY 2 9:00-late: Venue open 9:00-18:00: On-site registration & badge pick-up 10:00-18:00: Expo floor and MeetToMatch (Room Helsinki) open Venue 10:00-17:00: Sessions in the six auditoriums SLAGTHUSET 12:00–14:30: Lunch served in the Dining Hall Address: Jörgen Kocksgatan 7A 17:00-18:00: Happy Hour 2.0, hosted by IO Interactive (Black Bar at the Expo entrance) 18:00-19:00: Nordic Game Awards 2018, Unreal Theatre 211 20 Malmö 19:00-21:00: NG18 Gala Dinner, Dining Hall (Reservation required) 21:00-late: NG18 Nordic Party, sponsored by Epic/Unreal (No reservations needed, just bring your badge!) REGISTRATION Pick up your NG18 pass at the registration desk, Friday 25 May: DISCOVERY DAY located in the main entrance. 9:00-17:00: Venue open, on-site registration & badge pick-up 10:00-16:00: Expo floor and MeetToMatch (Room Helsinki) open 10:00-16:00: Sessions in the six auditoriums OPENING TIMES: 10:00-15:00: Yonderplay, curated by Copenhagen Game Collective, Room Oslo 22 May: 12:00 -17:00 10:00-20:00: Discovery Day Showcase, Dining Hall 23 May: 8:30 -17:00 12:00–14:30: Lunch served in the Dining Hall 24 May: 9:00 -late 14:00-14:45: NGDC Season 2 Finals, Unreal Theatre 15:00-16:00: Final Wrap-up including NGDC Grand Finals winner, Unreal Theatre 25 May: 9:00 -20:00 16:00-20:00: NG18 After Hours, Dining Hall 18:00 -19:00: Snack dinner served in the Dining Hall 20:00: Goodbye hugs A WARM THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS NGDC Partners:

18

GAME DEV CAMP

SYNDICAT NATIONAL DU JEU VIDÉO NG 18 EXPO FLOOR PLAN A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10 A11 A12 A13 A14 A15 A1 X1 Emergency X 1 1 2 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 C 3 4

A16 A17 A18 A19 A20 A21 A22 A23 A24 A25 A26 A27

A1 Epic/Unreal A18 Awapatent

A2 Epic/Unreal A19 MeetToMatch

A3 Play A20 LabCave Games

A4 Play Finland A21 Games

A5 Aalto A22 IGDA Estonia

A6 Greek delegation A23 Nutaku

A7 Elias Software A24 Transmuted Games

A8 Moldova A25

A9 Wacom A26 XSolla

A10 Photon/Exit Games A27

A11 MediaNet B1 Epic/Unreal

A12 MediaNet B2 Game Arena

A14 NGI/SGI B3 TELUS Intl.

A15 S. SE Creatives B6 Chinese delegation

A16 #SWISSGAMES C2 Kirarito

A17 #SWISSGAMES C4 Perforce NGDC finalist and their games are:

Yaga, by Breadcrumbs Interactive (Rumania) – qualified at DevPlay, Rumania PyroMind, by Dbabicius (Lithuania) – qualified at GameOn, Lithuania Lightspeed Frontier, by Crowdwork Studios (Slovenia) – qualified at Slovenian Game Conference, Slovenia Drunk-Fu: Wasted Masters, by Rusto (Finland) – qualified at Northern Game Sponsored by Summit, Finland Close To The Sun, by Storm in a Teacup (Italy) – qualified at Sweden game Conference, Sweden Go Heroes: Prometheus, by Happyland Entertainment (Greece) – qualified at Athens A warm thanks to the NGDC Partner events Game Festival, Greece Obscuria, by Insiduos Games, (Portugal) – qualified at GameDev Camp, Portugal 18 A Place for the Unwilling, by AlPixel Games (Spain) – qualified at AzPlay, Spain GAME DEV CAMP Age of Space, by PodPal Games () – qualified at NM I Gameplay, Norway Bushy Tail, by Fuero Games (Poland) – qualified at GamesForum London, UK Broken Lines, by PortaPlay () – qualified at Nordic Game Jam, Denmark Second Hand: Frankie’s Revenge (Rumania) – qualified at Reboot Develop, Croatia Youropa, by Frecle (Denmark) – qualified as Wild Card Pode, by Henchman & Goon (Norway) – qualified as Wild Card NORDIC GAME DISCOVERY BOSSGARD, by Sand Sailor Studio (Rumania) – qualified as Wild Card CONTEST – GRAND FINALS

After driving the NGDC caravan through Europe to a string of partner events and conferences, it’s time to harvest the fruits from Winner & runner-ups will receive prizes from the qualifying rounds of the Nordic Game Discovery Contest’s second season. Plan of Attack, Greenlit Content, Mail.ru, Appodeal, GamesIndustry.biz, Games and more! NGDC Grand Finals and Finalist Expo Sixteen finalists will be ready to pitch live at the NGDC Season 2 Grand Finals. To make the final four in the NGDC Finals on 25 May, contestans will have to fight trough the semi-finals on 23 May. Their qualifier-winning games will also be showcased in the NGDC Finalist Expo, where the NG18 audience can play all the games, meet some of the best uppcoming development talents in Europe and vote for their favorites. Learn all about the Nordic Game Discovery Contest, NGDC Grand Finals schedule including the finalists, their videos and much more at Semi-finals I &II: 23 May, Room Stockholm, 14:15-17:00 discovery-contest.nordicgame.com! Finals: 25 May, Unreal Theatre, 14:00-14:45 Finalist Expo: The Round Bar (23-24 May), Dining Hall (25 May) NG18 Sessions - 23 MAY

11:00 - 11:15 UNREAL THEATRE Erik Robertson Managing Director, Johanna Nylander Nordic Game Resources (moderator) Welcome to Nordic Game 2018 Policy Affairs Mgr., Erik Robertson and Jacob Riis open NG18 with a wel- Swedish Games Industry coming address. 10:00 -11:00 ROOM STOCKHOLM Jacob Riis Program Director, Erja Retzen Nordic Game Gaming on IPOs: Demystifying the Process of Senior MD, Going Public Nasdaq Nordic Come and listen to interesting cases on recent Nordic gaming IPOs, investor insights and market sentiment in general. Moderated by Johanna Nylander. Johan Engström Partner/Head of Capital Markets, MAQS 11:15 - 12:00 UNREAL THEATRE John Gaudiosi (moderator) Maria Grimald President, Sr. Investment Mgr., Nordic Game, Where Are You Going? Greenlit Content Goodbye Kansas A panel of leaders from some of the most influential Nordic studios gather to discuss the success of the Bendik Stang Nordic region and how it can keep its key position CEO/Co-Founder/CD, Markus Nyström in the global games industry. Moderated by John Snowcastle Games Creative Director, Fall Gaudiosi. Damage Hakan Abrak CEO/Co-Owner, IO Tero Virtala Interactive CEO, Remedy Enter- tainment Kjartan Emilsson CEO, Sólfar Studios

Martin Wahlund 10:15 - 10:30 ROOM REYKJAVIK Adonis Flokiou CEO, Incubation Manager, The Game Hub Scandinavia: Opening Opening Animation Workshop remarks from the Norwegian games industry. Tero Virtala Mattias Lindblad CEO, Flamebait Games CEO, Remedy 10:30 - 11:30 ROOM REYKJAVIK Entertainment

The Anatomy of a Game Incubator Mikkel Fledelius Jensen A panel about entrepreneurship, incubators and ac- Managing Director, 11:30 - 12:00 ROOM REYKJAVIK celerators, taking a closer look at our gaming clusters Game Hub Denmark and their focus on education, innovation and entrepre- Namco Ent. Europe neurship. What works and what doesn’t. Game/Music Showcase Hannibal Glaser Decochon shows MuX on stage. Petri Ahonen Producer, Decochon Late addition to the panel: Lars Henriksen Sr. Business Developer, (Sr. Strategic Consultant, Game Hub Denmark). Gothia Innovation 12:15 - 13:00 UNREAL THEATRE

Gamification is Just Icing on a Lousy Cake Antonia Koop Creating immersive experiences with games tech is CEO, Kite Rider- serious rocket fuel for training and education. Here Strategic Adventures is what developers need to know to unleash the full power of games onto the training sector and what makes all the difference between just gamifying boring Kate Edwards (host) CEO/Principal Consul- content and creating worlds of exciting learning adven- tant, Geogrify tures. Hosted by Kate Edwards and Tsahi Liberman.

Tsahi Liberman (host) VP International Relations, GameIS

12:15 - 13:00 ROOM STOCKHOLM Erik Odeldahl Creative Director, Fast Apex Construct: Building & Travel Games Publishing Immersive VR Apex Construct is a VR action-adventure where the player can interact with “everything”. This leads to some very interesting mechanics, but also exposed us to several pitfalls. This talk openly discusses how we managed such issues, as well as player expectations during production, and up to and following the game’s release.

12:15 - 13:00 ROOM OSLO Jens Andersson Designer/Co-Founder, Custom Tools: Putting the Cart in Front of the Villa Gorilla Horse Custom tools will make your game special. I will show how you can build tools to differentiate your game. To my help I will use my latest game, Yoku’s Island Express, as well as lessons from Chronicles of Riddick/Starbreeze and Colors! /Collecting Smiles. And can tools actually drive design? 12:15 - 14:00 ROOM THORSHAVN 13:15 - 14:00 ROOM STOCKHOLM

Even 2D Games Deserve 3D Characters Interventions Join Anita and Carolyn of Feminist Frequency for this Anita Sarkeesian We can involve politics in our games, but can we Shalev Moran Director, Feminist involve our games in politics? In this talk we’ll look at Games Program interactive workshop where you’ll be given tools to help Frequency you create compelling characters for any sort of game. games through the lens of participatory art and creative Curator, Print Screen Festival We’ll discuss popular, well-known games as well as give activism, to examine cases where games and play can attendees a chance to have their own work critiqued Carolyn Petit be not just political statements, but also political action. and evaluated. Hosted by Kate Edwards and Tsahi Managing Editor, Feminist Hosted by Kate Edwards and Tsahi Liberman. Kate Edwards (host) Liberman. Frequency CEO/Principal Consul- tant, Geogrify

Kate Edwards (host) CEO/Principal Consultant, Tsahi Liberman (host) Geogrify VP International Relations, GameIS

Tsahi Liberman (host) VP International Relations, GameIS 13:15 - 14:00 ROOM OSLO Jason Della Rocca (moderator) The No BS Investor Panel: A Deep Dive into Co-Founder, Execution Labs Venture Funding This panel of active investors will dig deep into what is and is not worthy of venture funding in today’s market. Are Mack Growen They will explore current expectations, investment VP of Product, London Venture Partners 13:00 - 15:00 ROOM REYKJAVIK preparedness, typical deal terms and everything else Björn Berg Marklund you need to know in order to score investment in your studio. Moderated by Jason Della Rocca. Lecturer, University of Guzman Diaz Gamification Lab: Best Practice for Cross- Skövde Sector Businesses Principal, Index Ventures Businesses outside of the games industry meet-up with game developers to create new services. Thomas Lykke Larsen Project Mgr./Consultant, Martin Walfisz CDS BusinessAalborg Late additions to the panel: Christopher Gade (CEO, Senior Partner, Nord- Arura), Martin Durhuus (Creative Director, Arura) isk Film Games

Shum Singh Managing Director, Agnitio Capital 13:15 - 14:00 UNREAL THEATRE John Watson Technical Director, Banner Saga Creative Process Stoic 14:15 - 15:00 UNREAL THEATRE Six years developing the Banner Saga trilogy has resul- ted in an interesting set of processes and automated pipelines. We’ll go into details about our creative Zeb West Glitter and , Part Two Siobhan Reddy process, bespoke tools, automation, tips and tricks, and Producer, Stoic The best art is by people who share themselves with Studio Director, Media weird quirks of our custom engine. their audience. Jumping off that cliff and hoping wings Molecule will grow is hard, but it’s why we create and why we feel great when even just one person appreciates our work. Glitter and Doom is about daring to do new things. 14:15 - 17:00 ROOM STOCKHOLM

Nordic Game Discovery Contest: Semi-Finals I & II After hosting qualifying rounds for the NGDC in more than fourteen countries, the winners now meet for the Jacob Riis Program Director, semi-final showdowns at NG18. Be sure to support Nordic Game your favourite game studio by rooting for them while they pitch their way live through the semi-finals to the NGDC final four! Hosted by Jacob Riis.

14:15 - 15:00 ROOM OSLO

Creating for Casual Jeremy Kang Principal Game Desig- This session will explore the different considerations ner, that we take into account when creating mobile casual games at King – including how we look at core game loops, envelope/meta-game design, live ops and events, content production and design, using examples from King’s world-famous Saga games.

14:25 - 14:50 ROOM THORSHAVN Stefan Abadzhiev Player Support: The First Step in Boosting Director BD EMEA, TELUS International Player Retention Attracting and retaining players: two sides of the same coin? Would the right blend of customer support consist of language proficiency, passionate gamers and customer service? The games industry is undergoing dramatic change as customer service becomes another battlefield for winning over players. And here comes the outsourcing advantage!

15:00 - 15:30 ROOM REYKJAVIK Ebba Køber Head of Communica- tion,Natalie Flexible Griffith Education Gaming in Norway: An Industry in the Making NorwayCEO/Founder, Press The games industry in Denmark, Finland and Sweden Space creates hundreds of jobs every year – what can Norway do to achieve the same? Recruiting is important and we Lars Utstøl will present numbers from relevant educational orga- Project Leader, nisations. We’ll also take a look at clusters, incubators Kunnskapstrening IT and new ways to create jobs. Martin Adolfsson Game Developer, Kunnskapstrening IT 15:15 - 16:00 UNREAL THEATRE 15:30 - 17:00 ROOM REYKJAVIK

Horizon Zero Dawn: A Studio’s Perspective Asian Markets on the Rise Angie will reflect on the seven-year journey that took Angie Smets Game Hub Scandinavia explores the requirements for Executive Producer, Guerrilla from a dark first-person shooter franchise to entering these markets from various perspectives. Marcus Toftedahl the lush of . Using early Researcher, University concepts and prototypes, she will illustrate the studio’s of Skövde creative process, cover its biggest challenges and share lessons learned from developing new IP. Per Backlund Professor, University of Skövde 15:15 - 16:00 ROOM OSLO Christian Fonnesbech (moderator) Shailesh Prabhu Three Studios and an Investor Head of IP Development, Founder/Game This focused panel will discuss the kind of planning, Nordisk Film Games strategies and decisions it takes to get an investor – Designer, Chaibirkes and what changes developers should be ready for after an investment is landed. As a bonus, both the investor Christopher Sundberg Founder/CCO, Avalanche and the developers will look into the future of their Studios changing markets. Moderated by Christian Fonnes- bech. 16:15 -17:00 UNREAL THEATRE Jon Kimmich Jean-Marc Broyer CEO, Software CEO, RETO MOTO Take My Money, Please! Tales from Buying Illuminati Games & Studios for During his time with Games Studios as a pro- ductplanner, Jon Kimmich helped acquire many of the Martin Walfiscz foundational and award-winning titles in the Xbox Senior Partner, Nordisk Film Games portfolio,including , MechAssault, Rise of Nations,Dungeon Siege, and Studios, among others.During this talk Jon will take you through Rune Dittmer the processpublishers, investors and funders go thru Co-Founder, Flashbulb when they considera new opportunity, and some of the Games mistakes Jon saw studiosmake over his years evaluating hundreds of game studios for Microsoft and Xbox

15:15 - 16:00 ROOM THORSHAVN Petter Henriksson 16:15 -16:45 ROOM OSLO Business/Marketing, Christina Seelye Three Signs Your Publisher is Stealing Your Landfall CEO, Money Successfully Launch in the US with a Boutique Publishing is becoming easier and easier. Petter tries to Publisher answer the age-old questions about what a publisher Maximum Games CEO Christina Seelye discusses why actually does, what are we paying for and if we can working with a boutique publisher has massive benefits simply do it ourselves. for developers, including concept-to-launch game support; from production and QA to marketing, PR, and sales expertise. Learn how developers can retain creative control while achieving maximum profitability using a boutique publisher. 16:15 -17:00 ROOM THORSHAVN

Jobs in the Games Industry: Tips and Advice David Smith (moderator) Getting and keeping a job in games can be a dream. Managing Director, Inte- Some well-qualified job seekers still struggle. An ractive Selection international panel of games employers will give tips and advice on some of the strategies to follow to have a much higher chance of job success. Bring your Christopher Schmitz questions! Studio Lead/Dir. PD, 20 - 21 Ghost Games October 2018

Delano Lobman HR Manager, Guerrilla Games

Jana Palm General Manager, Stugan

Åsa Wilson Chief People Officer, Avalanche Studios

17:00 -17:30 ROOM REYKJAVIK

Game Hub Scandinavia:: Closing Words Tove Ingerslev Head of Projects, Viden Closing reflections on the Game Hub Scandinavia Djurs sessions at NG18. Best Art Best Audio ECHO, Ultra Ultra (DK) ECHO, Ultra Ultra (DK) , (SE) Figment, Bedtime Digital Games (DK) Milkmaid of the Milky Way, Machine- Little Nightmares, Tarsier Studios (SE) boy (NO) Nex Machina, Housemarque (FI) Nex Machina, Housemarque (FI) II: The New Colossus, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, MachineGames (SE) MachineGames (SE) Best Fun for Everyone Best Game Design A Hat in Time, Gears for Breakfast A Hat in Time, Gears for Breakfast (DK) (DK) Fugl, Muunluun (NO) ECHO, Ultra Ultra (DK) Little Police, Filimundus (SE) Little Nightmares, Tarsier Studios (SE) OCMO, Team OCMO (FI) SteamWorld Dig 2, Image & Form Passpartout: The Starving Artist, (SE) Flamebait Games (SE) Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, MachineGames (SE) Best Debut World to the West, Rain (NO) A Hat in Time, Gears for Breakfast (DK) Nordic Game Awards 2018 ECHO, Ultra Ultra (DK) Best Technology Milkmaid of the Milky Way, Machine- Welcome to the 2018 edition of the Nordic Game Awards! A highlight of Nord- ECHO, Ultra Ultra (DK) boy (NO) ic Game 2018, 23-25 May in Malmö, Sweden, the awards show this year takes Fugl, Muunluun (NO) OCMO, Team OCMO (FI) place in the Unreal Theatre, the main auditorium of Slagthuset, on Thursday, 24 Sparc, CCP (IS) Passpartout: The Starving Artist, May at 18:00, sponsored by our dear friends at Epic/Unreal. Star Wars Battlefront 2, EA DICE (SE) Flamebait Games (SE) Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Host of the show will be Elie Abraham; , sound designer, voice actor MachineGames (SE) and unyielding game jammer. Elie is known for speed-making music and holds the world record for number of games sound-tracked at a single game jam. Congratulations to all the nominees for the 2018 Nordic Game Awards. Outside of audio, Elie designs escape rooms, DJs and is a stand- See you at the show! up comedian. Ellie will hand out prizes in eight categories, and the 2018 Nordic Game Awards nominees are: About the Nordic Game Awards The Nordic Game Awards is organised by the Nordic Game Institute in coop- Nordic Game of the Year Nordic Game of the Year – Small eration with Nordic Game Resources and the Nordic Game event team. A Hat in Time, Gears for Breakfast Screen The Nordic Game Institute consists of the following game producer associations (DK) Milkmaid of the Milky Way, Machine- in the region: Dataspelsbranschen (SE), Icelandic Gaming Industry (IS), Neoga- ECHO, Ultra Ultra (DK) boy (NO) mes (FI), Virke Produsentforeningen (NO) and Producentforeningen (DK). Little Nightmares, Tarsier Studios (SE) OCMO, Team OCMO (FI) The organisers appoint the NGA jury, this year Nex Machina, Housemarque (FI) Pako 2, Tree Men Games (FI) with the following members: SteamWorld Dig 2, Image & Form Returner 77, Fantastic, Yes! (DK) Sig Gunnarsson (IS), Aleksandr Manzos (FI), (SE) SteamWorld Dig 2, Image & Form (SE) Jostein Hakestad (NO), Linus Svensson (SE) Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and Christina Majcher (DK). MachineGames (SE) NGA 2018 is sponsored by Epic/Unreal NG18 Sessions - 24 MAY 10:00 - 10:45 ROOM REYKJAVIK

Gustav Rathsman Hear More, Play Better: Object Audio Sound Designer, Experiences at DICE EA DICE s 10:00 -10:45 UNREAL THEATRE Johnny Monsarrat A talk on DICE’s experiences developing spatially aware (CEO, Monsarrat content and what it takes to mix game content in Dolby Keynote: How to Make $1 Billion in AR Ga- Atmos. This talk touches on pipeline updates made to ming existing workflows, practical audio bussing, performan- Pokemon Go rose quickly but fell quickly. What’s the ce implications and aesthetics. key to AR gaming? Laugh and be thrilled by stunts on stage. Learn practical lessons, design that retains players for years and business models for your own $1 billion game. 10:00 - 10:45 ROOM THORSHAVN Michael Schade CEO & Co-founder, Social Media and Influencer Marketing Rockfish Games 10:00 - 10:25 ROOM STOCKHOLM on a Budget Alessandro Canossa Rockfish Games CEO Michael Schade will share his best Sr. User Rsr./Data Sci., marketing stunts on YouTube, , Facebook, Just Like a DNA String: Videogame Player and Imgur, which helped to make the studio’s debut Segmentation title Everspace a surprise indie hit on and Xbox, Traditional player-segmentations identify groups based with over 400,000 copies sold – and still selling strongly. on aggregated counts of player actions, representing Sasha Makarovych players’ behavior as a list of disconnected features. Game Data Analyst, Mas- sive Entertainment For the game Tom Clancy’s The Division, we chose to represent users’ behavior as sequences of actions, ob- taining much greater insights in the player experience. 10:30 - 10:55 ROOM STOCKHOLM Hans von Knut Skovfoged Creative Director, Simulations Inside Simulations: Inception-style PortaPlay Development 10:00 - 10:45 ROOM OSLO Developing on-site interactive solutions are tricky. How Ari Arnbjörnsson will it feel and play, what will kids see, what happens Senior Game Programmer, when 100 users are there – and how can we test it with Delivering Assets to Your Armada Interactive partners during development? Hear our successful This talk covers optimal methods for delivering assets approach – wrapping experiences inside multiplayer to your users. Learn about the different strategies, pit- set-ups to simulate the experience at launch. falls and best practices of mobile game asset delivery, covering topics such as over-the-air limits, updating your game’s data, asset caching, expansion files and user experience.

11:00 - 11:25 ROOM STOCKHOLM 10:00 - 10:45 ROOM COPENHAGEN Stephen Lee Legendary Live Operations Head of BD, Adam Savicki DECA Games Porting Your Engine to Vulkan or DX12 Dev. Tech. Engineer, AMD As marketing budgets continue to increase, it’s harder In this talk, Adam will give overview of what it takes to now more than ever for developers to be successful port a to an explicit API (Vulkan or Di- with their games. In this session, we’ll share how we rect3D 12), including challenges you have to overcome, were able to grow a game’s user base and revenue recommendations for doing it efficiently and most years after launch by taking a different approach – focu- importantly, advantages it can give your game. sing on “live ops”! 11:15 - 12:00 UNREAL THEATRE 11:15 - 12:00 ROOM THORSHAVN

Experimental Game Design - The Next Five Competitive Gaming, and the Data Mike Hines Years Robin Hunicke Behind It Developer Evangelist, CEO & Co-Founder, What are the interesting, juicy problems that game You’ve heard a lot of the hype behind esports. Now we Amazon.com design can tackle in the next five years? What subjects, Funomen can share some of the important data we’ve gathered. technological challenges and patterns of play should Who is playing, who is paying and where are they from? we be looking to in order to expand the capability of What can you do? our medium... and shape our future as people on this planet? Come find out! 11:30 - 11:55 ROOM STOCKHOLM Radu Ziemba Shirley Lin (moderator) How Hitting Golfers in the Head Solved Our Managing Partner, 11:15 - 12:00 ROOM OSLO Co-Founder/Chief BD, Problems Kappsule Studios DOGI Radu dives into the challenges faced while Battle Golf Blockchain Technology for the Games Industry r Online and how the team had to push game design boundaries to fit the real-time multiplayer parts. Crea- Gabby Dizon ting even a simple, wacky golf game can take unexpec- The rise and recognition of the blockchain techno- Chairman, Alto.io ted turns, and evaluating direction is more than critical logy has prompted brand new ways of decentralised when you are mid-development. application for everything, including in building games, connecting to players and kick-starting talented teams. We will explore different approaches of how to broaden Masaru Ohnogi many scenarios of use cases. Moderated by Shirley Lin. Head of Global BD, 12:00 - 12:25 ROOM STOCKHOLM Gumi Inc. Juanjo Monge What Great ASO Can Do for You CMO, Lab Cave Games Nick Wu Considering the overcrowded app stores market, that Founder, DapDap 65-80% of global downloads come from searches and the increasingly high CPI, discoverability and opti- misation are becoming key in any growth strategy. A thoughtful ASO strategy is needed to be successful. 11:15 - 12:00 ROOM COPENHAGEN Annette Staloy 12:15 - 13:00 UNREAL THEATRE Remember Coffee with Your Squats! Building VP Business & Marketing, Dirtybit Michael Gallagher a Company Culture 2.6 Billion and Counting: Industry Evolution President/CEO, A practical illustration of how Dirtybit (the Norwegian and Cultural Prominence Entertainment Software studio behind the successful Fun Run series) focuses With more than 2.6 billion gamers worldwide, video Association (ESA) on company culture. Building a strong culture has been games are the most influential form of entertainment highly prioritised from when the company was founded today. Come isten to ESA CEO Mike Gallagher provide in 2011, through successes and failures, to a team of 17 a compelling perspective on the cultural significance of people. video games, including the current opportunities and challenges facing the worldwide industry. 11:15 - 12:00 ROOM REYKJAVIK 12:15 - 13:00 ROOM OSLO Take Game Audio to New Heights with Dolby Jon Jordan James Shannon Atmos (Part I) How Blockchain Will Revolutionise Game Editor, Senior Sound Consultant, BlockchainGamer.biz Studio design and mixing: James Shannon has worked Dolby Design on Dolby Atmos post production, exhibition and instal- Buzzword du jour extraordinaire, blockchain technology lation since the format was first created. He will speak will no doubt disrupt many areas of technology, but about what it takes to set your studio up for Dolby what does it mean for game design? In this talk, Jon Atmos and share his experience on what makes a suc- Jordan will discuss the current state of blockchain ga- cessful Dolby Atmos mix (two-part session). ming and, more significantly, its long-term possibilities. 12:15 - 13:00 ROOM COPENHAGEN 12:30 - 12:55 ROOM STOCKHOLM

Matej Lancaric Securing Funding for Your Game or Studio Jeff Hilbert (moderator) Case Study: The Art of the Global Launch Head of Mobile Marke- This panel is comprised of executives from companies CEO, Comparison of the global launches of our most suc- ting, Pixelfederation actively investing in game studios and games. During Starting Point Games cessful games, Diggy’s Adventure and Seaport. What this session, the panellists will provide an overview of mistakes we did make and how did we learn from what they look for in an initial pitch to decide if they are them? What was the initial plan and how did it change David Miller going to spend resources and explore the opportunity Head of Global Publ., during soft launch? You can expect the real numbers to presented in more detail. Moderated by Jeffrey Hilbert. be shown!

Guzmán Díaz 13:00 - 13:25 ROOM STOCKHOLM Principal, Index Ventures Måns Wide Pain is Temporary. Anger is Forever! Product Lead, Rovio This is the story of how survived the most Michael Cheung turbulent years the app stores had ever seen. And came Partner, Makers Fund out bigger, stronger and even angrier on the other side. Creating games FOR the fans wasn’t enough; we had to learn how to create games WITH the fans.

12:15 - 13:00 ROOM REYKJAVIK 13:15 - 14:00 UNREAL THEATRE Take Game Audio to New Heights with Dolby John Gaudiosi Mark Yeend (moderator) Atmos (Part II) Content Director, Xbox/ How to Connect with Gamers through Tradi- President, Greenlit Xbox Advanced Technology Group (ATG)’s Robert Ridi- Microsoft Content halgh will briefly introduce these platform abilities, how tional Gaming Sites they integrate into typical game audio pipelines, and Editors from some of the top video game sites, inclu- share technical and aesthetic best practices with nume- Robert Ridihalgh ding , and Escapist Magazine Jordan Devore rous examples. Mark will show how Microsoft’s Spatial Sr. Technical Audio will discuss the evolving media landscape. In a world Co-EIC, Destructoid Sound platform works, integrates into typical game Specialist, Microsoft enamored by influencers, traditional media sites and audio pipelines, and share technical and aesthetic best their social channels still offer the best way to connect practices with numerous examples (two-part session). with the elusive Millennial and Gen Z audience. Mode- rated by John Gaudiosi. Simon Parkin Journalist/Writer

12:15 - 13:00 ROOM THORSHAVN

How to Crack Down the Great Wall of China For two years in a row as IMGA China jury mem- Cvetan Rousimov 13:15 - 14:00 ROOM OSLO COO, Imperia Online ber, Cvetan has played and analysed more than Casey Al-Kaisy Player Journey in a Modern Live Service Brand Manager, EA 300 of the top Chinese games. He has found that DICE developers from both sides of the world could What is the player experiencing from an early stage of learn from each other, but first they have to dive getting a game, to installing and finally playing it? This deeper into each other’s culture and psychology. talk will touch on the player journey day 1 to 100, player engagement, as well as business model, requirements From the “concept of fairness”, through meta- and expectations of Games as a Service (GaaS). games, monetisation myths and player behavior, he will show you that the differences are way more than similarities. Asia is action – the West is command. 13:15 - 14:00 ROOM COPENHAGEN JOIN THE BERLIN

Building Connected Communities: Discord for GAMES INDUSTRY Developers Eros Resmini In this talk, we’ll dive into why players choose Discord Chief Marketing Officer, Discord and how they use it, and the various ways that develo- Opportunities brought to you by pers use the platform - ranging from private play-test channels to large public community servers. Plus, we’ll go over the programs and tools that Discord offers.

13:15 - 14:00 ROOM THORSHAVN Natalie Portier (moderator) Envision It, Create It, Monetise It Chief Evangelist, Game monetisation evolves rapidly day-by-day; real Appodeal experience has a crucial meaning in the industry. Join FIND YOUR JOB AT INVR.SPACE GmbH: Leading full service studio for innovative Virtual Reality Ex- this monetisation workshop, where panellists will advise Derk De Geus periences. Looking for skilled Develo- on how to avoid the pitfalls of in-game advertising, CEO, Paladin Studios share some actual numbers and discuss international pers /Creative Technologists with passion for Virtual expansion, as well as ways to reach the users in other Reality and immersive media to join our creative and regions. Moderated by Natalie Portier. ambitious team in the heart of Berlin. Miikka Luotio Altagram is an independent, multilingual Director BD Europe, game localization and audio production Tilting Point agency with headquarters in Berlin, Ger- Paymentwall is the many and Seoul, South Korea. leading global pay- Our professional team is always looking for passio- ments platform. The platform allows 5 billion people Stephen Lee nate gamers who want to help bring many different to make payments using not only credit cards but Head of BD, DECA genres of video games to the global market. In a thri- also 150 local payment options all over the world. Games ving startup environment, we offer you the chance to We are looking for developers and publishers inte- 15:00 -15:25 ROOM REYKJAVIK grow and express your ideas while the next gaming rested in reaching global markets. round with the team is waiting for you. Implementing Pixar’s Brain Trust Model at King Berlin opened in early 2018 with The European Pixar’s Brain Trust Model helped the animation power- center of InGame a focus on co-development of big Ubisoft house score 14 box office hits. Sounds like this should Group, the strongly funded Boom- brands, starting with none other than work for game development too, right? King tried to Kim Krogh Byte Games focuses on Mobile the Far Cry series. The cosmopolitan implement a similar system. This talk is about what Studio Game Director, Game development located in the team at Ubisoft Berlin is dedicated to delivering in- went wrong and how King may have finally made it King center of Berlin. BoomByte is currently working on spiring and meaningful game experiences that will work two years later. a hardcore MMO Mobile FPS based on the flagship empower players and make them feel part of the title of InGame Group. Especially looking for ta- Far Cry community to make it »the place to be« for lented Programmers with hands on development fans of open-world shooters. Ubisoft Berlin is part experience in Unity3D and / or Playfab from Junior of the German Ubisoft Blue Byte studio network. 13:30 - 13:55 ROOM STOCKHOLM to Senior level. Learn more at www.berlin.ubisoft.com Mark Peterson COO, Janeious Designing for the 1% Mark Peterson and Romain Schneider share their insights into the minds of the F2P players that are Romain Schneider responsible for the majority of income in mobile ga- Founder, Janeious mes. Having strong “whale” backgrounds themselves, An initiative of Financed by they know exactly what to present to a high-spending gaming community. 14:00 - 14:25 ROOM STOCKHOLM Horatiu Roman TAKE YOUR GAME AUDIO TO NEW (moderator) A Stable of Multiplayer Techniques Chief Technical Unicorn, HEIGHTS - JOIN THE DOLBY TRACK! This talk will go into the details of the new multiplayer VRUnicorns framework used by VRUnicorns based on Unity’s low level networking, a workflow and performance opti- Julie Heyde mised base for making games quickly and effectively. #ChickenBitch, VRUni- Sound technology pioneer Dolby has joined Nordic Game 2018 to present a Moderated by Horatiu Roman. corns string of special audio sessions in the main program, gathered under the ban- ner: “Take Game Audio to New Heights with Dolby Atmos”. Here’s a taste of Max Nilsson what to expect, direct from Dolby: Game Developer, VRUnicorns “Game developers are now able to deliver Dolby Atmos audio in and PC games, bringing three-dimensional audio, including height and depth (with headphones), to the gaming experience. 14:15 - 15:00 UNREAL THEATRE Thomas Giardino Microsoft’s Spatial Sound Platform support for Xbox One and Windows 10 Steam Business, Valve Steam Business Update enables real-time object-based and extended channel-based output via Dolby Learn about new features and changes to the Steam Atmos for Home Theater, Dolby Atmos for Headphones and Windows Sonic store. Make the most of Steamworks tools to connect for Headphones. with your customers on Steam.

At NG18, Robert Ridihalgh and Mark Yeend from the Xbox Advanced Tech- nology Group (ATG) will briefly introduce these platform abilities, how they Tim Rittmann integrate into typical game audio pipelines, and share technical and aesthetic 14:15 - 15:00 ROOM COPENHAGEN (moderator) best practices with numerous examples. Program Director, Boos- Boom Berlin ter Space Everybody wants to go to Berlin to have a good time. Gustav Rathsman, sound designer at EA DICE, will then discuss how Dolby At- But what about starting a company or opening a local Andrew Brand mos has been integrated practically into the studio’s titles, with examples from office? Five panelists with businesses established in Recruitment Manager, the development of spatially aware content for Star Wars Battlefront and Batt- the Germany capital discuss why Berlin is the best (and Ubisoft Blue Byte lefield 1. Gustav will also explain what it takes to mix in-game content in Dolby worst) city for games and media companies. Moderated by Tim Rittmann. Atmos, including the pipeline updates they made to their existing workflow, Marie Amigues practical audio bussing, performing implications and aesthetic considerations. CEO, Altagram

James Shannon from Dolby has worked on Dolby Atmos post-production, exhibition and installation since the format was first created. He will conclude Ozgur Soner Founder, BoomByte the workshop by speaking about what it takes to set your studio up for Dolby Games/InGame Group Atmos and share his experience on what makes a successful Dolby Atmos mix.

The Dolby track takes place on 24 May from 10:00-13:00 in Room Reykjavik. Sönke Kirchhof CEO/Executive Produ- cer, INVR.SPACE

Yev Petrov Project/Marketing Ma- nager, Paymentwall 14:15 - 15:00 ROOM OSLO 15:00 - 15:25 ROOM STOCKHOLM

Generating Revenues for Your Game in the TBA David Lalonde Adult Space Details to be announced. Hosted by Amazon. TBA Director, Nutaku Pu- Are you looking to generate more revenue from your blishing games? Hard to crack the classic stores? Have you looked into the market potential of the adult gaming space? Explore this opportunity with us! Jeff Tremblay BD Manager, Nutaku Publishing 15:15 - 16:00 UNREAL THEATRE

A Fireside Chat with Josef Fares ’ Mike Gamble chats with acclaimed writer/ Josef Fares 14:15 - 15:00 ROOM REYKJAVIK director Josef Fares, best known as creator of the Founder, Hazelight ground-breaking titles Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and What’s New on A Way Out. Hosted by Mike Gamble. This is your one-stop shop to hear everything that’s new Ignacio Monereo Mike Gamble (host) with Google Play in 2018. Google Play helps developers BD Android Apps & European Territory Ma- around the world to build successful businesses with Games EMEA, Google nager, Epic Games their apps and games. Learn about new product laun- ches to improve your app quality with user feedback, boost your app performance and unlock new markets.

14:15 - 15:00 ROOM THORSHAVN 15:15 - 16:15 ROOM OSLO Petter Henriksson (moderator) Leadership to Promote Inclusive and Diverse Business/Marketing, Albertina Sparrhult Company Culture Behind the Scenes of Physics Animations, Landfall Project Manager, Arka- Diversi and Arkatay, together with Game Habitat Part I tay Consulting welcome you to a workshop on leadership, providing Physics animations are rapidly becoming more popular, Brandon O’Connel professional hands-on advice on promoting inclusi- and there are many different ways of doing it. We’ve Lead Developer, Fleech veness and diversity, battling unconscious bias and Mattias Georgson invited some of the most prominent people in the field Games connecting diversity and productivity to your company Petrén to pick their minds about how it’s done, weaknesses Project Manager, Arka- culture, applying ground rules, feedback, openness and and strengths, and the future. Panel moderated by Pet- tay Consulting PMI practices. ter Henriksson. Kevin Suckert Founder, Pixel Pizza

Petri Purho 14:30 - 14:55 ROOM STOCKHOLM Developer, Nolla Ga- mes/Kloonigames Amanda Warner Fake It to Make It: A Game Design Case Learning/Game Creator Study Ruan Rothman Take a peek into the design process of Fake It to Make Programmer/Designer, It, a simulation-style, social-impact game where players create fake news. You will learn about exploring key causes of problems, visually mapping desired real- Wilhelm Nylund world outcomes, integrating those outcomes into CEO, Landfall gameplay and using challenge to motivate players to learn. 15:15 - 16:00 ROOM COPENHAGEN 16:15 - 17:00 ROOM COPENHAGEN

TBA Independence Hakan Abrak Details to be announced. Hosted by Kate Edwards and Hans Shakur CEO/Co-Owner, IO Co-Founder/Strategist, IO Interactive’s independence journey. Interactive Tsahi Liberman Games for Peace

Kate Edwards (host) CEO/Principal Consul- 16:15 - 17:00 ROOM REYKJAVIK tant, Geogrify Elena Egorova Five Reasons You Need a Presence in Russia Sr. Intl. Business Develo- Tsahi Liberman (host) The Russian market might look challenging and risky per, Mail.ru Group VP International Rela- for game marketers. However its potential is huge, and tions, GameIS with the right knowledge and approach your game will 15:15 - 16:00 ROOM REYKJAVIK find millions of dedicated players here. Mail.ru group, owner of the main Russian social networks Vk and Ok, has some good tips for you. The First Rule of Engineering Quality Agreement on what engineering quality means is often impossible, but at King we’ve defined a process that Bjorn Toft Madsen makes it a lot easier. We outline an approach to achieve Senior Director, King 16:30 - 16:55 ROOM STOCKHOLM the same in your team. Robert Virding Erlang: Back to the Future Principal Language Ex- As applications reach millions of subscribers, the pert, Erlang Solutions 15:30 - 15:55 ROOM STOCKHOLM inherent benefits of Erlang/OTP and BEAM become Jakob Krochmal relevant in the backend to give you scale, resilience Tricks and Traps in Intellectual Property Associate, Awapatent and predictable behaviour. This talk will briefly describe We offer a short overview of pitfalls and opportunities the development of the language and the design of in IP for small game companies. How does your busi- systems based on the Erlang. ness avoid malicious actors? How do you protect your Viktor Johansson games once they enter the market and how can you Associate, Awapatent better use IP rights to stay safe and prosper? 16:30 - 17:15 ROOM OSLO Carlos Estigarribia Brazil and Latin America: Emerging Industries BD Director, Gazeus 16:00 - 16:25 ROOM STOCKHOLM Games Latin America´s game development scene is booming! Main studios are developing original games; work How to Work with Your Sound Designer/ Taras Terletskyy for hire: local studios developing for the world; local Music Composer Designer/Composer, ecosystem (government agencies, universities, ABRA- Covering OST and SFX creating process, documenta- Sample Rate Audio GAMES, private funding); games & audiovisual content; tion work (SFX documents, OST documents, examples opportunities for foreign studios to explore and do of doc.s). A few technical things to learn (sound catego- partnerships. ries, record-mix-master, reverb, etc.).

18:00 - 19:00 UNREAL THEATRE 16:15 - 17:15 UNREAL THEATRE Elie Abraham 2018 Nordic Game Awards Mx., Ian & Elie Fast Travel The Nordic Game Awards is organised by the Nordic Ste Curran Game Institute in cooperation with Nordic Game Re- Fast Travel is a slow journey towards a single button. Presenter, One Life Left sources and the Nordic Game event team. 8 categories It’s a brand new story, a play through of a sci-fi game = 8 winners. This year’s host is Elie Abraham. that doesn’t exist and a fragmented look at time and design. + NG18 Sessions - 25 MAY 10:00 - 12:00 ROOM OSLO Felix the Reaper at Yonderplay I’ll do a brief show-and-tell while playing key levels of 10:00 - 10:45 UNREAL THEATRE Felix the Reaper, our next game slated for launch this Esben Kjær Ravn Tommy Francois year. CEO/Founder, Kong VP Editorial & Creative Orange Go Smell The Grass! Services, Ubisoft Simulations are invitations to travel. How can video games change the world? Are we giving our creatives the means to be mature and innovative? 10:00 - 12:00 ROOM OSLO

Qualified Personnel Only at Yonderplay 10:00 - 10:45 ROOM STOCKHOLM As part of Yonderplay, Emil and his colleague Dennis Pascal Luban will present their two-player mixed-media entertain- Emil Bengtsson Game Designer/Creative ment apparatus Qualified Personnel Only, in which the Explorer, WhatAreBirds Games That Make You Think Director player stands in for a friend who works the control room Could games be more than enjoyable entertainment? of the local nuclear power plant. What could possibly Could games enrich us in the way great movies, litera- go wrong? Emil and Dennis will share some light insight ture or music does? This is already happening with titles Kate Edwards (host) on the various issues and troubles they ran into while like This War of Mine. Discover why and how games will CEO/Principal Consul- writing, designing, building, recording and program- tant, Geogrify make us think and ponder on our humanity and make ming the game. us better citizens. Hosted by Kate Edwards and Tsahi Liberman. MalteMalte BehrmannBehrmann Tsahi Liberman (host) ProfessorProfessor & Attorney,Attorney, VP International Relations, 10:00 - 12:00 ROOM OSLO BBWGameIS HochschuleHochschule BBerlinerliinn Mads Vadsholt 10:00 - 10:45 ROOM REYKJAVIK Game Developer/AV The Forest Quartet at Yonderplay Artist, Mads & Friends Play the spirit of a dead lead singer who’s trying to get Making a Better Sequel to SteamWorld Dig her old jazz band back together. Use a joystick to make If you ever make a decent game, how can you build on MalteMalte BehrmannBehrmann the singer sing! When singing, she creates a powerful that success and stay true to the world and characters, Brjann Sigurgeirson force in different directions depending on what note ProfessorPrCEO,ofessor Image & Attorney,& Form without simply producing more of the same? Brjann BBW HochschuleHochschule BBerlinerliinn she sings. This power is her tool to save the band. discusses challenges, pitfalls and opportunities Image & Form faced when making a more successful sequel to their indie hit SteamWorld Dig. 10:00 - 10:25 ROOM COPENHAGEN David Fugère-Lamarre 10:00 - 12:00 ROOM OSLO Cuphead: The Making of an Indie Sensation President, iLLOGIKA I will describe how we went from an email inquiry from Eye of the Temple at Yonderplay MalteMaRunelte BehrmannBeSkovbohrman Jo-n MDHR for one programmer to help out for the game’s A ten minute show-and-tell session as part of Yon- ProfessorPrhansenofessor & Attorney,Attorney, delivery ended up being about 10 people from our BBWGame HochschuleHoc Developer,hschule Sanc- BerBerlinliinn team all joining the intense work delivery schedule to derplay, where Rune will play a section of Eye of the tum Dreams Temple and talk about how it lets players explore its help ship Cuphead on time. space in a uniquely approachable physical and immer- sive way, along with the pros and cons of that. 10:30 - 11:30 ROOM 5 10:00 - 12:00 ROOM OSLO Cuphead: The Making of an Indie Sensation As a partner, colleague or leader, there are several ways Mosaic at Yonderplay Adrian Tingstad Husby Sanna Lilie Designer, Krillbite Studio to create a sustainable commitment. Sanna Lilie has A short demo of our upcoming game Mosaic, a mys- written the book Brinntid about stress, burnout and Head, Fröfabriken terious narrative game where you follow the repetitive inequality. What does her experience say that you and and lonely life of an average commuter, until one day your workplace can learn from? Let us discuss this over when strange things start happening. breakfast and learn from each other. 10:00 - 11:00 ROOM THORSHAVN 11:00 - 11:45 ROOM STOCKHOLM

Petter Henriksson Behind the Scenes of Physics Animations, (moderator) ”Making Games Accessible - Seminar About Jenny Brusk Business/Marketing, the Future” Part II Senior IT Lecturer, Landfall This seminar discusses game accessibility from the Physics animations are rapidly becoming more popular, University of Skövde and there are many different ways of doing it. We’ve developers’ perspective, from formal requirements to invited some of the most prominent people in the field Brandon O’Connel co-design. We will discuss ideas for a platform where developers, academia and gamers can gain and share to pick their minds about how it’s done, weaknesses Lead Developer, Fleech Per Anders Östblad and strengths, and the future. Workshop moderated by Games knowledge about accessible game development in the Lecturer, University of Petter Henriksson. Nordic countries. Hosted by Kate Edwards and Tsahi Skövde Liberman. Kevin Suckert Founder, Pixel Pizza Thomas Westin IT Lecturer/Researcher, Stockholm University

Ruan Rothman Programmer/Designer, Kate Edwards (host) Free Lives CEO/Principal Consultant, Geogrify

Wilhelm Nylund CEO, Landfall Tsahi Liberman (host) VP International Relations, 10:30 - 10:55 ROOM COPENHAGEN GameIS l

How to Build a Successful European Media Jan Schneidereit Strategy PR Manager, Mothership A successful media strategy for Europe needs to take Marketing the fragmentation of the games market into account. 11:00 - 11:25 ROOM COPENHAGEN In this session, we will give an overview of the hetero- Malena Klaus geneous European games market, highlight the key Arnold Nesis Kickstarted Intimacy Independent Game points of digital media strategies and share some of (moderator) Blanket Space is an analogue, 3-player experience Developer our experiences from Europe’s different markets. CEO/Composer, Capricia which aims to create intimate connections between Productions total strangers. This talk describes how we designed for intimacy while reminding us of our responsibility to Ari Pulkkinen ours and the players’ mental health. It shows examples Composer/Producer, on establishing boundaries, exit strategies and debrief AriTunes 11:00 - 11:45 UNREAL THEATRE methods.

Same Game, Different Music Chris Remo Several leading music for games show their Designer/Composer, 11:00 - 11:45 ROOM REYKJAVIK different creations for the same client request, then Campo Santo Jupiter Hadley discuss the differences in their approaches and the final Journalist/Writer results. Moderated by Arnold Nesis. Game Jams and the Games that Come from Petri Alanko Them Composer/Sound We will talk about why game jams produce both fun Designer and experimental games, which jams are the best to go into, as well as about some amazing creations from jams that you probably have not heard about before. Thor Mýrda Composer/Sound Designer l 11:30 - 11:55 ROOM COPENHAGEN

My Personal Steampunk Story This is a personal story of mobile self-releases. Laun- Alexey Izvalov ched in 2014, my six games didn’t manage to cross Game Developer 1000 installs. So in 2017, I drastically changed my ap- proach, which led me to getting one million installs and building a community of 6,500 people who liked my creations, gave suggestions and asked for more. This story proves that an indie can still achieve success in an oversaturated mobile market and provides advice for other indies on how to do it.

12:00 - 13:00 ROOM THORSHAVN Lance James Working with , Microsoft and Producer, Learn some tips and tricks in dealing with Sony, Micro- soft and Nintendo; benefit from all of my failures and experiences in publishing on these platforms over the past ten years.

12:00 - 12:45 UNREAL THEATRE Chris Remo Firewatch: Creating a Reactive Story Designer/Composer, The first-person narrative adventure Firewatch doesn’t Campo Santo have traditional puzzles or challenge mechanics, but its world and characters had to feel reactive and alive nonetheless. Designer and composer Chris Remo will explore how the team at Campo Santo made limited development resources punch above their weight in telling an interactive story.

12:00 - 12:45 ROOM STOCKHOLM

The Path to Impact: How to Advocate for Change in the Games Industry Kate Edwards Despite games being a huge cultural and eco- CEO/Principal Consultant, Geogrify nomic force, games are still struggling to gain wider public respect as a creative art medium. Tsahi Liberman (host) Why? Because developers have never controlled VP International the public narrative about their craft! In this talk, Relations, GameIS former IGDA executive director Kate Edwards challenges game creators to overcome their fears, become their own best advocates and take control of the public narrative. Hosted by Tsahi Liberman. 12:00 - 12:45 ROOM REYKJAVIK 13:00 - 15:00 ROOM OSLO

Launching a Game? 10 Pro Tips for Game Knife Sisters at Yonderplay Developers John Ozimek Director, Knife Sisters is a story-based game about peer pres- This presentation will cover 10 common sense but often Big Games Machine sure, manipulation, love, obsession and BDSM. The Bobbi Augustine Sand overlooked tips for giving your PR campaign the best game centers around Leo, who wakes up late one Game Designer, chance of success in a crowded industry. Saturday with no recollection of what happened the Transcenders Media night before. The player now has to go back in time and explore what really happened. 12:15 - 12:40 ROOM COPENHAGEN

Stand Out in the Indie Crowd: Designing Furi 13:00 - 15:00 ROOM OSLO I will share our experience designing Furi, our Audrey Leprince President, fight game: designing with an edge, the Ollie Harjola The Game Bakers Nolla Games at Yonderplay Co-Founder, “III vs AAA” design philosophy, the strategy of Nolla Games’ show & tell in the Yonderplay showcase. Nolla Games making a niche game, the sometimes difficult design choices, and how lucky we were when the stars all aligned.

13:00 - 13:45 UNREAL THEATRE 12:45 - 13:10 ROOM COPENHAGEN Jason Roberts Anna Jenelius Gorogoa: Puzzle Design is Visual Design Lead Designer, Buried CEO/Creative Director, This talk will look closely at how visual design and puzz- Being Valiant: The First Year in the Life of a Signal Valiant Game Studio le design in Gorogoa are not only entangled; they are Game Studio one and the same. This merging of art and mechanics In 2017, two people called Anna and Kevin is what makes the game compelling, but it also made decided to start an studio. Since production an intense challenge. then, much has happened. This talk gives insight in what you can expect from your first year of starting a game studio, including cautionary tales and funny anecdotes. 13:00 - 13:45 ROOM STOCKHOLM

Show, Don’t Tell: Using Empathy to Talk to the Tabea Iseli 13:00 - 15:00 ROOM OSLO Player Game Designer, Stardust Hannibal Glaser Creating meaningful games is challenging: It’s the art Producer, Decochon combining fun gameplay with a message. You often MuX at Yonderplay ask yourself the question: How can I let the player Kate Edwards (host) How MuX enables you to approach the basics of sound experience complex topics like racism, sexism or global in a visual and deeply intuitive way. CEO/Principal Consultant, warming without removing the fun? The talk explo- Geogrify res the player’s empathy as a tool of communication. Hosted by Kate Edwards and Tsahi Liberman. Tsahi Liberman (host) 13:00 - 15:00 ROOM OSLO VP International Relations, GameIS Sig Gunnarsson Out of the Loop at Yonderplay Co-Founder, Tasty Rook I will go in-depth on how and why we created Out of the Loop. I’ll explore the interesting space between party games and video games, and how you can use a phone as a facilitator for friends to have fun together. 13:00 - 13:45 ROOM REYKJAVIK 14:00 - 14:45 ROOM STOCKHOLM

Kickstarter Success Stories: Give Your Game An Introduction to Amazon Game Tech Ed Smith a Chance In this presentation, we introduce Amazon Game Tech, GM Integrated Marke- Your game’s chances for success are slim, but you can Krzysztof Žarczyñski diving deeper into its flexible services and pre-built ting, Amazon give it additional shots at success. Why and how about Code/Business, solutions that are all designed to help your games platforms, Kickstarter and influencers in a nutshell. Monster Couch succeed.

13:05 - 13:50 ROOM THORSHAVN 14:00 - 14:45 ROOM REYKJAVIK

Get In & Get Out: How to Design an Escape Elie Abraham Kickstarter Success Stories: Long-term Inde- Michael Schade Room Mx., Ian & Elie pendence TCEO & Co-Founder, Escape rooms have been trending in the past few years, Rockfish Games CMO Michael Schade will discuss how Rockfish Games but their roots are in escape-the-room genre games of Kickstarter has helped his studio achieve long-term the past few decades. “Get In & Get Out” describes independence. how to design an escape and challenges participants to take a scene from a game and turn it into an escape.

13:15 - 13:40 ROOM COPENHAGEN 14:15 - 14:40 ROOM COPENHAGEN Andreas Thomsen Technical Designer, The Rhythm of Game Design Laura Bularca Bedtime Digital Games Redefining Success, Failure and the Meaning Journalist/Writer Music is an integral part of Figment. The world itself is of Life playing along to the music and your enemies even sing Heart. Papers. Border. was not a commercial success during boss fights. This talk will focus on how we used and its development led to extreme and unpredictable the melody and rhythm of Figment to create interesting life changes. Despite the drastic results and numbers, gameplay and boss fights. which I will disclose in detail, I am thankful for develo- ping this game and for where it led me as a person and as a developer. 13:45 - 14:10 ROOM COPENHAGEN Natasha Trygg CEO, Snowfall Moomin Games: Pros and Cons in Working with Big IP In this talk, I wish to give an insight of benefits and challenges in creating games for big brands such as 15:00 - 16:00 UNREAL THEATRE Moomin. During the talk, I will share the reveal our upcoming title along with exclusive gameplay videos. Nordic Game Wrap-Up Simon Parkin NG18 is almost over. What did we learn? What did we Journalist/Writer miss? Where are we going? What time is it? It’s the very 14:00 - 14:45 UNREAL THEATRE last session of this year’s conference, and the traditional wrap-up session will award all of you who stayed to the end. Expect fun, surprises and not least - the announ- Ste Curran Presenter, One Life Left Nordic Game Discovery Contest: Grand Finals cement of this year’s Nordic Game Discovery Contest After hosting qualifying rounds for the NGDC in more Jacob Riis winner! than fourteen countries, the winners now meet for Program Director, a final showdown at NG18. Be sure to support your Nordic Game favourite game studio by rooting for them when they pitch their way live through the semi-finals to the grand final! Hosted by Jacob Riis. . Program

10:00-11:00 – Yonderplay, Part I featuring: Õ$GULDQ7LQJVWDG+XVE\ Õ(VEHQ.MŒU5DYQ Õ5XQH6NRYER-RKDQVHQ Õ0DGV9DGVKROW Õ(PLO%HQJWVVRQ

11:00-11:30 – Q&A with the speakers DISCOVERY DAY: 11:30-12:00 – Free play & mingle 13:00-14:00 – Yonderplay, Part II featuring: YONDERPLAY AND MUCH MORE! Õ2OOL+DUMROD Õ%REEL$XJXVWLQH6DQG Created in close cooperation with long-time partners Copenhagen Game Õ6LJXVWHLQQ-*XQQDUVVRQ Collective the Discovery Day program on 25 May features some of the most Õ+DQQLEDO*ODVHU exciting names in game creation today.

Discovery Day includes the Yonderplay sessions, Discovery Day Showcase and second season finals of the Nordic Game Discovery Contest.

Discovery Showcase The Discovery Showcase features a selection of great new game projects; visit the showcase to play the creations and meet the developers! Visit the Dining Hall from 10:00-20:00 to play all the games and talk to the developers!

Lunch, Dining Hall A complimentary lunch is included with all NG18 conference passes.

Nordic Game Discovery Contest Finals, Unreal Theatre, 14:00-14:45 At the second season Grand Final of Nordic Game’s live pitch contest, the final four participants will present their games to the NGDC finals jury, live on stage before the NG18 audience.

NG18 After Hour, Dining Hall, 16:00-20:00 Nordic Game Discovery Day will end with a “chill” bang in the Dining Hall. Full of games, fun and surprises.

Yonderplay at NG18 Yonderplay will be a one-day showcase exploring the development of artful, daring and experimental games in a “hygge” (“cosy”) environment. We’ll chill together, play together, have a few of short, intimate presentations and demonstrate that the games industry can be a nice and comfortable place. C

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2 3 8 HELP US SHAPE THE FUTURE OF GAMES 4 Join the team – apply at 10 12 9 www.ioi.dk/jobs 11 5 7 6 Lilla Torg MAP FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACES G.ustav A. Torg IN MALMÖ XSOLLA DURING CONFERENCE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO UP YOUR GAME 8 Gaming’s Only Global Publishing Platform 9 10 11 200+ 20+ 130+ 700+ 12 Geographies Languages Currencies Payment methods

Let’s get started — we’re here to help [email protected] PUBLISHER MARKET AT NG18

For a fourth year in a row, the Publisher Market will give preselected developers the chance to submit their projects for direct meetings with a string of leading game publishers at NG18. The Publisher Market will be held on Wednesday, 23 May, 8:30-18:00, Room Copenhagen. It’s supported by Maximum Games and Modus Games. About Maximum Games Maximum Games is a boutique specializing in physical and digital distri- bution of innovative games around the globe. The company operates as a full-service publisher, bringing unique content to gamers via consoles, handheld gaming systems, and personal com- puters, and is one of the top 15 video game publishers in the world. Modus is a premium video game production and publishing company for all physical and digital formats whose mission is to build a massive global community of engaged loyal fans by launching and maintaining beloved video games. We are here at Nordic Game 2018 looking to partner with development studios who share our passion for bringing something different to gamers — whether it’s a small indie game or the dream of creating the next major franchise. Learn more about Maximum Games at www.maximumgames.com. We speak games in 40+ languages!

The success of amazing games counts on the outstanding support for their players and communities.

Serving some of the largest games titles across the globe, TELUS International can Hungry? Thirsty? Looking for a good deal? help games companies earn a competitive Wear your conference badge and get your Nordic Game discounts here: advantage through player support and TGI Fridays 1 community management. C 20% off food and non-alcoholic drinks + Special After 5 M Conference prices at the bar (all days, until friday 18.30), includes Beer/Wine/Drink of the night/Select entrées. Y

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K telusinternational.com Moosehead 4 15% discount off everything. 1 Skeppsbron2 5 Malmö’s after conference Top Spot offers their famous Shrimp sandwich or Prime rib burger w beer/wine: 215:- (Wed & Thu only)