- 14:40 – 15:00 IP Licensing & Transmedia
- 15:00 – 15:20 Gaming For Good: How to Build Impactful Social Good Campaigns
- 15:20 – 16:00 Building Your own Brand vs. Licensing External IP
- 16:00 – 16:20 Surviving Your First 2 Years as an Indie Studio
- 16:20 – 16:40 How to Survive in Crisis: 15 Lessons From Ukrainian Gaming Companies
- 16:40 – 17:20 The Future of Indie Publishing
- 17:20 – 17: 35 Big Indie Zone Audience Choice Awards (Sponsored by Jam City)
- 17:35 – 17:55 VBIP Results
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With Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2024 coming up next week, we thought it was time to explore the 21-track conference schedule. This October 1st and 2nd, more than 150 world-class expert speakers will bring you the hottest trends and latest innovations in the global games industry.
You’ll have access to two days of cutting-edge talks, seminars and panel discussions with some of the world’s leading authorities covering everything from monetisation and growth strategies, to the state of play in the heart of the global mobile games industry: Finland.
Don’t miss out on this unparalleled opportunity to meet and learn from some of the most exciting companies, brands and individuals in the games industry – tickets are available now.
Between now and when the venue doors open, we’ll share what each track is about, as well as the talented individuals that will lead the sessions.
To register for the show, head to the Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki website.
Wednesday, October 2nd
IP Unlocked track
14:40 – IP Licensing & Transmedia
Sharing firsthand knowledge as a mid-sized studio having worked with major IP owners like Mattel and Fox, 30+ automotive brands, and music and TV celebrities.
15:00 – Gaming For Good: How to Build Impactful Social Good Campaigns
- Charlie Scowen, Events Content Coordinator at Steel Media
- Philip Hickey, Chief Marketing Officer at SYBO
With more than 3 billion active gamers around the globe, the industry is presented with a unique opportunity to mobilize highly engaged fanbases to tackle today’s most pressing issues. Using Subway Surfers’ global reach of over 150 million monthly players to spread awareness and inspire action has been a long-time priority for SYBO, from launching multi-channel Pride Month campaigns to a first-of-its-kind partnership with superstar J Balvin to offset carbon emissions. Join Philip Hickey, Chief Marketing Officer of SYBO, as he discusses how gaming studios can partner with brands, organizations, or even global superstars to create impactful social good initiatives that not only resonate with audiences, but spark tangible change.
15:20 – Building Your own Brand vs. Licensing External IP
- Eliza Jäppinen, Head of IP Development & Dev Relations/ CEO & Founder at Dot Play / Visible Realms
- Chris Bain, CEO of Player One Consulting
- Marja Konttinen, Founder of Transparent Eyeball
- Joni Lappalainen, CEO of Dreamloop Games
- Joseph Knowles, Narrative Lead, Freelance
In this session, experts discuss what is more important for you when building a game, building your own brand or working with external IP. Additionally, get insights on building your brand and how best to acquire and leverage intellectual property.
Wednesday, October 2nd
Incredible Indies track
16:00 – Surviving Your First 2 Years as an Indie Studio
Very true and humble real story of how hard it is to survive as a European company when you’re an indie studio with focus on not so talked about topics of hiring and labor laws and different taxes and lawsuits and of course money and sharing our true and tested story through it all. with Helsinki marking our 2nd year of being in business as a fully operational German indie game development company working on our own IP and before and still some b2b work. The talk aims to be more of a story and an interesting one at that with solution to everything but also pointing out things I wish I had seen coming, but no one can, despite being in industry for 12 years, running your own company is different, especially so in Europe!
16:20 – How to Survive in Crisis: 15 Lessons From Ukrainian Gaming Companies
In a time when the games industry faces tough challenges, who better to learn crisis management and resilience from than Ukrainians? In her talk, ‘How to Survive in Crisis: 15 Lessons from Ukrainian Gaming Companies,’ Elena from GDBAY will share stories and lessons of her industry peers navigating hardships, dealing with restrictions, showing how to overcome crisis with creativity and strength, and how it can become a driver of success.
16:40 – The Future of Indie Publishing
- Ankit Kumar Dhillon, Founder/CEO of BAD Spiele Studio
- Charly Harbord, CEO & Founder of The Powell Group/IndieGameBusiness
- Peggy Anne Salz, Lead Analyst & Founder at Mobile Groove
- Ryan Filsinger, CEO of Iron Fox Games
After a difficult two years of reset, cancellation of projects and reduction of overheads, where does the indie development publishing sit within the market as we head to 2025?
17:20 – Big Indie Zone Audience Choice Awards (Sponsored by Jam City)
17:35 – VBIP Results
