Hiring in the game industry looks different today than it did just a few years ago. Increased competition and shifting priorities have changed what studios expect from candidates at all levels.

Drawing from experience in Talent Acquisition across gaming in Europe, this talk explores how the “bar” for talent has evolved. I’ll share common patterns I see in applications and interviews, why strong candidates are often overlooked, and what developers can do to better align with current expectations.

Anno 117: Pax Romana faces a unique set of technical challenges when it comes to rendering its highly dynamic world. Visuals range from overlooking entire cities to observing tiny details in the daily activities of their residents, and all of it is built by the player. This talk provides an overview of key engine improvements that were made during the development of Anno 117 and how these helped shape the look of the game. In particular it will cover how complex assets like buildings are optimized while being adaptive to uneven terrain and how Raytracing was implemented to facilitate the flexibility and scale required by an Anno game.

This talk explores how stylised and handpainted texturing can be used to create a strong visual identity in games. Using production examples and workflows, the session covers:
>building consistent visual styles through references and art direction
> creating efficient texturing workflows in Substance Painter and Designer
> using custom generators instead of overly flexible smart materials

The talk also examines the role of AI in modern art pipelines, arguing that tools alone do not produce strong visuals — consistency, context, and intentional artistic decisions do.Focused on practical workflows and real-world production constraints, this session is aimed at artists and developers who want to create more distinctive and cohesive stylised worlds.

Agentic AI is rapidly becoming part of game development, but adopting new technology is rarely about starting from scratch. Most teams are balancing new AI capabilities with established tools, legacy systems, production pipelines, and the realities of shipping games.

In this fireside chat, senior professionals from software and graphics engineering share their perspectives on how AI is changing day-to-day development across disciplines. We'll discuss where agentic workflows fit into existing pipelines, the trade-offs between automation and maintainability, how teams can adopt AI without disrupting proven processes, and where human expertise continues to make the biggest difference.

Rather than offering one-size-fits-all answers, this conversation focuses on practical experiences, lessons learned, and the challenges of thoughtfully introducing AI into modern game development.

Self-publishing is the new go-to market strategy for many game studios. From fresh start-ups, to seasoned Indies, to AA and AAA. Kickstarter plays a vital role for many games in this trend. We will explore based on data and insights why a small campaign also helps, how to make a big campaign and where a clear profile of both, studio and IP, come in.That said, there will be plenty of time for a gamified Q&A, so bring your questions and get ready for some fruitful discussions

As hardware costs rise and players keep older devices for longer, optimizing games is increasingly important, not just for performance, but also for reach and competitiveness. This panel with experts from Kolibri Games and Byte Rockers will explore how studios can make their games run efficiently across a wider range of hardware, extending access to players while reducing energy consumption. Speakers will share hands-on tools, techniques, and real-world examples that studios can use to optimize their games. 

The key takeaway: better energy efficiency often means better performance, smoother gameplay, and a better player experience.

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This panel explores how game developers and studios can navigate the growing landscape of AI tools and service providers, considering digital sovereignty, transparency, data ownership, and creative independence. Participants will gain a better understanding of available tools, their trade-offs, and key criteria for making more informed decisions.

What happens when traditional filmmaking meets the ultimate interactive medium? Join industry veterans from CD PROJEKT RED and 2K (Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Mafia: The Old Country) for a nuanced, lively debate on the delicate balance between passive and active entertainment.Far from being a simple "chill" experience, crafting cinematics in video games means constantly bridging the gap between linear storytelling and player interactivity. Together, our speakers explore the complexities of player agency: How do choices and branching narratives alter emotional impact? Does giving players too much control dilute the creative vision, or does it deepen ludonarrative resonance? From the psychological weight of voiced versus silent protagonists to the unique challenges of writing stoic characters and handling player-driven flow states, this session dives deep into the architecture of modern game storytelling.Whether you're a developer, writer, or cinematic artist, come rethink how we design narrative tension when the audience holds the controller.

How can games help us understand experiences different from our own and turn that understanding into action? Inspired by Psyon Games’ award-winning FULL ADHD, the panelists explore the connections between lived experience, game design and better leadership. From authentic representation to practical improvements at the workplace, the discussion asks how games can challenge assumptions, foster inclusion and support health awareness - in the games industry and beyond.

Burnout remains a pervasive issue across the games industry, no matter one's role or seniority. In the 2026 Salary & Satisfaction report by Skillsearch, 67% of respondents had experienced excessive stress or burnout in the last year. In the most recent Ukie census, 29% of respondents reported working over 50 hours in a week at least once in the last 12 months. This session looks at how individuals can support themselves and their colleagues in implementing healthy work practices, as well as highlighting practical, individual tools to combat burnout and navigate occasions where our workloads are heavier.

Learning Objectives:
- Understand what 'burnout' means, and how it differs from stress
- Recognise common contributing factors to burnout and crunch behaviours (both inside and outside of work)
- Understand how passion can increase risk of burnout
- Spot the signs of burnout before they become an issue
- Learn practical tools for addressing burnout symptoms when they arise

Further details are to be announced.

Workshop by Inclusive Gaming. More info TBA.

A panel focused on publishing. More info TBA

You're about to release a game. The concept art started as a prompt, an NPC chats freely with players, and your publisher wants a warranty on the code. Can you actually ship this?

In this hands-on legal speedrun your team plays through four levels. Each level starts with a short legal briefing from us; then your team applies it to the asset list of a fictional indie game: AI concept art, a cloned voice, generated music, a chatting NPC and more. Level by level you work out who owns AI-generated assets and code, what voice cloning requires, how to fill in Steam's AI disclosure and what the EU AI Act adds on top. Finally you will draft an AI policy for your own studio. The final boss is a red-flag hunt. You leave with a checklist and a policy template.

General information, no individual legal advice.