Olle Aronsson, Breakit

Paulina Modlitba Söderlund, Game Tech Conference MC

During 2015-2017, more than 50 transactions were performed in Swedish gaming companies for a total value of SEK 55.2 billion. In spite of large exits to international buyers like Activision and Microsoft, in 87 percent of the cases, Swedish companies were buyers. Sweden's computer game industry is highly export-oriented with a turnover of games totaling SEK 11.7 billion, of which almost SEK 11.3 billion is export. So how did Sweden foster such as successful export business in games and what is needed to make sure the games cluster and its eco-system in the Nordic countries remain competitive?

Presenter: Per Strömbäck, Spokesperson, Dataspelsbranschen (Swedish Games Industry Organization)

EA in Stockholm is home to one of the largest gaming hubs in Europe, that includes the storied DICE games studio, the research & development operation SEED and EA’s proprietary game engine Frostbite, employing over 700 people in total. In this presentation, the new general manager of DICE, Oskar Gabrielson, will outline his vision for how Stockholm can remain relevant as one of the world’s leading gaming hubs in the decade to come. The games industry is facing a shift that will be at least as profound as the wave of change that has swept through industries such as music and video, and the next five years will likely sort the wheat from the chaff in the industry, creating unexpected losers and winners. Oskar will talk about how DICE is changing to usher itself into this new future, while retaining the creative spark and ambition that has been core to its success.

Speaker: Oskar Gabrielson, General Manager, DICE

This roundtable of games industry leaders from Sweden and Finland will give you unique insights when it comes to key questions and challenges occupying their time, including emerging platforms, technologies and business strategies. We all know it starts with a good game, but what else can give you an edge in an increasingly competitive marketplace where product and brand is not always enough? 

Speakers: Jenny Nordenborg, Head of Studio, Glorious Games Group / CEO, Neat Corp

Daniel Hasselberg, CEO, MAG Interactive

Maeva Sponbergs, EVP of Communication, Starbreeze Studios

Moderator: Johanna Nylander, Head of Policy Affairs, Dataspelsbranschen

Creating compelling, memorable characters can be a critical step in the game development process and lead to transmedia franchises and a successful merchandising business down the line. So should you start with known characters from a comic book, a TV show, or a movie? Or license the likeness of a celebrity? Or start a new games-first Intellectual Property (IP)? And what about involving and encouraging player-generated content and storylines? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach such as time-to-market, license fees, creative control etc? And how do you protect and leverage your IP across borders and in different mediums? This panel will also discuss artistic approaches and design philosophies as well as share practical tips and general wisdom about the development process.

Speakers: Rui Casais, CEO, Funcom

Simo Hämäläinen, SVP, Brand Licensing, Rovio Entertainment

Jasmine Idun Isdrake, CEO & Creative Director, Playcentric Industries & Institute

Tobias Sjögren, CEO, White Wolf Publishing

Moderator: Henrik Jonsson, IGDA Sweden / Goodbye Kansas Game Invest

Beyond traditional startup metrics like traction, team and market fit, what kind of deals are investors most interested in right now? From an investor perspective looking to invest in future growth, how do hot trends like Facebook Instant Games, Games for Amazon Alexa or Google Home, blockchain, esports and mixed reality fit into this equation? What are they looking for in a seed pitch versus a series A or a series B pitch? Hear it directly from these experienced financial experts who are actively working with investments in game companies. 

Speakers: Erik Sprinchorn, Portfolio Manager, Swedbank Robur 

Niclas Holmberg, Managing Director - Global Listing Services, NASDAQ

Staffan Ekström, Global TMT Sector Leader, Corporate Finance, EY

Jana Palm, Game Hub Manager, STING and GM, Stugan

Markus Nyström, Creative Director, Fall Damage and Co-Founder, DICE

Moderator: Henrik von Sydow, Business Intelligence Strategist, Carnegie

In 2015, Epic surprised the game industry by dropping the monthly charge for its popular game engine, Unreal Engine, and giving it away to anyone who wanted it: hobbyists, scientists, artists, architects, game makers. Making a 3D engine that anybody can download for free opened up a lot of new opportunities for Epic and provided new insights. In this presentation, Sjoerd De Jong will talk about what the vision is for the Unreal Engine in the year 2018 when the ecosystem surrounding a commercially available game engine demands much more than merely the technology itself. From community building to publisher and platform partnerships, to online marketplaces, to education support, to funding initiatives, and to expanding to beyond the games industry. Sjoerd will give a look into how Epic develops the engine, and how the company is moving forward by bringing real-time capabilities and “digital humans” that push the boundaries of the uncanny valley. 

Presenter: Sjoerd De Jong, Unreal Engine Evangelist, Epic Games

In this interview, David Polfeldt, Managing Director at Massive Entertainment and head of Ubisoft operations in Sweden will discuss a broad range of topics; Sweden as a hot-bed for video game development, Avatar, James Cameron, creativity, leadership, social responsibility and the bright future for Ubisoft, Massive and the newly opened Ubisoft Stockholm studio.

Speaker: David Polfeldt, Managing Director of Massive, a Ubisoft studio

Moderator: Per Strömbäck, Spokesperson, Dataspelsbranschen

In 2017 consumers spent $14B more on mobile games than in 2016, according to SuperData Research. Games such as Arena of Valor and Fantasy Westward Journey from Asian publishers like Tencent and NetEase contributed to a 31% year-over-year growth for the worldwide mobile games market. As the space becomes more and more competitive, what is required today to make a successful game for iOS, Android and emerging mobile platforms such as HTC Vive? How can successful Nordic startups as well as established mobile game companies continue to innovate, attract top talent and win share-of-wallet from consumers faced with a growing choice of entertainment options? 

Speakers: Annika Fogelgren, Senior Producer Candy Crush Franchise, King

Adam Schaub, CEO and Co-Founder, Strange Quest

Alexander Ekvall, Co-Founder, Snowprint Studios

Tommy Palm, CEO, Resolution Games

Andreas Skoglund, CEO, Cortopia Studios

Moderator: Paulina Modlitba Söderlund, Game Tech Conference MC

Arnd Benninghoff has led MTGx’s strategic investments in esports (ESL/Turtle Entertainment and DreamHack) and online gaming (InnoGames and Kongregate). In this fireside chat, he will discuss why games are so central to the strategy of his division which recently posted its first quarterly profit.

Speaker: Arnd Benninghoff, Head of MTGx, Games & Esport

Moderator: Paulina Modlitba Söderlund, Game Tech Conference MC

Gustav Käll, Global Head of Esports and Gaming at Universal Music Group (UMG), will give a brief history of the development of the record label during the last 10 years and why it has now emerged with a new vision for how music can be used to enhance games and esports. He will use the partnerships between UMG and ESL in 2017 as a starting point to make a few bold predictions about what will happen during the next 5-10 years as games move in the direction of a spectator sport with huge audiences tuning in.

Presenter: Gustav Käll, Global Head of Esports and Gaming, Universal Music Group

Whether it’s through influencers or engaging in esports, game companies have often been at the forefront of new ways to drive discovery and customer acquisition. Moreover, thanks to Twitch, we’re seeing a development where the non-player audience can be even bigger than the player audience. So what’s next as video gaming is evolving into a mainstream media opportunity where esports athletes become true influencers? How do you navigate a rapidly evolving space where game influencers such as Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg have been very successful but also controversial from a brand/sponsor perspective?

Speakers: Ida Westerlund, Chair, STHLM e-sport

Tess Thormodsgaard, Marketing Director, Seriously

Lillie Klefelt, Founder, Female Legends

Moderator: Andjela Kusmuk, Growth Strategist and Tech Advisor

Paradox recently announced that Ebba Ljungerud will be the new CEO for the company starting in August 2018. In her first public appearance as CEO-elect for Paradox, she will talk about the future of games and how she plans to lead one of Sweden’s biggest success stories in tech into a future which includes not just PC-games, but mobile games and more. 

Speaker: Ebba Ljungerud, CEO-elect, Paradox Interactive

Moderator: Per Strömbäck, Spokesperson, Dataspelsbranschen