After taking over London at the start of 2014, Pocket Gamer Connects will make its grand return on the 16-17 June in the Nordic paradise of Helsinki.
We expect you'll be thinking of grabbing a ticket (if you haven't already).
And to give you a hint at what you can expect, we're shining the spotlight onto our speaker selection to give a deeper look at the speakers taking the stage at PG Connects.
Arthur Chow is the CEO at 6waves, the leading global publisher of Facebook and mobile games.
It has over 140 employees in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, China and Russia, and has published titles such as Kingdom of Camelot, Ravenwood Fair and Mystery Manor, reaching over 20 million monthly active users worldwide.
With his leadership at 6waves, Arthur was awarded Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2012. Prior to co-founding 6waves, he held senior posts at TimeWarner's Turner International and Yahoo!
Pocket Gamer: What has been the biggest story in mobile gaming this year?
Arthur Chow: We are seeing mobile games becoming more global.
The biggest challenge remains high user acquisition costs.Arthur Chow
There are games that are developed with the global audience in mind, yet we are also seeing more games which are extending their homegrown success and replicating it in overseas markets.
What do you think will be the biggest challenges/opportunities for the mobile game industry in 2014?
The biggest challenge remains high user acquisition costs while opportunities include global markets, and new ways of user acquisition and mobile messaging platforms for games.
How well do you think indie developers are doing at the moment?
It's getting tougher for indies to stand out in the market with big developers occupying the top spots. Working with publishers could be a way for them to get noticed.
In particular, working with overseas local partner may help them to recoup their development investment and maximize the revenue of their games.
What's your advice for developers looking to make their games a hit in these new emerging markets?
Culturalization is key. Developers need to think whether their game is suitable for local markets, some of them may not work.
Also, developers need to understand local live operations including promotion and events, plus customer support. You should think about whether you want to work with a partner operating on your own.
What are you most looking forward to at Pocket Gamer Connects?
Meeting with developers who have the intention to make their games a global hit, and publishers who can help games go global.
Which mobile game has made the biggest impression on you this year?
Flappy Bird. On the positive side, it demonstrated how indies can still make games that have a global impact. On the negative side, it was a missed opportunity to make something better and unique.
And finally, in 140 characters describe what you think the hot topic in mobile gaming will be in the next 6 months and why that's the case.
The growing importance of non-English speaking markets will lead to a change in how games are developed at a very early stage.
Grab your tickets for Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki here! and keep up-to-date with new speakers via the website.
