Comment & Opinion

What the White Nights Moscow conference offers games developers and publishers and how to get a discount

Enter PG.biz to get 15% off

What the White Nights Moscow conference offers games developers and publishers and how to get a discount

White Nights Moscow returns once again on October 11th and 12th with more than 1,300 games industry professionals from around the world expected to attend.

The event brings together developers, publishers, platform holders, ad companies and more for two days of expert sessions, networking and exhibiting.

Attendees from the likes of Facebook, Unity, Google, Amazon, King, Creative Mobile, Pixonic and more are expected at the event.

Interested? PocketGamer.biz readers can get 15% off tickets by entering the promotion code 'PG.biz' at the registration page.

To find out more about White Nights Moscow 2016, we caught up with Nevosoft Business Development Director and White Nights Conference chair Julia Lebedeva.

What is White Nights Moscow?

Well, for you to have a better idea of the Moscow edition of the White Nights, I’d like to take you on a quick walk through time and tell you a little about the conference series in general.

So the show started four years ago as a small 300-people get together with the sole focus on mobile. Later on we decided to widen the focus and added “social” to the event title. In the late 2015 the industry was preparing the world for yet another new shift and the phenomenon of cross-platform has become impossible to ignore.

So we’ve adapted to the new changes and today the White Nights Conference welcomes the entire games industry with PC, console, web, social and mobile projects.

Our main goal is to help developers find effective ways of getting to the top chart rankings.

White Nights is a business conference for the games industry. The word “business” represents the main idea of the event, which is designed for those who develop solid projects and are not afraid to make money from it.

We believe that those two components are inseparable in business: good products or services have to be able to make money. Our main goal is to help developers find effective ways of getting to the top chart rankings and retain a strong position.

We gather representatives of platforms, publishers and successful games developers to share their valuable experience and knowledge to help attendees understand the current state of the industry, find their “window of opportunity” and learn from the mistakes of others.

The 11th edition of the White Nights will be held in the Congress Park at the 5-star Radisson Royal Hotel on October 11th and 12th 2016.

Who are some of the key speakers at this year’s White Nights Moscow event?

We are very attentive to detail when it comes to formulating the conference program and I personally approach every single speaker. The goal is to make sure that the topic is interesting and inspirational for attendees.

I'm not going to lie, I am super excited for the conference program! Top international speakers will present on a wide variety of ‘hot’ topics, so that everyone at the conference will find something for themselves.

For instance, Bob Slinn, the Head of Gaming Partnerships EMEA at Facebook, will share his opinion on what games are and aren't likely to become successful in the future and will touch on the project that Facebook and Unity are working on together.

David Helgason, co-founder of Unity Technologies, will also be there. I am very excited to listen to the man who 12 years ago was able to predict the future of the games industry and build such a successful company.

Other key platforms such as Google, Amazon, VK.com, G2A.com, and iOS representatives will also talk about the newest opportunities that lay before developers.

The conference program will also feature great speakers from developers and publishers like King, Game Insight, Pixonic, Creative Mobile, 101XP and Playkot.

And, surely, I’m very thrilled to have Matthew Steinke, the lead technical designer for The Witcher as a keynote. This will be his first presentation in Russia ever!

Matthew has worked in the games industry for 16 years and applied his talents on projects such as Tom Clancy’s: Splinter Cell, Mortal Kombat, Stranglehold, and PsiOps:The Mindgate Conspiracy.

He will share the experience of working on CD Projekt RED's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

What makes Moscow a good place for such an event?

Moscow is the heart of Russia, and, historically, is a major economic and cultural centre of the country. A lot of Russian games companies have their headquarters located there, plus it’s a great tourist destination. It's a beautiful city!

We always try to make sure that every conference location is not only a convenient venue, but also an opportunity for White Nights attendees to visit their business partners and explore the beauty of new locations.

How big are you expecting White Nights Moscow 2016 to be? And who will be in attendance?

In Moscow we are expecting over 1,300 attendees overall. We learned over the years that this is just the perfect number of people for effective networking. Besides, it’s not about the number, it’s about the quality and the right balance. I’d say that roughly 60% of the attendees will be developers, about 25% publishers, 25% ad companies and 15% platforms.

The unique thing about White Nights is that we gather developers from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus.

The unique thing about White Nights is that we gather developers from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus - those who don't go often to other shows in Europe, Asia or in the US. At the same time we invite publishers and platform holders from all over the world like Rovio, King, Supercell, Wooga, Big Fish, Apple, Google, Amazon and more.

The list of sponsors can speak for itself: Appodeal, Game Insight, Playrix, King, VK.com, Pixonic, Unity, G2A, Creative Mobile, BlueStacks, Applovin, Playkot and the list goes on!

Why should games developers attend? What can they learn?

Well, first and most of all - White Nights is a great opportunity for developers to network with potential partners, whether they are looking for an investor, publisher, an outsource partner or seeking support from platform holders.

The conference agenda features the Developer Exhibition, where over 80 teams will get a unique chance to show their best projects to conference attendees, receive feedback from industry experts and make valuable business contacts.

Every participating team receives from us a mini-booth with a company name on it absolutely for free.

Officially, applications are no longer accepted, but we will have it open for a couple of more days.

Secondly, White Nights is always a chance to learn something new from successful international speakers by attending different sessions and panel discussions.

What networking opportunities are there for attendees?

Networking events have always been our strong side. The conference in Moscow will feature three networking events: the pre-party on the day preceding the event, the Sparkling Hour hosted by Applovin, and the main conference party to be held at the Buddha-Bar at the end of the first day of the conference.

All kind of drinks, a buffet dinner, a live cover band and a nice quiet terrace for networking will be awaiting conference attendees. This is a great chance to network with speakers, existing and potential partners and fellow colleagues in an informal atmosphere.

How can PocketGamer.biz readers get involved in the event?

We’d be delighted to see your readers at the conference in Moscow! To make the decision to attend the event, here’s a 15% promo code - PG.biz - that you can use when registering here.

You will most likely need a Russian visa to enter the country, but don’t worry - it’s not that hard to obtain it as one may think! We work with an authorised travel agency that will help you get your visa quickly.

Visit our website for more details.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Well, if for some reason you are not able to attend the show in Moscow, you’ll get a chance to catch up on everything next year: at the White Nights Prague on February 13th and 14th and White Nights St. Petersburg to be held in June.

Moscow image credit: Mos.ru

Tags:

PocketGamer.biz regularly posts content from a variety of guest writers across the games industry. These encompass a wide range of topics and people from different backgrounds and diversities, sharing their opinion on the hottest trending topics, undiscovered gems and what the future of the business holds.