Ilya Kuznetsov discusses “AI becoming a competitive necessity” ahead of Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025

• Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025 takes place on October 7th and 8th.
• The event will feature a host of talks, panels, seminars and networking opportunities.

Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025 is just around the corner, taking place on October 7th and 8th bringing together over 1,500 delegates from more than 50 countries for two days of sessions, networking, and learning.

Across this 12th edition of the event, you can expect a host of talks, panels and seminars covering a variety of games industry topics from AI to live ops and monetisation.

Joining our lineup of expert speakers is Ilya Kuznetsov, director of business development at Layer. With a career spanning across senior roles at Unity and Ready Player Me, Kuznetsov now helps bring innovative AI tools to developers and publishers.

During the show, Kuznetsov will participate in a fireside chat with Cosmic Lounge, sharing practical insights into how AI is transforming real-world game workflows. We caught up with him ahead of the show to get his insights on the current state of the industry and working with AI.

PocketGamer.biz: What’s the most common mistake you see being made in the games sector?

Too often, developers look at the successes of leading studios and try to replicate them by copying what they can see from the outside - art style, UI, mechanics - without understanding what actually made those games work. 

It’s like trying to reproduce someone’s pizza recipe by looking at a photo, without knowing the secret to the sauce. The result is yet another clone fighting for space in what I like to call the "graveyard of app stores".

To succeed, studios need to dig deeper: focus on innovation, unique player value, and the hidden ingredients, not just the surface-level imitation.

If you could give other mobile games companies one piece of advice, what would it be?

Success in mobile gaming is never down to a single factor - it’s always a mix of creativity, timing, resource strategy, and yes, a bit of luck. But one thing is clear: production efficiency can be the deciding factor. 

If you take two identical studios with equally talented teams working on the same project, the studio that embraces AI to streamline workflows, scale content, and explore new creative approaches will outperform the other. Over time, that efficiency gap compounds and the studio leveraging AI won’t just outpace their competition, they’ll eventually have the leverage to acquire them. 

AI isn’t just a tool, it’s becoming a competitive necessity.

What game has been on your phone the longest?

Teamfight Tactics (TFT) by Riot Games. It’s been on my phone since launch, over five years now, and I haven’t skipped a single meta update. It’s the perfect mix of strategy, competitiveness, and of course our favourite RNG, that keeps pulling me back.

Tell us your thoughts on ONE of the following: the metaverse, Cloud-gaming, Cross-platform games, play-to-earn games.

Cloud-gaming: When I first heard about cloud gaming around 2012–13, I was skeptical. As someone who played a lot of synchronous PvP titles back then, I couldn’t imagine streaming technology keeping up with the latency those games required.

Fast forward a decade: Stadia came and went, Nvidia Grid evolved into GeForce Now, and today I find myself on the couch, playing AAA games on my TV via the cloud, synced directly with my Steam account. With multiple competing services, the tech has clearly matured.

Given the rising cost and scarcity of high-end GPUs, cloud gaming is becoming the more economical choice. One subscription can serve both PC and console players, while server rigs are shared across households instead of sitting idle most of the time.

 For casual and mid-core gamers, especially with the availability of high-speed internet, fiber, and 5G, there’s little reason not to use cloud. That said, competitive e-sports will still depend heavily on millisecond-level precision, which means standalone rigs aren’t going anywhere soon.

When not making/selling/playing games, what do you do to relax?

Outside of work, I’ve been DJing for about seven years: my first set was actually at Unity’s Christmas Party back when I worked in the London office. Digging for new tracks, practicing transitions, and curating playlists is a creative outlet for me, much like curating games or showcases.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I’m a big TCG collector. My binders have over 10,000 cards, mostly Pokémon and One Piece, and I love the meditative process of sleeving and organising them. Hunting for rare cards in local shops, especially during a trip to Akihabara in Tokyo, is part of the fun. 

Can people get in touch with you at the event? What sort of people would you like to connect with?

Absolutely, I’m always happy to connect - feel free to message me on LinkedIn. I’d especially like to meet mobile game developers and publishers who are curious about how AI can make their art and content pipelines more scalable and efficient.

I’m also keen to speak with creatives experimenting with new workflows - whether you’re in game art, marketing, or live ops, I’d love to exchange ideas.