Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2019 will take place on October 1st to October 2nd. To give you a taste of what to expect, we'll regularly be publishing interviews with the speakers at the show.

For more details on PGC Helsinki and to book a ticket, head to the website here.

In today’s speaker spotlight, we caught up with Jestercraft’s Klaus Kääriäinen before his "Is this the era of hybrid monetisation?" session.

PocketGamer.Biz: Could you tell us a bit about the company?

Klaus Kääriäinen: Jestercraft is an independent game development company, which educates newcomers to the industry, coach game companies for better results and help small and medium teams to publish their games worldwide.

What does your role entail?

With over 10 years of experience from the game industry, it's time to give something back.

Why did you want to work in the games industry?

I've been designing games since childhood. From tabletop games, real-life role-playing games to digital games. I've always found it exciting to see people having a fun time with my creations.

By improving my skills in design, storytelling and graphics, I can discover more unique ways to create better entertainment.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into it?

When learning to make games, the sooner you start to create something, the sooner you can realise what it takes to make full-blown entertainment products. Get your hands dirty, make something and fail fast, then repeat.

What are your thoughts on the industry in the last 12 months?

The games industry is "breaking through" which comes along with very business-oriented thinking. Competition is fierce, and it's rather hard for a small game company to make profitable games anymore.

You need to either have the perfect, full-size team or a big budget to discover your route along the rapidly shifting markets.

What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?

New marketplaces will appear which offer ways to gain visibility for small and medium budget games. Google Play, Appstore and Steam will most likely keep their position as the biggest source of new games but will focus on big companies/releases, which have the necessary marketing/development budget.

Small and medium-sized game companies will try to figure out new places to sell their games and to gain the necessary visibility to get profit.

How has the games industry changed since you first started?

It was enough to make a "good game" to gain enough visibility for a decent amount of profit. Nowadays, it is the starting point that you have a great game, and then you can start trying to get the necessary player base.
The amount of games published each day has changed radically, which makes it a lot harder for small/medium-size game companies.

Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?

To get in touch will old colleagues and have fun during (and after) the event.