Pocket Gamer Connects Digital is back for 2021, set to bring together some of the finest voices in the games industry and beyond.

PGC Digital #5 takes place on February 8th - 12th. To give you a taste of what to expect, we'll regularly be publishing interviews with the speakers at the show.

The conference spans across five days and will feature a broad selection of tracks, talks and speakers, as well as various fringe events and the return of our meeting system. For more details on PGC Digital and to book a ticket, head to the website.

Today's spotlight is on Kay Gruenwoldt, CEO of Paladin Studios based in The Netherlands. Gruenwoldt has been working in the games industry for around 28 years, and dubs his tenure as "a wild ride with so much change". He'll be bringing his wealth of experience to PGC Digital #5 next month to host a panel on the events of 2020, what we can learn from it, and how the pandemic will shape the industry in the years to come.

PocketGamer.biz: Tell us a bit about your company?

Kay Gruenwoldt: Paladin Studios is a fully independent games developer, based in Den Haag (when we are in the office).

We are 35 people at the moment, and after 10 years of mobile and F2P we now are focussed more on subscription model platforms. The business model and breadth of hardware caters to our strengths and experience acquired in mobile as well as our latest release on console (Switch) with Nintendo: Good Job!

This year saw us go international, with new hires that are located in Denmark, India and Chile, working remotely like all of us since the beginning of 2020.

We are working with top-notch 3rd party IP owners, publishers and platforms, and continuously develop original IP and games as well.

What does your role entail?

My task is to ensure that everyone in the team is equipped to do their job, that we are continuously evolving based on our core values and mission, and level up across the studio in regards to operational excellence. I'm also dealing with all matters finance and legal, and still play a key role in business development.

Why did you want to work in the games industry?

It was an accident! I am a mechanical engineer by trade, but the first glimpse into the actual day to day job back then made me run away screaming. After running a cocktail bar during my studies, which also ultimately was not what I expected, I met a bunch of crazy people in the early 90's that made games. The rest is history.

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

Follow your passion, but keep an open mind. You might aspire to be the next coder star, but your talents actually might be in art.

Meet like-minded people as much as possible. This will be a huge advantage on your way. We are a much larger industry than 20 years ago, but personal relationships are still so very important, and meeting people is as important as back then.

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

Well, what an interesting year behind us now.

At Paladin, we wanted to focus on the positives that we could take from the rough times this year and the learnings that will prep us for the new future.

Overall, people played a lot more (easy when you are stuck at home), and that certainly helped to push the industry as a whole to new heights. I believe that will continue for the next 12 months from here. 

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

An important change for us, and many other studios, was facing the reality of working remotely/from home. This is something that I do not see just change back to exactly what it was before. There are upsides to this mode of work (as well as big downsides), and those we want to embrace and benefit from. Some form of hybrid working in the office/remotely might be what wins, but in the end every studio and team will have to find their own way that works best for them.

Another important trend I believe in is that subscription platforms will become more important and far-reaching in 2021. I expect the platform holders to give their platforms a push, because the initial reception is good from what I can see, and I personally believe this is a great alternative to F2P. Saying that, F2P will not go away, and will become ever more sophisticated in terms of monetisation, ads and user acquisition.

I am also looking forward to seeing what the next wave of games will be on the current-gen consoles that just came out, fun stuff ahead.

How has the games industry changed since you first started?

The industry changed in so many ways, where to start?

There is breathtaking, and never-ending, advancements in technology that make games look better and better all the time. There is seismic shifts in business models from premium to free-to-play which truly ushered in a new era in games, opening up a niche hobby to literally everyone.

And of course, there is a much much higher degree of professionalism that came with all of it, that contributed to make our industry bigger than any other entertainment medium. And we are by far not done yet. 

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

As always, meeting old friends and new acquaintances, and of course our panel, which I am honoured to moderate. Next time I also really want to make a proper effort to see some of the talks, no excuse this time! 

Want more?

The full conference schedule is now live on the website. In the meantime, you can also check out our other track rundowns and coverage of previous Pocket Gamer Connects conferences ahead of the event itself.

Register for Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5 today!