PG Connects Nordics: The editorial team's can't-miss sessions
- Launching Games In Türkiye
- Interview With Embark’s Executive Producer
- Players Aren't Leaving Because You Lack Content
- Is AI Going To Become The Next Game Engine?
Behind the scenes here, the editorial team has spent the past few weeks exploring the PGC Nordics schedule through interviews, op-eds and features with the speakers. Along the way, certain sessions have piqued our interest, and COO Dave has his own pick to add.
Here are the ones we’re most looking forward to and why they’ve made our must-attend list.
Mariam Ahmad
Launching Games In Türkiye: Regulation, Monetisation As Of November 01, 2026
Tuesday, October 20th, 09:50-10:10
Türkiye is a mobile market that is only getting more important for developers, so this session will be essential for anyone planning a launch there. From November 1st, just days after PGC Nordics, games and game platforms will be defined in Turkish law for the first time, bringing new obligations around age ratings, parental controls and cooperation with regulators. Foreign platforms with more than 100,000 daily accesses from Türkiye will also need to appoint a local representative and the penalties for getting it wrong are serious.
As Türkiye country manager at Abion, Yasemin Aktas is well placed to explain whether your game counts as a “platform”, how the access threshold works and what needs building into the product now. I’m also keen to hear her on the less obvious part: how advertising and consumer rules apply to virtual items, discounts, influencer campaigns and younger players.
If Türkiye is anywhere on your launch plans, this is 20 minutes well spent
Paige Cook
25 Years In Game Development - Interview With Embark’s Executive Producer
Tuesday, October 20th, 10:10-10:30
I’m particularly looking forward to this session because Aleksander Grøndal brings more than 25 years of experience across a wide range of game development, from his early career at Funcom through more than 14 years at DICE working on major Battlefield titles, and now, of course, his role at Embark Studios.
That kind of career provides an insightful perspective on how game development has evolved, particularly when it comes to leading large teams and complex projects. His move from an established studio like DICE, with globally recognised franchises behind it, to Embark is especially interesting to me. Embark has built a very distinct identity in a relatively short period, with projects like The Finals and Arc Raiders taking some ambitious approaches to multiplayer and live game development.
With both titles continuing to evolve through major updates, Aleksander has first-hand experience with the production, leadership, and decision-making required to build and operate these kinds of games. That makes his perspective particularly valuable for an audience interested in what actually happens behind the games we see.
I’m hosting the session, and one topic I know we’ll touch on is burnout, something Aleksander has mentioned he has experienced twice during his career, and I think it’s an important conversation for an industry where the realities of development can often be hidden behind the product itself. Hearing what he learned from those experiences, how they changed his approach to leadership and how others can apply those lessons while managing teams should make for an insightful session.
Aaron Astle
Players Aren't Leaving Because You Lack Content
Wednesday, Oct 21st, 11:10-11:30
Live ops and mobile games go hand in hand, with no shortage of updates and new content rolling out. Whether a game’s one month old, one year or five, it’s typical to see new version numbers, improvements, optimisations and new features at a steady pace.
At PGC Nordics, Outfit7 senior lead product manager Urška Leskovar will discuss mature live games and the risks of overabundance. I’m looking forward to hearing her perspective on player focus, game complexity and engagement issues, challenging the common notion that more content and more systems are an objective good as a game ages.
After all, many older games have a plethora of content to play but lack player attention. Some become so complex that only a player who’s followed along since day one can understand them. I can certainly think of a few older games that would be overwhelming for anyone new joining today.
Dave Bradley
From Tool To Platform: Is AI Going To Become The Next Game Engine?
Wednesday, Oct 21, 10:30-11:10
Every week seems to bring a new frontier model to the headlines, promising incredible audiovisual experiences, faster and more intuitive ways of working... and possibly the end of traditional entertainment industry jobs.
I’ve been following the scene closely and interviewing leaders in the field for my Substack newsletter, AI Gamechangers. So I’m thrilled that at PGC Nordics, AI Gamechangers will come to life as a summit, where we’ll spend a morning talking about some of the most important issues this new technology raises.
I’ll be moderating this panel in the “AI Advances” track. Jari Pauna is a familiar face to Pocket Gamer Connects attendees. He’s a Helsinki-based games veteran with a pedigree that includes Motorious Entertainment and Supremacy Games, and he was a founder at Brimstone AI. Its technology now plays a part in his current venture, SuperDrama, which creates short-form microdramas and uses AI in the storytelling process.
Meanwhile, Markus Hjort is CTO at startup Bitmagic. He brings 20 years of software experience across gaming, fintech and more, and Bitmagic enables anyone to create games by typing out their vision.
As a journalist and editor, I’ve seen plenty of technology shifts over the years (including Unity and Unreal putting game-making into more hands). But to me, AI feels like a bigger paradigm shift, making natural language the interface and helping even the smallest studios iterate quickly.
With a bit of luck, the three of us can dive into what AI can and can’t do, how modern models maintain consistency, and the thorny question of copyright. What does the flood of new content mean for quality and authorship?
Drafting my questions now!
Tickets are to PGC Nordics are available here.
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