Speaker Spotlight: Sam Gaglani

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

Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025 takes place on October 7th and 8th this week, bringing together more than 1,500 delegates from more than 50 countries for two days of world-class speakers, sessions, networking, and learning.

Across this 12th edition of the event, you can expect PGC's trademark array of talks, panels and seminars covering a variety of games industry topics from AI and automation, to live ops, monetisation and more.

Chairing one of the panels taking place at PGC Helsinki is Sam Gaglani, the Executive Vice President of Global Business Development and Partnerships at Xsolla.

Gaglani leads strategy and execution for enterprise partners across the global gaming ecosystem. In this role, he focuses on building and scaling partnerships with leading publishers, developers, platforms, and technology providers, helping them access new revenue streams, expand into global markets, and connect more deeply with players. He oversees Xsolla’s enterprise go-to-market initiatives, from commerce and payments to publishing and live operations solutions.

Gaglani began his career in the games industry in 2003 as an Associate Producer at Activision, where he worked on landmark titles including Tony Hawk Underground, True Crime 2, and Rome: Total War. He went on to hold senior roles at Blizzard Entertainment, where he served as Team Culture Manager on Project Titan (which ultimately became the global phenomenon Overwatch), and contributed to major franchises including World of Warcraft. Sam has also made an impact at Pandemic Studios (Mercenaries 2, The Saboteur) and Nexon (MapleStory, Combat Arms), giving him nearly two decades of experience across AAA development, live-service operations, and global publishing.

With more than 20 years of gaming and digital media experience, Gaglani brings a unique blend of creative production, cultural leadership, and business development expertise to his current role at Xsolla, where he is passionate about helping partners innovate and thrive in the evolving games industry.

We sat down with Gaglani to find out more about the fireside chat he's taking part in at PGC Helsinki and his insight into the rapidly evolving global games market.

Tell us more about the fireside chat at PGC Helsinki.

The topic is: State of the Union: The Future of D2C in Mobile Gaming

I'll be joining by Rafael Morgan (CrazyGames), Sara Thompson (Epic Games), Adam Smart (Appsflyer), and Sam Gaglani (Xsolla) for a dynamic fireside chat at PGC Helsinki. We’ll dive into the evolving world of direct-to-consumer (D2C) in mobile gaming - from the latest court rulings reshaping the ecosystem to how both indie developers and major publishers are adapting.

Expect bold insights, candid debate, and a forward-looking conversation on what’s next for players, platforms, and creators.

What’s the most common mistake you see being made in the games sector?

Thinking it's easy to make a great game.

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

Make the game fun, the rest will follow.

Where are the next big opportunities in the mobile games market?

D2C - full Stop!

What company do you most admire in the mobile games world?

Scopely.

What do you think the next big disruptor in mobile games will be?

D2C.

What is the single biggest challenge facing the mobile games industry today?

Discovery.

What’s your favourite ever mobile game?

Candy Crush.

What game has been on your phone the longest?

Wordle.

What is the most overhyped trend from the last 12 months - and why?

VR.

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

Mountain Bike.

What do you enjoy most about working in the mobile games industry?

The people.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received that you can pass on to others?

Pursue EVERYTHING 200%