IGDA Finland Presented Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards at Finnish Game Awards

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On the 21th of May, we celebrated the Finnish Game Awards alongside Neogames and Suomen Pelinkehittäjät ry, with awards presented in two categories this year.

The first category was the IGDA Volunteer of the Year. This award was given to our amazing volunteer, Joni Paasikivi, your dedication to community building and bringing amazing old CRT TVs to the venue every Sunday has created a welcoming space where people can connect, have fun, and feel included.

Thank you for helping bring our community together.

The second category was the Lifetime Award, which recognizes long-term dedication and contributions to our community. This year, the award was presented to Emma Von Munthe Af Morgenstierne Vantaa, for their dedication to keeping our website up to date, managing our social media, and ensuring our community stays informed about events across Finland.

Thank you both for your invaluable contributions, IGDA Finland is truly lucky to have you among us!

Also a big congrats to the rest of all the winners:
W Love Games Excellence Award 2025: Paradigm Island (End-all Entertainment)
Bit1 Game Competition 2026: My Tennis Apocalypse (Dappal Interactive)
Jampion of the Year 2025: Noora Archer
Best IP Expansion 2025: Cities: Skylines II (Colossal Order)
Rookie of the Year 2025: Kokoon Games
Power Player of the Year 2025: Valtteri ”Wanda” Lahti
Business Excellence Award 2025: Clash Royale (Supercell)
Best Creative Achievement of the Year 2025: Sektori (Kimmo Factor)
Finnish Game of the Year 2025: The Last Caretaker (Channel37)

And thank you Neogames and Suomen Pelinkehittäjät ry, for yearly organizing the Finnish Game Awards!

Photo’s taken by Katariina Salmi

Get 20% off your PGC Barcelona Tickets

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Pocket Gamer Connects returns to Barcelona on June 15–16, 2026, with a conference that is bigger, sharper, and more focused on where the games industry is heading next. Alongside 1,000+ professionals, 100+ speakers, and 14 content tracks, this year introduces two major new pillars shaping the future of games:

  • The AI Gamechangers Summit — a dedicated deep dive into how AI is transforming development, monetisation, and growth across the industry.

  • The App Summit by FastSpring — exploring how games and apps are converging, sharing strategies for user acquisition and revenue.

The event also scales up what matters:

  • The largest Big Indie Zone yet, showcasing emerging talent and new IP

  • An expanded Careers Zone, connecting studios with the next generation of talent

  • Aurora, spotlighting women leading change across the European games ecosystem

From structured matchmaking and investor meetups to expo networking and evening events, PGC Barcelona is designed for one thing: real business outcomes.

Join the global games industry where ideas turn into partnerships and partnerships turn into growth.

IGDA Finland members get 20% off using promocode: IGDAFIN-BCN

Secure your pass: https://www.pgconnects.com/barcelona/registration/

Leadership Day 2026: Call for Speakers

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Save the date: Leadership Day by IGDA Finland is kicking off Finnish Games Week on October 19, 2026. Join us in Helsinki as we discuss the future of game development. 

Like previous years, we’re looking for amazing speakers from across the industry to talk about leadership as the games industry navigates challenges and disruptions caused by layoffs, AI and other factors. 

This is your chance to:

Inspire and educate: Offer often overlooked insights into building better companies, teams, and working cultures.
Connect with leaders: Engage with industry professionals and build lasting relationships.
Shape the conversation: Share your unique perspective on key leadership challenges and opportunities.

Leadership Day by IGDA Finland is an international event about how we build companies, teams and working cultures to build better games. 

Some of the topics we’d love to cover this year include:
🌐 Community building and management
🚨 Conflict resolution
💼 Optimizing investor/publisher relations 
📋 Optimizing work with externals/outsourcing 
👥 Techniques on running teams and companies
And any topic related to leading companies/teams that you are passionate about. 

⏱️Submissions are due Friday, June 5th.

Apply now to become a speaker:
https://www.igda.fi/leadership-day#call-for-speakers

You can also watch last year’s talks here:
https://www.igda.fi/leadership-day-2025 

Join gamescom dev in 2026

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🔹 Key Updates: 

🎤 First speakers announced 
We're happy to reveal the first program details for our major conference in August!   
See confirmed speakers from Sucker Punch Productions, Riot Games, Compulsion Games and many more: https://dev.gamescom.global/conference/program/     

🎮 Call for Indies – Showcase Your Game! Apply by May 8 
Enter your project now for a shot at being one of 24 indie teams selected to secure a sponsored booth at gamescom dev for only 299 €. 
Find out more: https://dev.gamescom.global/conference/indies/ 

🎓 Scholarship program - Partner Applications open until May 28 
Support diverse and underrepresented game developers by becoming a scholarship partner. Help bring new talent to gamescom dev & gamescom: https://dev.gamescom.global/conference/scholarship-program/ 

▶️ Find out more and get your tickets now! 

Get 20% off your PGC Malmö Summit Tickets

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Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Malmö x MeetToMatch powered by Xsolla takes place May 27–28, bringing a new, networking-first games industry event to Sweden.

Purpose-built around meetings and matchmaking, this two-day summit connects publishers, investors, and service providers directly with game developers in a focused, deal-driven environment.

Day 1 features structured matchmaking sessions and the Very Big Indie Pitch competition, while Day 2 delivers expert-led conference insight across global trends, monetisation, growth strategies, and real-world game maker case studies, all alongside continuous networking.

If your priority is making the right connections, this is where the industry meets to do just that.

IGDA Finland members get 20% off using promocode: IGDAFIN-MAL

Secure your pass now: https://www.pgconnects.com/malmo/registration/