Pocket Gamer Connects Returns to Helsinki

Pocket Gamer Connects returns to Helsinki on October 7–8, 2025, at Wanha Satama. This two-day event is a cornerstone of Finnish Games Week, and one of the most important international gatherings in our industry calendar.

Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki will bring together 1,500+ games industry professionals for unmatched networking, expert insights, and meaningful collaboration. The event boasts a high-quality crowd, with 70% of attendees being game developers and half of them founders or C-level leaders. The powerful MeetToMatch platform ensures you can schedule meetings with key decision-makers in advance.

The conference features 150+ speakers covering a wide range of topics, from mobile and PC/console development to XR, web3, and AI. True to the spirit of our global games community, the event blends professional depth with a friendly, informal atmosphere.

Attendees can also take part in curated side events like Investor Connector, Publisher SpeedMatch, The Very Big Indie Pitch, and the legendary Global Connects Party—all designed to support new connections and business opportunities.

Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki is part of Finnish Games Week 2025, a week-long series of industry events in Helsinki, with the Leadership Day by IGDA Finland and W Love Games, alongside our Big Screen Gaming Summit, forming its core.

Learn more about Finnish Games Week here:
https://www.pgconnects.com/helsinki/finnish-games-week/

Register for Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki:
https://www.pgconnects.com/helsinki/registration/

IGDA Finland members get 20% when using promo code: IGDAFinland20 (automatically applied in this link)

DevGAMM Awards returns with a $130K prize pool

The DevGAMM Awards are back with its annual edition in Lisbon to support indie devs and small studios. The prize pool is currently $130k and growing. Plus, enjoy additional sponsor nominations and invaluable feedback from industry pros on the jury. 

Participation is free, and all you need to have is a playable build. The main criteria: your game must be unreleased or launched after November 2024. 

Nominees will be invited to the final ceremony at DevGAMM Lisbon on November 7, where winners in 11 categories will be revealed. Let’s support the future game legends! 🌟

⏰ Apply by September 30 and explore other game activities at the conference in Lisbon: https://devgamm.fillout.com/games2025

Learn more: https://devgamm.com/awards2025/

GG Summer Conference in Odesa

Games Gathering has announced that their annual summer conference will take place on June 28, 2025 in Odesa.

This one-day conference aims to offer a cozy networking. This event will be entirely offline. So all the presentations will be given locally.

🎮 lectures from top gamedev experts 
🤝 networking 
🎯 activities, job offers, and competitions 
💛 charity initiatives 
🎉 a closing party to wrap it all up

Speaker applications are open until June 15.

Visit the conference website for more information and register to attend.

devcom Scholarship Application

IGDA has partnered for a second year with devcom to aid in their Scholarship program! This initiative is dedicated to enhancing inclusivity and diversity within the video game industry by reducing some of the barriers and helping them make the most of their time in Cologne, Germany.

We are accepting applications for both an in-person program, as well as a virtual program. For in person, please note that the individual will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs to attend the event. Please note we have limited spots available, so we recommend you are as descriptive as possible in your answers!

Applications will close Friday, 6 June, 2025 at 11:59pm PT.

💥Apply now: https://loom.ly/HL0U8tY

NOTE: Finnish members can look up their membership numbers by going to https://emmi.igda.fi/card/ and entering their e-mail address. EMMI will e-mail a link to where you can view it. If you have any questions contact us at members (at) igda (dot) fi.

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

On May 13th, 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, Daria Bokovaya, who has actively contributed to the reawakening and refinement of the Chat Corner concept, and continues that humble and impactful work even today.

The second category was the Lifetime Award, which recognizes long-term dedication and contributions to our community. This year, the award was presented to Christopher Hamilton, who has been with us for many years and continues to make incredible events like Leadership Day and Finnish Games Week possible.

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

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Also a big congrats to the rest of all the winners:
Mainframe Industries for winning the Finnish Game of the Year 2024 award with the game Pax Dei.
Makea Games for taking the second place with the game Supermoves.
Fingersoft / LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, Ranela Games Oy / Finnish Cottage Simulator and Supercell / Squad Busters for placing third.
Ilkka Paananen for receiving the Power Player of the Year 2024 award.
Hanki Games Oy for being the Rookie of the Year 2024.
Ranela Games Oy / Finnish Cottage Simulator for winning the Excellence Award for best indie game awarded by W Love Games
Ali İrdiren for becoming the Jampion of the Year, awarded by Finnish Game Jam
Team Scavenger for winning the Bit1 Student Game Competition 2025, with their game Spaceship Scavenger.

The full game awards ceremony can be watched from Youtube.