IGDA Helsinki Presents:
May Meetup with Housemarque
12.05.2026
🎉 Spring is here and so is the last IGDA Helsinki Meetup before summer!!
We are super excited for our May Meetup with Housemarque! It’s a super special event with not one but two amazing talks! Come learn about being a Technical Narrative Designer and changes in one job title, and come find out more about the Production of SAROS. Save Tuesday May 12th in your calendars and bring your best summer vibes while we celebrate together one last time before the Summer! ☀️
After May we’ll take a break for June & July and will be back again in August.
📣 Note: No pre-registration is required to join our Meetup.
WHAT:
IGDA Helsinki May Meetup with Housemarque
WHEN:
Tuesday 12.05.
Doors open at 17
Program starts at 17:45
WHERE:
Maxine, Kamppi shopping center, 6th floor (Elevators can be found on the E-floor, between Jungle Juice Bar and Rax). Note that Maxine is a 18+ venue, hence you must be 18+ years of age to attend.
PROGRAM:
What's in a Name? - Musings on becoming a 'Technical' Narrative Designer by Jana Stadeler
The first thing most people in this industry learn of each other is our job title - and changes to that title mark the major milestones of our career as much as game releases do. In this talk, Jana explores the shifts in identity that come with moving departments in the workplace, and the assumptions we often need to navigate in an industry that evolves to quickly to settle on definitions.
The Production of SAROS: A Journey through the Pipeline by Petteri Siponen
Taking a step back to look at the project’s development through a production and technical lens. A short summary of our recent wins, the hurdles we cleared, and the practical lessons learned during the build-up to our latest release.
🕹️ Wanna showcase your game at our Demo Corner and get some valuable feedback? Sign up here: https://forms.gle/hvXfPjcugaG4i1vG8
Deadline for signups is May 8th at 23:59. Note, you will need to submit a 10 - 30s gameplay video!
💬 Our Chat Corner will be open and ready for chatting! We’ll also have an AMA Session (19:00 - 20:00) with Tanja Saarentaus who works as a Publishing Producer at Remedy Entertainment. See more details of Tanja’s background further below!
What's in a Name? - Musings on becoming a 'Technical' Narrative Designer" by Jana Stadeler
The first thing most people in this industry learn of each other is our job title - and changes to that title mark the major milestones of our career as much as game releases do. In this talk, Jana explores the shifts in identity that come with moving departments in the workplace, and the assumptions we often need to navigate in an industry that evolves to quickly to settle on definitions.
Jana Stadeler - Senior Technical Narrative Designer at Housemarque
Jana Stadeler moved to Finland last year to join Housemarque on the freshly released Saros as Senior Technical Narrative Designer. She's previously worked on Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West and Fable, and specializes in "the odd mundane bits" where side characters and background populations lead simulated lives around the hero.
The Production of SAROS: A Journey through the Pipeline by Petteri Siponen
Taking a step back to look at the project’s development through a production and technical lens. A short summary of our recent wins, the hurdles we cleared, and the practical lessons learned during the build-up to our latest release.
Petteri Siponen - Acting Lead Producer at Housemarque
Petteri Siponen is the Acting Lead Producer at HMQ, where he has contributed to the studio's success for the past five years. He started his career at Rovio in 2013, successfully transitioning from QA to Lead Production. Petteri holds an M.Sc. in Software Engineering and is known for his ability to navigate complex technical environments while managing high-level production goals.
Chat Corner AMA at 19 - 20 with Tanja Saarentaus!
Tanja Saarentaus works as a Publishing Producer at Remedy Entertainment. After nearly 10 years in marketing, she decided to follow her passion and transition into the game industry and production. Tanja graduated with a degree in Game Design last year and before moving into a full-time role in the industry, she gained experience as a Production Trainee at both Metacore and Remedy Entertainment.
AMA Topics: entering the game industry, internships, studying, career transitions, marketing, production, publishing, CVs, portfolios, and dogs.
ACCESSIBILITY:
At IGDA Helsinki we strive for making our events accessible for everyone. We kindly ask all attendees to stay away from using strong perfumes or similar fragrances. The Meetups can be crowded at times, meaning that the sound volume can also become rather loud.
Maxine is wheelchair accessible. There's a few steps at the entrance, for that please ask security at the cloakroom for a ramp. Accessible toilet can be found at the back of the space.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding any type of accessibility of our Meetups, then please contact helsinki@igda.fi and we will do our best to assist you. We also have an accessibility contact present at the Meetup until 19:00. They can be found near the entrance and are ready to assist with any accessibility-related matters!
Reminder that IGDA Meetups use the THE FINNISH GAME INDUSTRY Code of Conduct!
