IGDA Helsinki May Meetup
IGDA Helsinki Presents:
May Meetup with Metacore
06.05.2025
Get ready for the last IGDA Helsinki Meetup before summer break! 💃
We’ve teamed up with Metacore for a special fireside chat with Audio Lead Sam Hughes and Composer Salla Hakkola, focused on the game music of Merge Mansion. We also have Olli Uikkanen and Christelle Mas presenting “Oceanaia - Bloom of Synthesis” - their project about artistic aquatic ecosystem simulation. Check out below for more details, and see you at Maxine!👋
📣 Note: No pre-registration is required to join our Meetup.
WHAT:
IGDA Helsinki May Meetup with Metacore
WHEN:
Tuesday 06.05.
Doors open at 17:00
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:
Game Audio Spotlight: The Music of Merge Mansion with Sam Hughes, Audio Lead at Metacore, and Salla Hakkola, Composer for Merge Mansion.
Presentation on artistic aquatic ecosystem simulation Oceanaia – Bloom of Synthesis by Olli Uikkanen and Christelle Mas.
Wanna showcase your game at our Demo Corner and get some valuable feedback? Sign up here. 🎮
At Chat Corner, we're excited to host an AMA session with Aki Kanerva from 19:30 to 20:30. 💬
Fireside chat
Game Audio Spotlight: The Music of Merge Mansion - Sound on! Tune in for a fireside chat where game audio takes center stage. Sam Hughes, Audio Lead at Metacore, and Salla Hakkola, Composer for Merge Mansion, will share insights into their collaboration: crafting the game’s original soundtrack, their current workflows and key milestones, as well as a sneak peek at what the future holds for Merge Mansion’s music.
Speakers
Salla Hakkola
An award winning harpist-composer and performance artist focusing in Game & Film music and experimental electric harpism. She worked as a composer and music consultant at Rovio Entertainment in 2011-1019, and her recent works include soundtracks for Clash of Clans and Merge Mansion, to name a few. She has worked with ensembles ranging from top symphony orchestras (Helsinki Philharmonic, Avanti!, Seattle Symphony Orchestra) and contemporary chamber groups to jazz and indie-pop combos. Hakkola won the best soundtrack prize in Game Audio Awards 2016 (the Fruit Nibblers by Rovio), the NYX Game Awards 2023 the Best Music in Mobile (Merge Mansion by Metacore), and NYX Game Awards 2023 for the Best Original Game Soundtrack (Friends & Dragons by Playsome).
Sam Hughes
Metacore's Audio Lead and a BAFTA-winning Sound Designer. Since joining Metacore, he has built the company’s audio department from the ground up, leading the creation of award-winning soundtracks for the global hit Merge Mansion. With an extensive career in the gaming industry, Sam has contributed to AAA titles before transitioning to mobile game development. His recent projects include Alan Wake II, Control, and Crossfire X.
Christelle Mas and Olli Uikkanen will talk about their artistic ecosystem simulation, Oceanaia – Bloom of Synthesis, which premieres this summer at interactive space Kuutio in Helsinki Central Library Oodi. The presentation will include practical insights on collaborating with Oodi, such as how to contact the library to secure exhibition space, an overview of the available interactive spaces, and technical details relevant for developing interactive content specifically for these environments.
"Art Game Oceanaia - Bloom of Synthesis" is an Artistic ecosystem simulation set in a futuristic ocean planet setting blending visual art, science, and technology, designed for two formats: Exhibition version featuring interactive touchscreens, videos, and projections and a Personal version that people can run on their computers to interact with the ecosystem at their leisure. The game aims to simulate believable and at the same time futuristic and sustainable marine ecosystems. Through its needs-based behavioral simulation, it offers a glimpse into what well-being could look like for beings living in the far future. The project is multidisciplinary, combining visual arts, digital media, and scientific data. It integrates photography, video game design, and scientific exploration
Olli Uikkanen is a Finnish game designer, currently based in Finland and a member of M-Cult. He is a passionate and skilled game designer with over seven years of experience in game development, including three years as a full-time professional freelancer. Specializing in combat systems, emergent narratives, and game mechanics, Olli has worked on multiple successful projects, including commercial games on Roblox and contract work for YAHAHA. He has earned multiple game jam awards. With expertise in system design, level design, UI/UX, programming, and animation, Olli continues to push the boundaries of interactive experiences.
Christelle Mas is a French photographer and mixed media artist based in Finland. Her work explores the human connection to technology and other species, focusing on themes of species co-existence and human interaction with technology in utopian future scenarios and alternative fictions. Her creative process merges scientific and artistic methodologies through numerous interdisciplinary collaborations, using soft materials, installations, videos, interactive video game, and photography. Christelle Mas has a Master of Arts degree and a Bachelor’s degree in the Philosophy of art from the University of Sorbonne in Paris. She has displayed her work in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Finland and internationally (Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, France, Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, Spain). Mas is a member of the Bioart Society, M-Cult (Agency for media arts and digital culture) and the Association of Photographic Artists in Finland.
Christelle and Olli invite you to join a preview event on Thursday May 15th from 16:30 to 19:30 at Oodi, the Central Library of Helsinki, to exclusively test the game before the exhibition opens. The event will take place on the second floor, in the interactive space "Kuutio."
At Chat Corner, we’re excited to host an AMA session with Aki Kanerva from 19:30 to 20:30. Aki (he/they) is a veteran indie developer, expert generalist, wearer of all the hats, and game startup mentor in LGIN and other incubators. He founded Virtual Air Guitar Company in 2006 and is currently CTO at Psyon Games. He speaks and translates people, processes, code, business, and marketing.
AMA topics to ask about from Aki: entrepreneurship, game design, Unity, production, company processes, leadership, motion games, applied (health) games, mentorship and support resources, DevOps.
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.
Reminder that IGDA Meetups use the THE FINNISH GAME INDUSTRY Code of Conduct!
