An Indie Game Dev’s Guide to White Nights Moscow 2019

The last couple of months have been filled to the brim with industry talks and sessions. And with PGC Helsinki only being a couple of weeks ago, we hope you’ve had enough time to recover for the next hit event: White Nights Moscow.

If you’re attending this year and aren’t sure what talks are best for you, then read on. As usual, we’ve cherry-picked what we think will be the best sessions, all of which focus on what it takes to launch a successful mobile game.

Psst… We’re not actually at White Nights this year, but our latest industry benchmarks will be. Make sure to grab yourself a copy, or download the online version here.

Talk 1 – Closing The Loop Between Acquisition and Monetization (with Facebook)

When: 16th October 2019 (13:30 – 14:00), Blue Hall

Speaker: Kristina Lasenko, Client Partner, Mobile Gaming, EMEA at Facebook

The mobile gaming market is constantly changing, and it’s sometimes tricky keeping up, especially when there are so many areas to cover. If you’re looking for the latest industry techniques, quickly add Kristina Lasenko’s session to your calendar. She will be sharing Facebook’s insights on the game growth loop (with a focus on acquisition, monetization, and optimization).

Talk 2 – How to Choose a Prototype for Release – Analysis Based on Polysphere Case (with Playgendary)

When: 16th October 2019 (13:30 – 14:00), Green Hall

Speaker: Aleksandr Filatov, Creative Director at Playgendary

Experimenting with different prototype stages is an important step in your game’s development, but how can you tell which prototype is right for release? In this session, Alexander Filatov, Chief Creative Officer at Playgendary, will go over exactly this, while reviewing one of their most successful titles, Polysphere.

Talk 3 – How Social Elements Are Increasing In Casual Mobile Games (with GameRefinery)

When: 16th October 2019 (16:00 – 16:30), Purple Hall

Speaker: Erno Kiiski, Chief Game Analyst – US, GameRefinery

If you know anything about game development, you’ll know that adding social elements to your game is a vital part of the whole process. This feature has been used time and time again. And it’s a brilliant way to help build a sense of community for your game, and increase your retention as well as player loyalty in return.

But what about guild features (that are usually seen in mid-core games)? Well, recently, these trends are becoming common practice for many casual games as well. So in this talk, Erno Kiiski will share how this came to be, all while addressing your burning questions about this topic.

Talk 4 – Embracing Change. How Seekers Notes Evolved and Stayed in Top Grossing Charts (with MyTona)

When: 17th October 2019 (15:30 – 16:00), Blue Hall

Speaker: Diana Korkina, Business Development Manager, MyTona

How has MyTona’s Seekers Notes: Hidden Mystery (a F2P hidden object game) been able to stay on top of the charts 5 years in a row? Here, Diana Korkina will walk us through how this happened and their challenges and lessons learned from releasing this smash hit.

Talk 5 – The Rise of Hyper-Casual Gaming: a Step-by-Step Guide to Success (with Gismart)

When: 17th October 2019 (14:30 – 15:00), Green Hall

Speaker: Andrey Mikhlin, Head of Game Dev at Gismart Games

Are you thinking about starting a hyper-casual title, or are in the middle of making one? Then make sure to attend Andrey Mikhlin’s, Head of Game Development at Gismart Games, talk on Day 2. He will be presenting all the nitty-gritty details of how they built their hyper-casual game studio, as well as the rise of this niche.

That’s it from us. Sadly, we can’t make it this year, but make sure to keep an eye out for a copy of our report, which you can find sprinkled throughout the event 😊