Welcome Coffee
Opening Speech
Andreea Sava & Catalin Butnariu, RGDA
Keynote: 2026 Industry Update
Shawn Foust, Fortis Gamesn
Understanding Suspense in Video Games
Andrei Nae, University of Bucharest nn My presentation looks into the role that suspense has in shaping player experience. Narrative video games traditionally rely on older media such as fiction, drama or cinema in order to narratively frame gameplay and turn playing into a diegetically suspenseful experience. In my presentation I shift the focus to a less known form of suspense, namely metasuspense. Metasuspense finds its roots in postmodernist art and engages the interpreter on material level, thus adding a new layer of engagement to suspense. Because playing a game implies a constant material interaction with the gaming platform, metasuspense can become an important design feature for game developers to explore.
Perspectives Clash: Part 1
Rami Ismail vs. Adam Boyesn nn What happens when two outspoken industry veterans from different corners of games step on stage without a moderator – and start interviewing each other? nn Join Rami Ismail and Adam Boyes for a highly interactive session where the script is loose, the questions are open, and the conversation can go anywhere. Drawing from decades of experience across development, publishing, consulting, strategy, and global industry trends, both guests will challenge each other’s perspectives, share stories from behind the scenes, debate big industry questions, and invite the audience directly into the discussion. No slides, no prepared presentations, and no predefined agenda – just honest conversations, unexpected detours, and a rare opportunity to hear two unique voices react to each other in real time.nPotentially controversial topics, audience questions, and spontaneous debate encouraged.
Lunch Break
Perspectives Clash: Part 2
Rami Ismail vs. Adam Boyesn nn What happens when two outspoken industry veterans from different corners of games step on stage without a moderator – and start interviewing each other? nn Join Rami Ismail and Adam Boyes for a highly interactive session where the script is loose, the questions are open, and the conversation can go anywhere. Drawing from decades of experience across development, publishing, consulting, strategy, and global industry trends, both guests will challenge each other’s perspectives, share stories from behind the scenes, debate big industry questions, and invite the audience directly into the discussion. No slides, no prepared presentations, and no predefined agenda – just honest conversations, unexpected detours, and a rare opportunity to hear two unique voices react to each other in real time.nPotentially controversial topics, audience questions, and spontaneous debate encouraged.
How to Market a Game When Everyone Knows How
Cristian Dina, Amber nn Everybody has advice on how to market a game. Make a better trailer. Improve the Steam page. Do more showcases. Reach out to more creators. Post more clips. Build community earlier. Run a demo. Pull the demo. Do a playtest. Go big on PR. Localize sooner. Find your niche. Find your hook. For the past year, we took a very broad approach to launch and tried almost all of it. This talk is a candid breakdown of the marketing journey behind Mexican Ninja, an upcoming action ntitle headed to Steam, PlayStation and Xbox.
Future of Learning Through Play, Culture, and Connection
Curt Fortin, Tales of Us nn In this cinematic 15-minute keynote, Creative Director Curt is joined by an unexpected co-host: Nola, a living water-being from the world of World of Us. nn Together, they guide audiences through a playful yet emotionally powerful journey into a game universe where stories restore memory, cultures become living worlds, and children learn through participation rather than instruction. nn Blending live narration, immersive visuals, gameplay, and real-world community collaborations, the presentation reveals how World of Us reimagines educational gaming as a tool for empathy, cultural understanding, and global conection. nnDesigned for industry leaders, educators, and policy makers, Curt & Nola Present: World of Us is both a product reveal and a call to rethink what learning can become. nnDoes it work for you?
Coffee Break
Praxeology: The Framework to Understand Players Motivations
Diego Ricchiuti, Focus Home & Caracal Games nn Praxeology is a well-established field that studies human action and decision-making. In this talk, we explore how praxeology can be applied to game design to better understand why players act, not just what they do. By analyzing goals, incentives, constraints, and perceived value, the framework helps designers interpret player motivation and turn behavior into clearer, more effective design decisions.
Panel: The Struggle Is Real: Indie Life in Emerging Markets in 2026
With: Jay Powell, Powell Group / Radu Ziemba, Neonhex / Theo Gavriilidis, Critical Hit / nLara Davidova, Aevica Software. Moderated by: Bobby Wertheim, Kando Factory
Dev.Play Official Party
Powered by Ambern(Expirat Club, Bucharest)
| Workshop Stage
MONDAY, JUNE 8th |
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|---|---|
| 12:00 – 13:00 |
Roundtable: Education
(Private session)
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| 14:00 – 15:00 |
Student Workshop
With:
Stefan Zamfir, Echo School |
| 16:15 – 16:45 |
Roundtable: Eastern & Southern Europe Trade Associations Meetup
(Private session)
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Welcome Coffee
AMA: Behind the Scenes of Hazelight’s Development Process (vol. 2)
Philip Martin, Hazelight nn Philip Martin returns to Dev.Play for a new edition of this open AMA session, offering another rare look behind the curtain at how games are developed at Hazelight. Known for its distinctive creative approach and highly collaborative productions, Hazelight has built a reputation for crafting memorable player experiences while following a development philosophy that often challenges conventional thinking. nn Following the success of last year’s session, Vol. 2 dives deeper into the realities of game production: team structure, creative processes, decision-making, iteration, collaboration, and lessons learned from building games at scale. nn No slides, no scripted presentation, your questions. Bring your curiosity.
Is the Games Industry Broken?
Eugen Sfirlos, Keywords Studios nn This talk challenges the gaming is broken narrative by comparing the industry’s current turbulence to transformations seen in film and music. Attendees will explore talent shifts, outsourcing trends, and the move toward ecosystem-based development. The session offers actionable insights for AAA leaders, job seekers, and partner studios navigating this new reality.
Seamless Transitions: From Gameplay to Cinematics
Igor Sobolev, Hangar 13 / Theodore Hilhorst, 2K nn Step behind the scenes of Mafia: The Old Country to discover how we built cinematic moments that flow naturally into gameplay. This session breaks down narrative, planning, design, mocap, and animation workflows to show how to keep players engaged and avoid costly pitfalls. Learn the do’s and don’ts of eliminating jarring cuts and fades - making cinematics feel like a true extension of the game world.
Panel: AI-Driven QA in Long-Running Projects
With: Stefan Seicarescu, Quantic Lab / Nicusor Cojocaru, Gameloft / Mihai Racof Pixelbowl Moderated by: Razvan Safta, Funcom
Lunch Break
Keynote: Creativity in the Age of AI: Practicing Creative Sobriety
Fawzi Mesmar, Ubisoft nn As artificial intelligence becomes an ever-present collaborator, the question is how we, asnhumans, can remain authentic in our own creativity. In this talk, Fawzi Mesmar uses his framework of creative sobriety: a method for cutting through noise, reclaiming originality, and cultivating ideas in ways no machine can. He will also explore our responsibility as creators: to ourselves, to our industry, and to the audiences we serve while confronting the creative dilemma: the truth that creativity demands vulnerability, and the courage to move forward in spite of fear. In a world where AI is everywhere, and existential threat to many crafts people is around the corner, staying true to your vision armed with authenticity is still uniquely human
The Division 2 – 7 Years Later – Evolving the Endgame
Dragos Liche, Ubisoft nn Dive into the development of the Retaliation feature in Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, a widely acclaimed live service looter shooter. nn The talk follows the feature’s journey from initial concept through its design philosophy, the challenges it aimed to solve, and the key takeaways from its development.
Coffee Break
Crawl, Walk & Run: Forget Analytics as a Culture For Now, Let’s Be Pragmatic First
Mathieu Ruiz, Funcom nn The current stance in analytics is for companies to try and develop an Analytics as a culture setting, in which everyone and every role understand the importance, and leverage the power of analytics. While this is a laudable endeavour to reach a useful outcome, it often meets the harsh reality of teams and colleagues already working at full speed on their own topics and having no time to accommodate the necessary changes in their way of working. In this presentation I will share concrete experiences based on relatable issues and try to provide pragmatic solutions in setting up first analytics in a studio.
Panel: Game Production in 2026: Building Games in an Industry Under Pressure
With: Lisa Kretschmer, IOI Interactive / Ionut Codreanu, Funcom / Mihai Sfrijan, Amber nModerated by: Mehdi Benkirane, Zenith Pirates
Closing Ceremony
Andreea Sava & Catalin Butnariu, RGDA
| Workshop Stage
TUESDAY, JUNE 9th |
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|---|---|
| 10:30 – 11:00 |
Workshop: Who Are You Building For? – A Workshop on Persona-Based Testing for Game Developers
With: Radu Posoi, Alkotech Labs
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| 12:00 – 13:00 |
Tech Workshop: The Future of Software Architecture in the Age of AI
With: Razvan Balasa, Playtika / Adrian Coman, Crowdstrike
AI is no longer a futuristic buzzword—it’s reshaping the way we build and design software today. In the past decade, machine learning has been quietly powering decisions on unstructured data. However, these solutions were often complex, requiring specialised models for narrow tasks and significant integration overhead. Fast forward to today: large language models (LLMs) have shifted the landscape. They enable us to process and interpret vast amounts of unstructured data with greater ease—but not without trade-offs, such as increasing cost and the risk of hallucinations. In this talk, we’ll explore how modern software architecture is evolving to embrace AI—not just for code generation or explanation, but as a foundational component. We’ll dive into practical examples, especially from the Java ecosystem, and cover: How to design systems leveraging LLMs effectively Techniques to reduce cost and mitigate hallucinations Strategies for scaling AI-infused applications Real-world challenges in going from prototype to production Join us to see how AI can be a first-class citizen in your software architecture—and what it takes to make it work in the real world.
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| 14:45 – 15:15 |
Student Workshop: AI in Game Development – A Magic Wand or a Poisoned Gift?
With: Alex Padure, Assist Software
AI is the new buzzword everywhere, everybody says its miraculous and its working like a charm” tasks complete by themselves, anyone can do anything without prior knowledge and the companies are earning a lot from cutting staff costs.
But it it really true for game development, a domain renowned for its creativity? Can we truly make games by simply entering some prompts? And then, who owns them? Who is liable and responsible for it?
Join us to analyze the reality, beyond smoke and mirrors, and make sure you make informed decisions!
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