Gdańsk 2024
DevGAMM Gdańsk 2024 was a memorable gamedev celebration, bringing together both familiar faces and many newcomers. With over 520 attendees from 39 countries, the event held at AmberExpo offered two days of business networking, insightful lectures, and plenty of fun. Here’s a glimpse of what went down.
LECTURES AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS
The event kicked off with a warm welcome from Mr. Piotr Grzelak, Deputy President of the city of Gdańsk, and our friends and partners from Vixa Games, setting the stage for an exciting journey ahead.
We had the privilege of hosting 53 top speakers, each sharing their expertise across 12 engaging tracks.
Demystifying Creativity 🎤 Fawzi Mesmar, Ubisoft
How To Pitch Games (in 2024) 🎤 Alex Nichiporchik, tinyBuild
Switch Helter-Skelter, The Scary Story of FNAF Porting 🎤 Katleen Evers, Pingle
Level Design in Disney Speedstorm 🎤 Ismael Gelabert, Gameloft
Creative Vision vs. Game Production 🎤 Rami Ismail
plus, panel discussions on VR, M&A trends in gamedev, and the future of AI in games…
That’s just the tip of an iceberg! All lectures took place in three locations: the Scorewarrior Hall, the Epic Games Hall, and the tinyBuild Hall.
Session recordings will be uploaded to our YouTube channel in the coming months. Be sure to subscribe to the DevGAMM channel so you don’t miss out!
Games
This time, we’ve received an impressive number of over 280 game submissions! And the excitement continued as attendees had the opportunity to explore 30 games at the Game Showcase, sponsored by Forever Entertainment and Forever Seed Fund. There was even a submarine! Check out the full list of showcased games here.
For the second year in a row, the Digital Vikings Awards reached its climax on the DevGAMM stage. Bang-On Balls: Chronicles by Exit Plan Games claimed the title of Best Indie Game of 2023.
The ceremony was broadcast live on YouTube, allowing thousands of people who couldn’t make it to Gdańsk to witness the excitement.
Not only that, but the ceremony was also streamed on the Baltic Showcase page on Steam. This collaborative event by DevGAMM and Digital Vikings brought together over 100 games from the region and was featured by Valve on the front page of Steam. All in all, the event got over 2.4 million impressions!
Sponsored by Xsolla, Public Pitch made its comeback in Gdańsk, allowing five game developers to test their pitch decks in front of the esteemed jury panel, including:
- Alex Nichiporchik from tinyBuild
- Marcin Chyliński from Forever Seed Fund
- Jane Startseva from Xsolla
The one and only Rami Ismail hosted this fun activity, and the Bladesong by David Kuri was crowned as the winner.
To spice things up, Game Roast made a comeback to Gdańsk, challenging the classical approach to games. Game experts roasted games while developers had only a minute to defend them. The audience chose their favorites from each couple, and the loser had to drink the weirdest cocktail mixed on stage.
Our expert roasters for this madness were Sos Sosowski, Rami Ismail, Dino Patti, and Michael Kuzmin, with master roaster Alex Nichiporchik hosting the show. Things went out of control when the lights turned off during Rami’s roast. However, everyone survived, even those who had to drink their cocktails.
Networking
Attendees were incredibly busy and scheduled 741 meetings via the PINE meeting system, sponsored by Archibaldi Studio.
Additionally, holders of BUSINESS tickets had access to the Business Lounge, sponsored by Mobihunter. This area featured extra comfortable seats and additional catering options
The Business Lounge also hosted DevGAMM’s traditional Roundtable discussions. Held on the first day, the three streams allowed up to 8 attendees at each table to discuss perspectives in the gaming Industry, layoffs, and navigating a game industry in distress – privately and with no media coverage.
The Expo Area was the prime spot for connecting with sponsor companies. Vixa Games, tinyBuild, QS Games, Swag 42, Alconost, Boombit, Futuregames, Digital Care, NIKO Firm, and others were on hand to engage with attendees and host special activities at their booths.
DevGAMM Quest, sponsored by Belka Games, offered attendees additional incentives to visit sponsor companies. By completing tasks, participants could collect stamps. Once all stamps were collected, participants had the opportunity to enter the quest raffle.
This time, 175 attendees participated in the quest, with 8 lucky winners taking home prizes such as a PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, JBL speaker, and other cool items.
Career Hub served as the meeting point for job-seekers and employers. Carefully curated by our partners at inGame Job and Values Value, this spot was particularly popular among attendees who took advantage of the special offer for job seekers.
PARTIES & FUN
Sponsored by Scorewarrior, the Main Party welcomed attendees with all ticket types. Located in the heart of the Old City, the evening was a true celebration of gamedev, featuring informal networking and even some dancing!
The Brunch by Epic Games on the second day of the event offered invited guests a chance to experience traditional Polish cuisine while mingling in the beautiful city of Gdańsk.
The Bye-Bye Mingle, sponsored by AmberExpo, served as the final chord of the conference. With beer in hand, attendees bid farewell to old and new friends, sharing hugs and promising to meet again at the next DevGAMM. It was the perfect ending to two productive days at the event!
For more photos, please visit our Facebook page. Make sure to tag your friends and colleagues!
We’d like to take a moment to thank all the sponsors and conference partners.
Platinum Sponsor
Scorewarrior, Epic Games (Unreal Engine), tinyBuild, Vixa Games
Gold Sponsor
QS Games, Poki, Sticker Mule
Silver Sponsor
Boombit, Alconost, Swag42, Digital care, Bossa, devtodev, Edvice, Papaya
Special Sponsor
Belka Games, Easybrain, Xsolla, Xsolla Funding, Mobihunter, Archibaldi Studio, Futuregames, Megamod, AMD, Forever Entertainment, Forever Seed Fund, Logitech
We thank all the speakers, our amazing volunteers, partners and friends who made the second edition of DevGAMM in Gdańsk so special. Thanks for joining!
Coming up next!
DevGAMM Vilnius 2024 returns with an exciting new format this June! Stay updated by following DevGAMM on social media and subscribing to our newsletter. Be among the first to grab the Super Early Bird tickets!
