Strong interest and momentum for this year’s Sweden Game Conference

Now in its 15th year, Sweden Game Conference continues to attract both national and international attention, driving the growth of the Swedish games industry and highlighting Skövde as one of the country’s most vibrant game development hubs.

This year’s program offers nearly 40 sessions spread across two days, featuring a wide range of topics — from programming, design, and audio to game writing, marketing, community management, and leadership.

“Thursday focuses on business, while Friday is dedicated to students and the various disciplines within game development. We’re also hosting a Portfolio Review and a Career Fair, giving new talent a direct connection to studios and recruiters,” Petersson adds.

A key part of the conference is Indiecator, where nearly 20 indie developers will showcase their games for attendees to play and explore. Alongside it, Sweden Game Pitch offers an opportunity for developers to present their projects to a panel of investors and industry experts.

“These sessions give developers a real chance to connect with publishers, investors, and mentors — and to get valuable feedback that can take their projects to the next level,” says Petersson.

Game Educator Summit will also return this year, hosted at Scandic Billingen — now with an international focus thanks to the participation of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA).

“We’re delighted to welcome Heather Cole from the IGDA Game Education SIG. She’ll present IGDA’s work and, in particular, the ongoing efforts to update the global education framework for game development to better reflect today’s industry needs,” says Per Backlund, Professor at the University of Skövde.

He also highlights the importance of collaboration between academia and industry:

“We’re working hard to ensure the industry understands the value of academic education, and that universities recognize the need for cooperation. It’s equally important that research funders understand the unique conditions of this young and interdisciplinary field.”

As always, the conference concludes with two evenings of social events designed to spark new collaborations and strengthen industry connections.

“Both Thursday and Friday feature evening events for networking and celebration. On Friday night, we’ll round off the conference with the Game Awards Ceremony, recognizing talented teams in three categories: Indiecator, Sweden Game Pitch, and the Skövde Academic Game Award,” says Petersson, adding that Multiplayers will provide live musical entertainment during the awards.