GG Bavaria
Business Day 2026:
Program

AI hype, mass redundancies, crunch, exploding budgets on the one hand and struggling publishers (do we even need them anymore?) on the other. Currently there’s a great deal of uncertainty among game developers as to where the journey will take us – and the question hovering over everything: have we maybe reached the end of the road?

With almost 35 years of experience as a producer, I have certainly not seen everything, but I’ve seen a lot – and faced many highs and lows. Especially at a time like today, when the games industry – it seems – is going through a particularly deep valley again, it can sometimes be important, and perhaps also comforting, to look at the things that have never changed despite all the evolutions and revolutions.

What are the constants that characterise game development and that the experienced and successful studios and teams all over the world in particular can fall back on and rely on? What are the certainties and golden rules, both on the production side and in the creative process, that outlast all storms?

In my talk, I would like to share my experience of what has never really changed in an industry that is probably changing faster and is subject to more constant change than any other comparable sector. Because sometimes, especially in times like these, it can be both encouraging and motivating to focus on the clear and immovable things that have always and will always define our passion – the creation of interactive art.

This session explores how remote control productions has evolved from a Munich-based independent production house, founded in 2005, into a long-term business partner for game studios through strategic guidance, dealmaking, and tailored support across areas such as business development, finance, HR, production, and representation.

Aimed at studio founders, executives, producers, publishers, investors, and ecosystem builders, the talk will unpack how trusted collaboration, selective services, and thought leadership can help creative teams stay focused on making games while building sustainable growth. Attendees will leave with practical insights into partnership models that create value beyond funding alone, strengthen studio resilience, and contribute to a healthier games ecosystem.

Game art schools and creative programs aim to prepare students for the realities of the games industry. But in doing so, they often unintentionally reproduce the very habits many studios are trying to move beyond: overwork, passion-driven self-exploitation, and constant productivity pressure.

Based on a research project including interviews with educators and students, this talk examines how these norms become part of a hidden curriculum, reinforced through project structures, visibility pressures on platforms like ArtStation, and the normalization of “crunch” as professional preparation.

The session introduces key mechanisms behind these learning cultures and outlines concrete principles for change, including shifting from performance to sustainability, rethinking assessment and timelines, and positioning educators as protectors rather than gatekeepers. It concludes with practical takeaways for educators, emerging teams, and studio leads on how to build healthier creative environments without sacrificing ambition or excellence.

Hierarchy is a legacy system & community is the future. Join Laura, an IT Strategist at BMW and former top-tier BDO Raid Lead, as she explores the intersection of gaming, psychology, and corporate leadership. Learn how to translate the mechanics of high-performance gaming into “Heart-ware” for the corporate world. Whether you’re leading a guild or a global department, it’s time to stop playing solo and start mastering the multiplayer game of work. GG guaranteed.

Game development moves fast — legal clarity often doesn’t. Many studios only recognize critical legal risks when it is already too late: unclear IP ownership within the team, informal assumptions about “who owns the idea,” missing contributor agreements, problematic contract clauses, or overlooked open-source obligations.

This interactive roundtable invites developers and founders to openly discuss situations where legal issues surfaced late — or could have. Through practical examples and shared experiences, we will identify recurring risk patterns, challenge common misconceptions, and develop pragmatic strategies to prevent small oversights from becoming major business problems.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own questions, concerns, and “near-miss” moments. The goal is simple: turn hard lessons into clear, actionable golden rules for future projects.

In this workshop, I introduce current scientific models from psychology that explain how in-game engagement and in-game monetization work.

Rather than staying purely theoretical, we use these models as a framework to collaboratively develop and critically discuss one or more best practice examples. Participants leave with both a solid conceptual understanding and concrete takeaways they can apply in their own professional or research context.