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 Wed, Nov 18, 2026
 15:30 - 16:30
What We Changed Before Launching In A New Market
Sometimes entering a new market means rewriting dialogue. Sometimes it means replacing skeletons with gravestones.
What do you change when bringing your game to a new market—and what do you keep? How do you respond to different player expectations while protecting your creative vision and keeping production on track?
Join fellow developers for an informal, moderated conversation about the decisions behind reaching new audiences. From localisation and cultural context to design choices, player feedback, and launch planning, we’ll share what worked, what surprised us, and what we’d do differently.
Everyone is encouraged to contribute. Bring a challenge or a question for your peers, share your experiences, and exchange practical strategies with developers facing similar challenges—ideas you can take back to your team.
Panel Discussion
Huqiao China Hall
What We Changed Before Launching In A New Market
Itai Edry
Studio Director
Miniclip
Itai is the Studio Director leading M360, a studio group within Miniclip. He oversees the performance and growth of multiple internal studios, driving innovation and processes in new game development and maximising the success of live games. In his previous role at Miniclip, Itai formed and led the External Games studio, leading and overseeing the development of games created for Miniclip by external partners. With successful games like Ultimate Golf, Mini Football, and Baseball Clash. Itai has been with Miniclip for over 8 years. Before joining Miniclip, he pioneered the hyper-casual department at Crazy Labs and has over a decade of experience in the mobile games industry and over 17 years in the creative arts field.
What We Changed Before Launching In A New Market
Gonçalo Monteiro
Founder
Massive Galaxy Studios
Gonçalo Monteiro is the founder of Massive Galaxy Studios, a small indie studio based in Lisbon that released For The Warp, LakeSide and ARC SEED for both Steam PC and consoles.
What We Changed Before Launching In A New Market
Alex Amancio
Head of Studio
Studio Ellipsis
Alex Amancio is Head of Studio at Studio Ellipsis, a boutique interactive entertainment studio based in Lisbon, Portugal. With community at the core of its approach, Studio Ellipsis builds worlds to be discovered together, designed for long-term exploration and cross-media expansion. Prior to Studio Ellipsis, Alex founded Reflector Entertainment and served as its Chief Creative Officer, where he pioneered the creation of the Unknown 9 universe. He played a pivotal role in leading various transmedia initiatives, extending Unknown 9’s reach across multiple platforms. As a former Creative Director at Ubisoft, Alex was one of the talents behind the success of Assassin's Creed. His work on the franchise has earned him two distinct WGA nominations. He is now leading the team at Studio Ellipsis on their first announced projects which include Nightholme, a multiplayer horror hunt coming to PC, currently in development.
What We Changed Before Launching In A New Market
Tomas Sala
Creator
T.L. Sala Holding Amsterdam b.v.
Tomas started out as co-founder of Little Chicken Game Company, and spent 15 years doing work for hire, but transitioned from mid-size studio to a solodev career some 8 years ago. His first game, 'The Falconeer' was born from a severe burnout and has since spawned an entire franchise, including Bulwark and the latest addition ShipShaper. His approach is a slow build where every release is intended to build stronger foundations and cement a loyal userbase that sticks around for new updates and content. Franchise loyalty turned into stability and a more secure starting position for a solodev than hunting for virality or chart position. A long-term experiment that is still evolving but not yet running out of steam.