The final stretch before a game is shipped can be one of the most intense phases for QA teams. Ensuring a smooth closing process requires coordination across teams, last-minute testing, and balancing quality with tight deadlines. Join this presentation to hear about the experience of an effective closing process, and understand how QA teams can navigate the challenges of final sign-offs through the following discussions:

-            What are the key phases of the QA closing process?

-            What are some common pitfalls in the final weeks before launch -and how can we avoid or mitigate them?

- What are the collaboration priorities between QA, development and production teams in these closing processes?

Effective quality assurance goes beyond testing—it starts with structured team organization and strategic communication. This presentation explores how placing the right people in key positions fosters seamless collaboration, reduces errors and enhances overall product quality. We will dive into best practices for team structuring, role alignment,and communication frameworks that drive efficiency and innovation. Attendees will gain insights into how an optimized team dynamic leads to higher-quality outcomes in any project or organization.

Razvan Safta

Head of QA
FUNCOM

See Bio

What if building a new automation framework was more like launching a startup?

In this case study, we'll walk you through how we reimagined our regression testing automation—why we scrapped the old system, how we started with a single hypothesis, validated it and iterated from there. We'll share key lessons, challenges and our lean, agile approach to building a scalable and maintainable framework. Whether you're revamping automation or starting fresh, this session will provide insights into a more flexible and results-driven methodology.

David Popov

Software QA Engineer
Nordeus

See Bio

Luka Vuksic

Software QA Engineer
Nordeus

See Bio

There is no doubt about the importance of QA in delivering high-quality gaming experiences - and with this being one of the growing priorities for players it is really a time for QA to refine and shine. With many battling with more releases or shorter release times, plus new ways of working alongside new technology, there is a need to level up the quality process and an opportunity for QA professionals to upskill. But where to start? Join this session to answer the following questions:

-        Why is there a need for conversation on QA upskilling?

-        What technical, analytical and strategic skills can QA professionals build upon?

-        How upskilling can strengthen QA’s impact on game quality and studio-wide collaboration

-        What can we do to initiate these conversations as a manager or with our management?

Building a strong test automation framework within a game team is no small feat—it requires the right technology, the right people and a solid foundation to ensure long-term success. In this session, Romain will break down his experience step by step, from selecting the right tools to making automation valuable beyond QA. Attendees will gain practical insights on:

-        What technology is needed and available to start

-        Which people are needed to get started (and what to pay attention to when recruiting them)?

-        A blueprint on how to lay foundations, up to the point that test automation becomes useful to engineers outside of QA

Romain Gauthier

Senior Test Automation Engineer
King

See Bio

Hosted by Phrase

Localization teams operate in an environment of constant change—tight deadlines, evolving content, shifting priorities, and unexpected linguistic or cultural challenges. Leading through this chaos requires more than just technical expertise; it demands strong communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and the ability to keep teams motivated under pressure.

This session will explore the soft skills that make localization leaders effective in high-pressure situations. From managing cross-cultural teams and balancing stakeholder expectations to maintaining morale in global teams, and building a culture of trust and resilience to ensure high-quality localization.

Ekaterina Zaytseva

Senior Localisation Manager
Frontier Developments

See Bio

Every player experiences games differently—whether due to language, culture, ability, or even temporary factors like fatigue – and so as the panel title states there is no such thing as a ‘typical user’. As games become more immersive and personalised, localization leaders can be at the forefront of making sure no player is left behind. But how can studios improve accessibility, diversity and inclusion without drastically increasing costs? Join this panel to explore:

-        The evolving role of localization in personalisation and accessibility

-        How AI is being used to identify biases and refine game content

-        The unique opportunities in gaming to customise player experiences

-        Practical ways to improve readability, user accessibility and inclusivity for all players

-        Why the gaming industry must consider neurodiversity both internally and in player experience

Zuzanna Widz

Senior UX Writing & Localization Specialist
Ten Square Games S.A.

See Bio

Wojciech Ostrowicz

Localization Engineer
Cloud Imperium Games

See Bio

In this case study, Denis will walk through the development and implementation of an AI-powered solution for converting Simplified into Traditional Chinese. The session will cover the full workflow, from initial research to production deployment, highlighting key challenges and solutions. Key topics include:

-        Defining requirements and goals for the automated conversion process

-        Research phase: dataset selection, prompt engineering, and optimization

-        Integrating AI into the CMS for seamless workflow automation

-        Testing and validation to ensure linguistic and contextual accuracy

-        Implementing and monitoring the AI-powered automation in a live production environment

Denis Ivanov

Project Manager
UAB Belka Games LT

See Bio

This presentation explores the role of automation in localization, showcasing how we are transforming our localization process from a chaotic, manual workflow to an automated system focused on quality and efficiency. Using tools like speech-to-text for voiceover accuracy, translation placeholders and pipeline automation, we streamlined workflows and leveraged algorithms to optimize localization data

Waldemar (Deco) Piekarski

Localization Project Manager
CD Projekt Red

See Bio

Mariia Strilchuk

Localization Engineer
CD Projekt Red

See Bio

This session highlights the pivotal role of influencers in shaping gaming communities. Discover how to select the right partners, co-create meaningful content and use influencer collaborations to inspire and energise your player base by:

- Identifying and collaborating with influencers who align with brand and community goals

- Creating authentic campaigns that resonate with influencer audiences

- Expanding community reach and engagement through strategic partnerships

With the implementation of the Online Safety Act in 2025, the pressure is rising for trust and safety teams to ensure compliance. But how does community fit into this, and how much responsibility does a CM have for ensuring this safety and facilitating implementation of new tools?

Trust and Safety can even be within community lead responsibility, therefore demands the discussion to happen now on how we can work with compliance, legal and trust and safety teams to support implementing these safety tools. Join this presentation to learn how our presenters are tackling the trust and safety of their player online spaces, and how we can make an impact beyond regulatory compliance. 

This panel will examine the evolving role of community managers in modern gaming environments. Experts will share insights on how community managers act as key players in bridging the gap between developers and players, advocating for player needs, and maintaining engaged communities by:

-        Identifying the key responsibilities of community managers in today’s gaming landscape

-        Building strong developer-player relationships through community management

-        Managing player expectations and feedback to maintain healthy community growth

Lauren Wade

Head of Player Communications
Kolibri Games

See Bio

Dennis Abe

Community Manager
King (Activision Blizzard King)

See Bio

Fiene Ziegler

Senior Community Management Specialist
InnoGames GmbH

See Bio

As gaming communities grow, scaling support and management becomes essential. Panellists will explore strategies for maintaining high-quality player interactions and ensuring personalised community growth, while keeping in line with brand vision, by means of:

-        Scaling player support while maintaining personalised interactions

-        Addressing logistical challenges of growing community management

-        Optimising team resources to handle growing and diverse player bases

Clément Ruggeri

Senior Community Manager
NetEase Games

See Bio

The future of the industry is ours to shape. To close the event, we will bring together a wealth of knowledge through our advisory board. This session will be curated by the audience, as we will ask throughout the event for you to think of a question (or questions) or topic areas that you would like to see discussed that have not yet made it to the stage. These could range from practical to exciting future prospects, but the session aims to allow a community crafted discussion, hitting those points that might not have been addressed. Stay tuned….

The future of the industry is ours to shape, and to close the event, we will bring together a wealth of knowledge through our advisory board. This session will be curated by the audience, as we will ask throughout the event for you to think of a question (or questions) or topic areas that you would like to see discussed that have not yet made it to the stage. These could range from practical to exciting future prospects, but the session aims to allow a community crafted discussion, hitting those points that might not have been addressed. Stay tuned….