May 21, 2026
Portside Game Assembly 2026: Program and Speakers Announced
The program for our second edition of our Portside Game Assembly on June 25 & 26 is ready to be announced: Among others, Rebecca Lautner (Landfall, “PEAK”) and Mark Cooke (Shiny Shoe, “Monster Train”) will speak about the development of their hit titles. The conference program, which is targeted at established indie studios, focuses on fostering exchange among studio heads and founders through short talks and roundtables.
Among the speakers featured in the program are Rebecca Lautner (Landfall), solo developer Tomas Sala, Adrienne Bazir (insertdisc5), Richard Atlas (Clever Endeavor Games), Mark Cooke (Shiny Shoe), and Isra Mallén (Digital Sun). The lineup is joined by Callum Underwood (CEO of Uwu Biz), Astrid Refstrup (CEO of WINGS), and Alessandra van Otterlo (Editor at Control), who will lead the parallel roundtables.
The program is structured into several short talk blocks that address important topics in indie game development:
- “Making the Games We Want to Make” explores the spectrum between quickly developed games and long-term projects (PEAK, Falconeer)
- “Know Your Audience” focuses on community and player engagement (In Stars and Time, Ultimate Sheep Racoon)
- “Same Same but Different – How to Sequel” is dedicated to sequels and learnings (Monster Train 2, Moonlighter 2)
The program is completed by three roundtable discussions on current industry topics: Post-Launch Strategies, AI in Indie Development, and Collaborations Between Indies. These sessions provide an opportunity for in-depth discussions and exchanges among participants.
The full program and list of speakers can be found on the Portside Game Assembly website: https://portsideassembly.com/program/
Key features of the B2B conference for international indie game developers include a curated list of participants and venues, such as the MS Princess, which will be cruising through the Port of Hamburg.
A selection of the studios that have already confirmed their participation:
More than 60 studios from 13 countries have already registered for the Portside Game Assembly conference aboard the MS Princess, including:
- Amanita Design (Phonopolis, Samorost) / Czech Republic
- Bippinbits (PVKK, Dome Keeper) / Germany
- BTFL Glitch (Monster Prom) / Spain
- Crinkle Cut Games (Discounty) / Denmark
- Cybernetic Walrus (Roadside Research) / Belgium
- Digital Sun (Cataclismo, Moonlighter) / Spain
- Eremite Games (Against the Storm) / Poland
- Funday Games (Deep Rock Galactic Survivor) / Denmark
- Shiny Shoe (Monster Train 1 & 2) / USA
- Landfall (PEAK) / Sweden
- Massive Monster (Cult of the Lamb) / United Kingdom
- neoludic games (Tiny Book Shop) / Germany
- Nosebleed Interactive (Vampire Crawlers) / United Kingdom
- Overhype Studios (MENACE) / Germany
- Square Glade Games (Outbound) / Netherlands
- Studio Clever Plays (Operation: Tango, Happy Bastards) / Canada
- The Game Kitchen (Blasphemous) / Spain
- Wrong Organ (Mouth Washing) / Sweden
Tickets & Registration
Studio heads and founders of established indie studios can still register for the conference: https://portsideassembly.com/registration
Tickets for the Games Industry Party and the Networking Brunch are available:
- Networking Brunch at "Alte Liebe", June 26, 9:00 am, 59.50 euros plus fees and VAT
- Games Industry Party at MS Stubnitz, June 26, 7:30 pm, 5.95 euros plus fees and VAT (and one complimentary drink by sponsor Overhype Studios)
All Tickets available here: https://portsideassembly.com/tickets/
