Hamburg, May 21, 2026, Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, with its Gamecity Hamburg initiative, has announced the speaker lineup for the second edition of Portside Game Assembly on June 25 and 26. 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.

 In their talks “Making the Games We Want to Make,” Rebecca Lautner (Landfall) and Tomas Sala (solo developer) shed light on a heated topic: how do games developed in a short time, such as the hit “PEAK” by Landfall & Aggro Crab, differ from successful long-term projects like “Falconeer”—and what connects these different approaches?

In “Know Your Audience,” Adrienne Bazir (insertdisc5) and Richard Atlas (Clever Endeavor Games) share insights on how they engage with the communities of their games, “In Stars and Time” and “Ultimate Sheep Racoon,” explaining how their titles benefit from these interactions.

Mark Cooke (Shiny Shoe) explores in “Same Same but Different – How to Make a Sequel,” how “Monster Train 2” built on the success of its predecessor by retaining the strengths of the first game, while Isra Mallén (Digital Sun) shares insights into how his studio implemented bold changes for “Moonlighter 2.” 

Three roundtables will provide a space for discussion on “Post-Launch Strategies,” “AI in Indie Development,” and “Collaborations Between Indies,” hosted by Callum Underwood (CEO of Uwu Biz), Astrid Refstrup (CEO of WINGS), and Alessandra van Otterlo (Editor at Control).
 

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

Further participating studios can be found on the Portside Game Assembly website: https://portsideassembly.com/attendees  

Tickets and Registration 

Studio heads and founders of established indie studios can register for the Portside Game Assembly conference via the registration form:

https://portsideassembly.com/registration    

The conference ticket includes access to the Opening Mixer on June 25, as well as the Networking Brunch, the conference, and the Games Industry Party on June 26, for a total of 349 euros plus fees and VAT.

Tickets for the Games Industry Party and the Networking Brunch are now available  

Developers, publishers, platform operators, indie game startups, and all games industry professionals are invited to attend the Networking Brunch and the Games Industry Party. The Networking Brunch will be held on June 26 at the “Alte Liebe” restaurant in Hamburg’s HafenCity. A ticket costs 59.50 euros plus fees and VAT.

The Games Industry Party in the evening welcomes guests starting at 7:30 pm at the second ship venue of the day: the event ship MS Stubnitz in HafenCity. Hamburg-based indie studio Overhype Studios (MENACE, Battle Brothers) is sponsoring the event and offering all participants a complimentary drink. 

Party tickets are available for 5.95 euros plus fees and VAT.

https://portsideassembly.com/tickets/

Further information at: https://portsideassembly.com