NG22 Spring comes to a triumphant close

Nordic Game is proud to feature wrap-up coverage of NG22 Spring from media partner Marchsreiter Communications:

The Nordic Game conference came to another successful close in its nineteenth year. From 17-20 May, over 130 high-profile industry veterans spoke to a total of 2,186 registered industry representatives (424 of them online, the rest on-site), setting a new all-time record. Attendees were once again given the unique opportunity to exchange ideas with one another about the industry, new projects and their passions. Gaming peers from 77 countries provided an open and international atmosphere with everyone on the same wavelength.

Over the three days of NG22 Spring in Malmö, numerous highlights were once again on offer. One of the most interesting program segments was without question the fireside chat with Housemarque, the studio behind games such as Super Stardust HD, Resogun and Dead Nation. During the panel, game director Harry Krueger, senior narrative designer Eevi Korhonen and brand director Mikael Haveri talked about their experience developing their PS5 hit Returnal, released last year.

Developer legend Soren Johnson, known for his work on Civilization IV, spoke with game director Maxence Voleau of Paradox (Crusader Kings III) about the inclusion of characters in strategy games and what impact they have on the gameplay experience. Jesse Schell of Schell Games (Among Us VR) and Tommy Palm of Resolution Games (Demeo) had a very insightful discussion on the current state of VR games, including where they think the future of social VR games lies. A special treat was the interview with “Agent 47” (Hitman series) himself, conducted by Thomas Bense (Pixel.tv): actor David Bateson revealed how he came to play the iconic role, how it has changed over the years, and what tricks help him get into the mind of a hitman in the speaker booth.

The MeetToMatch business matchmaking at NG22 Spring was also a great success. Once again this year, many select industry companies were matched with leading investors from around the world. A total of 3,123 meetings were held with 845 attendees. 2,450 of these meetings took place on site, 673 online. At the Publisher Market, 20 publishers and investors met with 40 developers in 179 meetings, 160 of which took place in Malmö and 19 virtually.

Another highlight was of course the traditional Nordic Game Awards show. Housemarque’s Returnal was able to secure an incredible four victories. In addition to Best Game Design, Best Technology and Best Audio, the title also won the coveted Game of the Year award. In the Small Screen category, NUTS by Joon, Pol, Muuutsch, Char & Torfi from Iceland was victorious. Zoink Games won Best Art for Lost in Random. It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios beat out the competition in the Best Fun for Everyone category, while survival stalwart Valheim by Swedish Iron Gate Studios won the Best Debut Award.

The Nordic Game team would like to express its gratitude to all the visitors who made the conference an unforgettable event, the speakers and hosts who made this spring’s program unforgettable, exhibitors who filled the halls of NG22 Spring with life and the partners who supported the event so tirelessly, as well as all the sponsors who made the conference not only possible but the greatest event so far.

After these fruitful couple of days, the only thing left to do now is to wait for NG22 Autumn, which will be held in November. More information will follow soon.

Source：Jacob Riis/NordicGame