Masterclass Friday: Speakers Revealed!
29 May marks the final day of NG26 Spring (26–29 May 2026) and the exciting return of Masterclass Friday, a dedicated program aimed specifically at students and indie developers. Once again, the event is hosted and curated by the experts from mentor group Mighty Diamonds, delivering a full day of high-quality masterclasses led by their experienced mentors.
All NG26 Spring passholders can attend Masterclass Friday at no extra cost. A dedicated Friday-only pass is available as well – visit https://nordicgame.com/registration to buy and register 🙂
Masterclass Speakers Revealed
We’re very happy to reveal the speakers and content of their Masterclasses. They all take place on Friday 29 May, divided in to two rounds, with Round 1 from 11:00 CEST, and Round 2 from 13:00 CEST.
ROUND 1
Christoffer Bodegård: Interactive Writing in Esoteric Ebb
Join Christoffer Bodegård as he shows off his work on Esoteric Ebb – and discusses topics surrounding interactive writing, how to maximize player agency, and designing non-linear TTRPG-like experiences in digital form.
Chris Brettman: Intuition Based Level Design
Join former Helldivers 2 Level Designer Chris Brettman on the journey of discovering your gut feeling and how it can lead to stronger outcomes in level design for your game.
Danny Perez: Your Enemies Are Boring (and how to fix them)
Most enemies fail because they’re designed as obstacles instead of experiences. Learn how to create enemies that drive player emotion, deepen gameplay, and elevate your entire game.
Will Blood: From FOMO to Fantasy: Repositioning Live-Service Monetization in Helldivers 2
This hands-on workshop introduces the ARC Design Framework, a practical method built on AUTONOMY, RELATEDNESS, and COMPETENCE – the core psychological drivers of player motivation and enjoyment.
ROUND 2
Lauren Stone: Creating Diverse Characters from comics to AAA
Lauren Stone, former Narrative Director and Clancy Narrative Specialist for Ubisoft, will walk through her career and how she was able to create diverse, memorable and relatable characters across the Tom Clancy Franchise. Participants will get a chance to test her character profile template to workshop new characters and learn how to tailor their character pitches to feel more realistic and supportive of the worlds they are creating. The session will end with an open Q&A.
Patrick Rose: The ARC Design Framework – Training to Build Standout Features
This hands-on workshop introduces the ARC Design Framework, a practical method built on AUTONOMY, RELATEDNESS, and COMPETENCE – the core psychological drivers of player motivation and enjoyment.
Johan Lundqvist: Lift Off! Elevate Your Vehicle Design
Let’s explore how to apply design language throughout the process of creating a vehicle concept. This workshop will equip you with a visual toolbox to help strengthen and elevate your work.
André Persson: The TRUTH About Investors, Publishing and Broken Player Promises
André Persson has spent 30 years in the industry working on some of the biggest and most impactful games. Learn how to design for investors, marketing and your players.
Masterclass Friday at a glance
The masterclasses will cover four key areas of game development: Design, Art, Business, and Narrative. While the workshops run, the Showcase Stage at the venue will remain open with a tailored speaker program designed especially for indies and students (program TBA).
The initial schedule for Masterclass Friday looks like this:
- 10:00 – 16:00: Showcase Stage Talks
- 11:00 – 12:30: Workshops – Round 1
- 13:00 – 14:30: Workshops – Round 2
- 16:00 – 18:00: Afterwork Fun
“Last year’s premiere of the Masterclass Friday was a great success, and we received excellent feedback from participants that we’re now using to refine and elevate the experience even further. A huge thank you to Mighty Diamonds for partnering with us again” says Nordic Game’s Program Director Jacob Riis.
It’s for everyone!
All NG26 Spring passholders can attend Masterclass Friday at no extra cost. A dedicated Friday-only pass is available as well – visit https://nordicgame.com/registration to buy and register. The Masterclass Friday is hosted and curated by our friends at Mighty Diamonds.
Join our exhibitors, sponsors and partners
Nordic Game would not be gathering the games industry in Malmö each spring without the enthusiastic participation of thousands of talented game developers from the Nordic region and across the globe for over two decades. Thank you!
We’re also tremendously grateful for the unwavering support of our exhibitors, sponsors and partners. Many of them have already signed-up for our upcoming show, but we’re always ready to welcome new partnerships.
Contact us here for some great opportunities on exhibitor, sponsor, group and partner packages for our next event and beyond.
About the Nordic Game conference
Nordic Game is the leading games conference in Europe. Gathering thousands of industry professionals in the spring each year, Nordic Game is the one and only “home turf” meeting place for the highly successful game developers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
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