Simon Parkin to host My Perfect Console live at NG27: First Speakers Announced!
Nordic Game is very excited to announce that Simon Parkin will host a series of live conversations during NG27 (25-28 May 2027) at Slagthuset in Malmö, Sweden. The sessions will be recorded for his podcast, My Perfect Console.
Parkin is the video games critic for The Observer and a long-time journalist with bylines in The New Yorker, The Guardian and The New York Times. Since 2023, My Perfect Console has become one of the largest games podcasts in the UK. Each guest is asked to choose the five video games they would immortalise on their own fictional games machine. The conversations mix those picks with career stories. Previous guests include Mark Cerny, Seamus Blackley, Alex Seropian, Harvey Smith, Josh Wardle and Nolan Bushnell. The show was named one of Vulture’s best podcasts of the year and one of Time Out’s best podcasts; The Guardian called it “endearing and insightful.” It currently reaches around 40-50.000 listens a month.
The first two guests confirmed for the NG27 series are Håkan B. Abrak and Christine Thaarup.
Hakan B. Abrak is CEO and co-owner of IO Interactive. He has spent two decades at the Copenhagen studio, rising from the production floor to lead the modern Hitman series and serve as Game Director on 007 First Light. He was central to the 2017 management buyout that returned the studio to independent ownership.
Christine Thaarup is Senior Producer at Raw Power Games in Copenhagen. She has more than two decades in the industry, including years at IO Interactive, leadership of Eidos Shanghai, and business development roles with Square Enix across London and Tokyo. Her work spans production, outsourcing, new markets and studio building across the Nordic region and beyond.
“Nordic Game has given me some wonderful memories over the years, so I’m delighted to be returning with My Perfect Console for two live episodes of the podcast,” said Simon Parkin. “Hakan Abrak and Christine Thaarup have deep experience working on some of the world’s best loved games, and best-known companies, so I can’t wait to find out which five games each would choose to preserve forever.”
These are the first names in a series of conversations with legendary developers from the Nordic games industry. The sessions will be recorded live at NG27 and released later as episodes of My Perfect Console.
Don’t miss this. Secure your NG27 pass now at nordicgame.com/registration. At the end of October, pass prices will rise again 😉
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.
Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest Nordic Game news, including updates about all our special offers.
Follow Nordic Game on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, X, and Instagram.
