Talks — Games Gathering 2025 Kyiv

74 talks by day of the programme, 70 of them with a video recording.

27 November 2025

11:00–12:00 Video GDD in AAA Ostap Dovbush · Ubisoft, Senior Game Designer
11:00–12:00 Video From local aesthetics to global space: visual design for the Western market Tetyana Bulba · Titmouse, Background painter/ layout artist
11:00–12:00 Video Cursor for Unity Developers: My Workflow with an AI Assistant Ihor Zhurakovskyi · Unity Developer
11:00–12:00 Video How We Turned a Sticky Note Into $2,000,000 (and counting) Arnold Nesis · Capricia Productions, CEO
12:00–13:00 Video How Can Gaming Help Refugees: A UNHCR Initiative Petar Dimitrov · UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency, Associate Innovation Officer
12:00–13:00 Video From Artist to Producer — The Strategic Path to Impact Kateryna Kryshchenko · Nordic Game/ BitFire DK, Producer
12:00–13:00 Video How Narrative Can Save or Ruin Your Game Iryna Melnychenko · Blue Scarab Entertainment, Narrative Director
12:00–13:00 Video Game Analyst and AI agents: how to improve co-creation? Roman Povzyk · Burny Games, Product Analyst
13:00–14:00 Video Game design in a post-AI world: how new technologies are changing the player experience Nazar Dyachuk · Fiery Leopards, Owner
13:00–14:00 Video LD: Building the World of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Artem Nor · GSC Game World, Lead Level Designer
13:00–14:00 Video Inclusive and Optimized VFX in Unreal Engine: Real Production Solutions from South of Midnigh Petro Kosarekov · Compulsion Games, Senior VFX Artist
13:00–14:00 Video Discussion Panel “The Big Talk on Publishing: The Power of Partnerships in Game Development” Discussion Panel “The Big Talk on Publishing: The Power of Partnerships in Game Development” · TBA
15:00–16:00 Video A New Reality: Legal Risks of AI Integration in Game Development Serhiy Barbashyn · Barbashyn Law Firm, Managing partner
15:00–16:00 Video Navigating the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Yehor Ostapenko · GSC Game World, Game Designer
15:00–16:00 Video Designing Immortal Games Mykhailo Kotys · Maya Gameworks, CEO
15:00–16:00 Less fantasy: design within reality Yuriy Ostapchuk · Freelance Concept Artis Concept Artis
16:00–17:00 Video Beyond Three Acts: The Future of Game Narrative Ranko Trifkovic · Red Viking Academy, Owner
16:00–17:00 GameDev in the world of esports: designing a game that engages both players and viewers, the Rainbow Six: Siege example Oleksandr Samoylenko · Maincast (Ubisoft Media Production Team «OBLOGA»), Lead Caster/Analyst
16:00–17:00 A survival guide for artists: an honest look at careers in the age of AI Vita Shapovalenko · Freelance artist
16:00–16:30 Video 10 mistakes most project managers make Stacey Yamkova · Creatio, Delivery Assurance Lead
16:30–17:00 Video The Formula for Successful Creatives: ASMR, Trash, AI, and a Little Bit of Magic Yaroslav Matviy · Knopa Studio, Founder / Creative Producer
17:00–17:30 Video How to get international allies for your studio and ecosystem Javier Rayón · IPA - Trade Body of the Hispanic Industry, CEO
17:00–18:00 Video The Future of the 3D Environment Artist in the Age of AI: How the Profession Is Changing and What You Should Do Right Now Yuliia Yermolaieva · Peloton, 3D Environment Artist/ Technical Artist
17:00–18:00 Video How My Experience in Games Helped Me in Service Richard Pidruchniak · 9th SBS Brigade, External Pilot

29 November 2025

11:00–11:30 Video Presentation of the new Wacom tablet Andriy Roshcha
11:00–12:00 Video Everything is fine: how to overcome daily work chaos Zariana Nikolaeva · The Mill Adventure, Technical Compliance Manager
11:00–12:00 Video HUD flexibility in Assassin's Creed Shadows Serhii Todosan · Ubisoft Ukraine, Assoc. Lead Game Designer
11:00–12:00 Video Product Call with a Potential Client Yevheniy Lohinov · Stepico, Head of Production
11:30–12:00 Video Not Like Everyone Else: A Survival Guide for Indie Games Alla Murkit · Crabix LTD, 2D Artist Generalist, Concept Artist
12:00–13:00 Video What will people think of me if I use artificial intelligence? Helen Ilnytska · Freelance, Concept artist
12:00–13:00 Video Time Management: Truth or Myth? Oleksandra Derevytska · eleks, manual qa
12:00–13:00 Video Why are we afraid of horrors but continue to play them? Anton Tkachenko · Narrative designer
12:00–13:00 Video Colorwood Words: the Ukrainian game that conquered the App Store Olga Tarasova · Burny Games, Head of UA
13:00–14:00 Video Rainbow Six Siege: 10 Years Strong in the World of AAA Shooters Yevhenia Honchar · Ubisoft, Producer
13:00–14:00 Video Twigames: 10 Years of Blood, Sweat, and Pixels Valerii Minenko · Twigames, Founder
13:00–14:00 Video The AI Transformation Path: From Idea to Integration Anna Kolodiyska, Dmytro Kabytskyi · AB-games | AI Creative Director, AI Art Developer
13:00–14:00 Video Armed Forces in Game Dev and Game Dev in the Armed Forces Oleh Petrovsky · GDA, Lead project manager
15:00–16:00 Video Anatomy of the creative process Beata Kurkul · GrandMa Studios, Art Director
15:00–16:00 Video Ethical and Methodological Challenges in Developing Games on Difficult Topics Andriy Mochurad · Igrolad, Co-founder of the studio "Igrolad"
15:00–16:00 Video Gamedev and Miltech: how game developers are becoming an important link in global security Vladyslav Fomenko · Developer of the military drone simulation Remote Reaper: FPV Drone
15:00–16:00 Video Why the DSNS × S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Case Became a Communication Breakthrough and What Developers Can Learn from It Serhiy Artemenko · Rockets. Growth R&D, Creative Director
16:00–17:00 Video How a concept artist can stop being afraid of AI and create their own game world Serhii Yurko · Senior Concept Artist
16:00–17:00 Video The Legal Side of Publishing: How to Sign Deals with Publishers Without Losing Control of Your Game Valery Stalirov · Stalirov&Co, CEO
16:00–16:30 Video Nostalgia as a Tool in Narrative Design Kseniya Yermakova · Gameloft, Narrative Designer
16:00–17:00 Video Researching Russian Propaganda in Video Games Denys Horokhovskyy · IA “Ukrainian News”, Editor-in-Chief
16:30–17:00 Video Tap to Win: Why the Future of UA is Interactive Svitlana Matlay · Unity, Design Team Lead & Creative Consultant
17:00–18:00 Video “We’re burning, but it’s beautiful”: when the art team’s perfectionism collides with deadlines Iryna Shcherbyna · Smart Project, Art Director
17:00–18:00 Video A PM Approach to Community Building: How We Grew the Most Famous Hearthstone Community Oleksiy Maksymenko · Stepico, Senior Project Manager
17:00–18:00 Video A Epochal Shift in Gaming: What Comes After Shooters? Vladyslav Plaksin · Drone Fight Group, Co-founder
17:00–18:00 Video Panel Discussion: “Tool or Threat: Artists in the Arena with AI” Panel Discussion: “Tool or Threat: Artists in the Arena with AI” · Moderator: Serhiy Yegorov, (Room8Studio, Creative & tech Director) Speakers: Beata Kurkul (GrandMa Studios, Art Director); Helen Ilnytska (Concept artist), Serhiy Yurko (Senior Concept Artist)

30 November 2025

11:00–12:00 Video It all starts with a cube Vasyl Marchuk · Wooden Sword games, 3D Artist
11:00–12:00 Video How we create gameplay videos for AAA games: from idea to release + working life hacks Rostyslav Kompaniiets · Wargaming Kyiv, Video Producer
11:00–12:00 Video Conclusions from 6+ years in GameDev in HR Maryna Mirkina · Twin Win Games, Head of HR
11:00–12:00 Video AI Toolkit: a game-changing set of tools! Oleksandra Pendyur · Unity Developer, Founder of AI Clubs
12:00–13:00 Video How Sound Helps You Stop Surviving and Start Living in the Zone of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Valeriy Khilobok · GSC GameWorld, Sound Designer
12:00–13:00 Video How Not to Redo Everything: Setting Up Art Production in Mech Arena Kateryna Karmazina · Plarium, Art Manager
12:00–13:00 Video What a Recruiter Really Wants to Hear: Insights and Common Candidate Mistakes Alyona Tarasova · QS Games, Recruiter
12:00–13:00 Video On Games as the Next Stage of Art After Theatre and Cinema Tamara Dovhych · Kyiv Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema of Ukraine, Head of the Film Department
13:00–14:00 Video 5 Sculpting Principles That Will Make Your 3D Models Better Oleksandr Maksymchuk · Room 8 Studio, Stylized 3D Character Artist
13:00–14:00 Video Less clicks, more fixes: automating bug reports in game engines Denys Mehed · 4A Games, Lead Programmer
13:00–14:00 Video The power of recognizable style: how design builds a brand Milena Andronyak · Bini Games, Art Director
13:00–14:00 Video Discussion Panel: “A Few (Not So) Silly Questions About Recruiting and Recruiters” Discussion Panel: “A Few (Not So) Silly Questions About Recruiting and Recruiters” · TBA
15:00–16:00 Video Effective patching: optimizing updates in AAA games Pavlo Zymnytskyi · Ubisoft, Technical Lead
15:00–16:00 Video Successful Exit from Early Access for Becastled — Marketing and PR at Launch Ivan Titov · Palaye, Co-founder
15:00–16:00 Video Character design as part of the world in which it lives Yanina Semenyuk · Twigames, Lead Artist
15:00–16:00 Video Small stories about big development: lessons from the life of a AAA project Oleksandr Soloveyko · Wargaming Kyiv, Game Producer
16:00–17:00 Video Creating cross-media projects. From games and animation to toys Oleh Malamuzh · Avtoritetstudio, CEO
16:00–17:00 "Nobody needs your 3D": as long as it doesn't control the player Oleh Karachentsev · Visual360, Art Director
16:00–17:00 Video How to create high-quality 3D characters despite the limitations of mobile platforms – the case of RAID: Shadow Legends Oleh Bozhko · Plarium, Lead 3D Character Artist
16:00–17:00 Video Map and World Generation Mykyta Filonenko · Marginalact, Founder
17:00–18:00 Video How to Release a Game on Steam and Earn $127 Tymofiy Mishakov · Indie Dev
17:00–18:00 Video AAA Mobile Graphics for 2 Hryvnias Vladyslav Hordiychuk · 7er.studio, Technical Artist
17:00–18:00 Video Game AI in Military Drones: From NPC Behavior to Autonomous Flight Serhiy “Astronaut” · 424th Battalion BPS “SVAROG”, Commander of the R&D Unit
17:00–18:00 Video The Song of Consoles and Arcades — 45 Minutes from a Lecture at a Kyiv University Oles Dibrivny · Fantasy Frontier Studios, Co-Founder

Conference programme Speakers of the conference