June 6th, Oulu Finland
Way Forward Forum 2025
Are you ready to discover the Way Forward? Join the most inspiring game industry event in Northern Finland!
Way Forward Forum 2025 is here!
This year we're turning our attention to The Future, focusing especially on the next steps in product & monetization as well as AI.
Join us in for inspirational keynotes, choose your own adventure with two different programme tracks and stay for the riveting conversations!
See you in Oulu June 6th!
Get your ticket
The tickets are free but limited in numbers!
Did you get an e-mail with a very special invite to Way Forward Forum 2025? Great!
Just sign-up with the button below and insert the passcode in your invite e-mail.
Are you passionate about the game industry and can't wait to hear the leading experts in monetization, AI and beyond?
Join the Way Forward Forum 2025 waiting list below. We'll let you know by message if there is available space.
Programme
Here's what we have in store for you. And this is not even everything yet! The programme will be updated as the event approaches. Stay tuned!
09.30 - 10.00
Registration & Networking Coffee | Get settled in and grab yourself a nice cup of morning coffee.
10.00 - 10.15
Welcome & Opening Remarks | Daniel Rantala, Chief Growth Officer, Fingersoft
10.15 - 11.00
Keynote: Current and Future Trends in F2P Mobile Gaming | Erno Kiiski, GameRefinery
11.00 - 11.45
Panel Discussion: The Future of Organic Giants
Panelists: Daniel Rantala (Fingersoft), Marina Bondarenko (Miniclip), Katharina Schmidt (Rovio)
Moderator: Joakim Achrén
11.45 - 12.00
Wrap up morning sessions, info about afternoon
12.00 - 13.00
Networking Lunch
13:00 - 13:45
TRACK 1: Product & Monetization | Keynote: Bringing them (players) back to browsers! | Gustáv Pastucha, Pixel Federation
TRACK 2: AI & Future | Keynote: AI in Gaming - Use Cases | Markku Manner, Google Cloud
13:45 - 14:30
TRACK 1: Product & Monetization | Keynote: Decoding the Future: Navigating the Mobile Monetization Maze | Vladimir Todev, Google AdMob
TRACK 2: AI & Future | Keynote: AI: Leaps, Lessons, and Looming Risks | Amin Bakht, Head of UA, Phoenix Games
14:30 - 15:15
TRACK 1: Product & Monetization | Panel Discussion
TRACK 2: AI & Future | Panel Discussion
15.15 - 15.45
Afternoon Coffee Break
A bit of networking and a bit of reflecting on what we've discovered so far.
15.45 - 16.45
Roundtable discussions for both tracks
Interactive discussions among industry executives - that means you!
16.45 - 17.00
Closing Remarks - thank you for coming!
19:00 onward
The Official Way Forward Forum Afterparty at the legendary 45 Special, Saaristonkatu 12
Speakers
Here's an intro to some of our stellar speakers - with still more to come!
Joakim Achrén
Founding Partner, F4 Fund
Joakim Achrén is an entrepreneur and investor with 20 years of experience, co-founding Next Games (acquired by Netflix). He is an active Substack writer, where he shares investing and startup knowledge. Joakim is also a venture capital investor in F4 Fund, with investments including Benjamin, Series Entertainment and Noice.
Marina Bondarenko
Business Development Manager, Miniclip
Marina Bondarenko is a Business Developer in the gaming industry, with six years of expertise in hyper-casual, casual, and mid-core mobile games. Currently part of Miniclip, one of the world's leading mobile game publishers, where she contributes to game development, publishing, and company acquisitions.
Katharina Schmidt
Senior Business Development Manager, Rovio
Katharina Schmidt is a Senior Business Development Manager at Rovio, part of Sega. Driving strategic growth across Transmedia partnerships is her key responsibility and she has extensive experience in negotiating and managing high-value collaborations with major digital platforms and gaming companies.
Daniel Rantala
Chief Growth Officer, Fingersoft
Daniel Rantala is a Finnish games business executive currently serving as the Chief Growth Officer at Fingersoft, a mobile game development company renowned for its Hill Climb Racing series. Rantala has been with Fingersoft for eight years, previously holding positions such as Business Development Director and Vice President of Publishing.
Otto Simola
Head of Player Acquisition and Monetization, Fingersoft
Otto is a Head of Player Acquisition and Monetization, and together with his team responsible for UA campaign management, ASO, monetization and data in Fingersoft’s products. Otto is a former game developer and software engineer with a master’s degree in theoretical physics, who has warped smoothly to the business development level of the game industry.
Gustáv Pastucha
Strategic Partnerships, Pixel Federation
Transitioning from Fintech, Gustav initially intended to venture into the bookselling business. However, the lack of relevant business opportunities in that field led him to a different path. Three years ago, Gustav embarked on a new chapter as a producer for what was one of the most successful projects at the time, Diggy's Adventure until his curiosity and ambition drove him to the Research & Development department.
Markku Manner
Principal Architect, Google Cloud
Markku Manner is a Principal Architect at Google Cloud and his main responsibility is to create tangible solutions for the gaming industry. As a former CIO and CTO, he has a proven history of helping organizations innovate and optimize their technology. Markku is a former software engineer and avid gamer, who has hands-on experience developing proof of concepts for games, demonstrating his understanding of the gaming sector's unique needs.
Vladimir Todev
Senior Strategic Partner Manager, Google AdMob
Vladimir is a Senior Strategic Partner Manager at Google, leveraging over 7 years of experience in both user acquisition and ads monetization. He currently partners with leading app and game developers in the Nordics, focusing on their holistic growth and revenue strategies.
Amin Bakht
Head of UA, Phoenix Games
Amin Bakht is a creative strategist with over 18 years of experience in media and entertainment. His career began when marketing was mostly a one-way broadcast messages sent without direct user input. Gaming introduced Amin to an interactive dialogue driven by data: player clicks, actions, and behaviors provided direct feedback. This real-time data dialogue ignited his passion for user acquisition, inspiring him to shape player-focused growth strategies that foster engagement and lasting connections.
Find your way
Date: June 6th 2025
Time: 9:30 am - 5 pm
Place: Shopping Centre Valkea's Conference Space, 4th floor, Isokatu 25, 90100 Oulu
- The event is within the Valkea shopping centre's conference space, you can use elevators or escalators to get to the 4th floor
Feel inspired and nourished throughout the day:
- Expert talks, workshops and round table discussions
- Coffee, small snacks and a free lunch
- The event is free of charge, hosted by Fingersoft and BusinessOulu
What to expect
Want to know what you get to experience? Check out what happened in last time.
