Way Forward Forum is a one-day summit held in Oulu, the hometown of Hill Climb Racing. Now in its third edition, we are welcoming attendees from indie innovators and major studio leads to investors, publishers, and platform reps.
As its name implies, Way Forward Forum offers a forum to present and discuss each participant’s challenges and difficulties along with solutions and ways forward.
The event consists of keynotes, panels and roundtables as well as plenty of chances for free-form chitchat. And, of course, one epic afterparty!
Focus on Creativity
This time, the main theme of Way Forward Forum is Creativity.
Oulu is the European Capital of Culture in 2026. This means that the town is buzzing with events to enjoy during your stay. Also, in June, the sun shines almost throughout the night here!
See you in Oulu June 5th!
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 2026? Great!
Just sign up with the button below and insert the passcode in your invite e-mail.
Did you not get an invite but are very eager to attend?
Join our waiting list from the button below, and we'll get in touch if a spot becomes available!
Programme
The morning sessions are in the event tent, bring your coat, so you don't get chilly.
9:30 – 10:00 | Grab your badge and morning coffee inside Voimala building
10:00 – 10:15 | Event kickoff with your host, Daniel Fischer from Fingersoft
10:15 – 11:00 | The State of Games Financing in 2026 & Beyond, Jere Partanen, Sisu Game Ventures
11:00 – 11:45 | Casual Live Event Trends 2025, Anton Sokolov, GameRefinery
11:45 – 12:00 | Wrap up morning sessions, info about afternoon
12:00 – 13:00 | Refuel break (free lunch!)
13:00 – 15:15 | Choose your mode: Growth track / Creativity track
Growth & Monetization Track
Location: Sahasaari building, IGDA volunteers will guide you
13:00 – 13:45 | Top five mistakes studios make in mobile ad monetization, Božo Janković, GameBiz Consulting
13:45 – 14:30 | Reverse Engineering Growth: The Last 2 Years of Hill Climb Racing 2, Robert Magyar, Fingersoft
14:30 – 15:15 | Panel: Ad monetization - Denise Farrelly, Google AdMob; Ulla Sarkki, Rovio; Oona Karppinen, Fingersoft; Moderated by Peggy Anne Salz, MobileGroove
Creativity & AI Track
Location: Voimala building, IGDA volunteers will guide you
13:00 – 13:45 | Experiences from building AI capabilities for game studios, Petri Hyökyranta, Metacore
13:45 – 14:30 | Leading Creativity: Rethinking Leadership in Modern Companies, Sonja Ängeslevä, Phantom Gamelabs
14:30 – 15:15 | Panel: New games - Jonne Taivassalo, Espoo Game LAB; Juho Wallen, Fingersoft; Antti Ilvessuo, Channel 37; Moderated by Natasha Skult, MiTale
15:15 – 15:45 | Afternoon coffee break
The afternoon sessions are in the event tent, grab your coat again, so you don't get chilly.
15:45 – 16:45 | Interactive final battle with John Wright, Turborilla and Jani Torppa, Geeklab
16:45 – 17:00 | Finish line: Closing remarks
18:00 | Party on: Official afterparty starts at Voimala
Speakers
Here's an intro to our stellar speakers!
Daniel Fischer
Producer, Fingersoft
Daniel Fischer is Producer at Fingersoft. Has worn quite a few hats over his career within the games industry and has witnessed the growth and climb of the company from 30 people to over 100. Current Vice Chair of The Finnish Game Developers’ Association and former board member of IGDA Finland.
Jere Partanen
Principal, Sisu Game Ventures
Jere invests in global game studios and sits on several portfolio boards, working with founders on fundraising, partnerships, and strategy. Previously, he co-founded Pandatron and served as its Chief Product Officer, building AI-driven solutions for change management and technology adoption. He also led the gaming vertical at Slush and is an active angel investor in the games sector.
Anton Sokolov
Customer Success Manager, GameRefinery
Anton partners with gaming studios across EMEA, helping them navigate gaming trends and turn insights into decisions that drive results. His focus is on making insights practical and actionable.
Božo Janković
Head of Ad Monetization, GameBiz Consulting
Božo is a seasoned industry professional with ten years of experience in the mobile app industry. Together with his team, he has consulted studios such as Wargaming, Goodgame Studios, Space Ape Games, First Touch Games and many others, helping them maximize ad revenue and improve user experience with ads.
Robert Magyar
Growth Lead, Fingersoft
Over the past 9 years, Robert Magyar has been helping mobile games grow by combining data science with hands-on product thinking. Robert has had the chance to contribute to top titles across different genres, using insights from millions of players to improve monetization and player experience.
Denise Farrelly
Head of Apps & Gaming EMEA partnerships, Google AdMob
Denise Farrelly leads Google's EMEA Apps and Gaming, driving partner revenue growth. With 20+ years in media and tech, including 10 at Google, she provides platform expertise. A diversity and STEM advocate, she champions an inclusive gaming ecosystem, empowering developers with Google's solutions.
Peggy Anne Salz
Founder, MobileGroove
Peggy Anne Salz is recognized as one of the leading experts shaping the mobile world. As a journalist, analyst, consultant, in-demand online talent and founder of MobileGroove, Peggy produces webinars, podcasts, and video shows to educate marketers on the latest mobile and app trends, customer engagement and experience, and how brands and businesses can grow sustainably through values-driven marketing and CX innovation.
Ulla Sarkki
Ads Business Lead, Rovio
I serve as the Ads Business Lead at Rovio, bringing over a decade of experience within this industry. Beyond my focus on Mobile games and Ad Monetisation, my personal interests often take me outdoors, particularly hiking or snorkeling. I prioritize efficiency and hate waiting - I'm ready for action in any situation.
Oona Karppinen
Ad Monetization Specialist, Fingersoft
Oona Karppinen is an Ad Monetization Specialist at Fingersoft with over five years of experience in mobile gaming. She focuses on building balanced, data-driven ad strategies that support both the game’s sustainability and a fair, high-quality experience for players.
Petri Hyökyranta
CTO, Metacore
Petri Hyökyranta is the CTO at Metacore, the company behind the global hit Merge Mansion. Petri has an exceptional background in building and scaling global hit games at companies such as Rovio and Small Giant Games. At Metacore, he leads the company’s game technology, focusing on developing common tools and scalable tech foundations.
Sonja Ängeslevä
CEO, Phantom Gamelabs
Sonja is the CEO of Phantom Gamelabs, and a board member at Remedy Entertainment. She has built game developer communities as well as software and game companies.
Natasha Skult
CEO, MiTale
Dr. Natasha Skult is the CEO & Creative Director of MiTale, a company focusing on narrative-driven experiences and gamification. She is an active member of the games industry as a Chair-Emeritus of IGDA.org. Besides industry work, she is active in academic research on interactive storytelling with quantum computing and teaches courses in game design and game (digital) art production at University of Turku.
Juho Wallen
Senior Producer, Fingersoft
Juho Wallen is a producer with 12 years in the games industry, leading prototyping and rapid game testing at Fingersoft. Moving from the large-scale LEGO Hill Climb Adventures project, he now focuses on helping the team launch small games to real audiences—searching for the next big hit.
Antti Ilvessuo
Antique Creative Director, Channel37
It’s simply the way it is: games are fundamentally products, not art. That said, games can absolutely contain elements that are art. 27 years of building products behind us. Nearing the finish line… Forward.
Jonne Taivassalo
LAB Master, Espoo Game LAB
Taivassalo works at Espoo Game LAB – a City of Espoo and EU-funded incubator and accelerator that carries the genes of vastly successful Oulu Game Lab. Taivassalo has background in game development as a game designer and producer, but also from regional development and entrepreneurship. He is a jamtivist, captain of the Jambike, seasoned IGDA volunteer, hub founder and active board member of IGDA Finland.
John Wright
CEO, Turborilla
John Wright has spent over 15 years building, scaling, and operating games businesses, with deep expertise in growth, monetisation, and long-term sustainability. He is currently CEO of Turborilla, the studio behind the Mad Skills franchise (250M+ downloads), where he focuses on scaling the business and expanding the brand. Previously, he was VP of Mobile Games at Kwalee (1B+ downloads) and founding VP of Operations at Luna Labs, he now also advises and invests in gaming companies.
Jani Torppa
COO, Geeklab
Jani Torppa is the co-founder and COO of Geeklab, the go-to UA and ASO platform for mobile game studios looking to grow smarter. Since starting the company in 2019, Jani’s been hands-on in making sure things run smoothly, driving the business forward, and working closely with the biggest names in gaming.
Find your way
Date: June 5th 2026
Time: 9:30 am - 5 pm
Place: Voimala 1889, Kasarmintie 1, 90100 Oulu
We will have three locations in our use: Voimala, Sahasaari and an event tent outside Voimala. Since part of the programme is in the event tent, be sure to bring a coat with you to keep warm. The Northern summer can be surprisingly chilly sometimes.
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. Supported by BusinessOulu along with its TETU project that is co-funded by Pohjois-Pohjanmaan Liitto and the EU.
What to expect
Want to know what you get to experience? Check out what happened in last time.
