Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics 2026 is a wrap. The event took place in Helsinki and brought together people from across the games industry to share ideas, explore what it takes to build games players can connect with, and get advice on success.

Across the discussions, some themes were extremely common: AI, direct-to-consumer strategies and player engagement. One theme that stood out to me across all of these discussions was that success depends not only on making a great game, but on making thoughtful choices about how it's built and sustained. 

All of these conversations happened against a wider market backdrop of uncertainty, market challenges, and ongoing layoffs. But many of the discussions also highlighted the creativity and resilience of the games industry and Nordic studios.

AI can widen the scope, but it shouldn't replace the creative work.

Luke Dicken brought a pragmatic perspective to the discussion on AI, noting that AI is worth exploring when it can create new possibilities, not just because it's attracting attention.

As he put it, the industry risks “chasing our tails” in debates over whether AI is good or bad, rather than working out where it can genuinely be useful.

That sentiment fits into much of the broader conversation I hear around AI, where views range from scepticism to enthusiasm, with many others looking for a middle ground.

For some smaller studios, AI is already helping them try things they couldn’t have done before without a huge cost. One thing that came up often was that the key is identifying the right tools and use cases, especially early in the process, where AI can widen the range of ideas a team can explore.

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