Event Schedule
September 20, 2023
The first part will take place at the Mürver Restaurant located on the rooftop of the 5-star hotel - Novotel Istanbul Bosphorus. It will feature business meetings with a scenic sea view and roundtable discussions.
During the second part all the participants will have the opportunity to enjoy a Bosphorus sunset cruise, where they can network with C-level executives from the video game industry while enjoying dinner, drinks and good company.
The WN CEO Summit will consist of two parts

12:00 - 13:00


12:00 - 13:00


Welcome Coffee and Badge Pick-up

13:00 - 14:00
13:00 - 14:00
When is The Best Time to 1) Sell Your Company, 2) Raise Money or 3) Maintain Status Quo
Shum Singh
Managing Director & Founder, Agnitio Capital
The roundtable will focus on key operational and market forces that contribute to pursuing a particular strategic option or not. We will discuss various scenarios that can trigger a particular strategic event (such as receiving interest from potential buyers or investors or delaying any type of strategic decision if the company has a very compelling new game that is about to be released).
13:00 - 14:00
13:00 - 14:00
The Power of Direct-to-Consumer: Innovating in a Rapidly Evolving Landscape

Ilayda Bayarı
Country Manager for Turkey and MEA, Xsolla
In today's competitive landscape, game developers must exhibit creativity in how they distribute, operate, market and sell their games. This drives them to seek innovative strategies to maximize their revenue growth. Among these strategies, one standout approach involves the direct sale of games to their players. This discussion explores how games can directly connect with players, examines challenges developers might face with this approach, assesses the benefits of creating their own store, and looks into tools that can strengthen their direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategy.
13:00 - 14:00
13:00 - 14:00
Reinventing Growth: What Could Mobile Game Marketing Look Like over the Next 10 Years?

Fernando Pernica
Co-Founder & CBO, Nefta
GDPR, CCPA, ATT, TCF 2.2 & CMPs. Over the last few years, more regulation and platform privacy frameworks have changed mobile advertising. More changes will come, and we will never go back to how it used to be. In this roundtable we discuss what mobile marketing could and should look like in order to unlock growth for the next generation of game developers.

14:00 - 15:30


14:00 - 15:30


Networking Lunch


15:30 - 16:30
15:30 - 16:30
The Impact of AI Technologies in Game Development

Kazim Akalin
General Partner, Boğaziçi Ventures
The participants will discuss the impact of AI on game development, from advancing gamers' experience to disrupting traditional workflows and real-time analytics. The participants will share their experiences and insigths into how to use AI efficiently, what tools they're using, as well as what challenges they're facing that AI can help with.
15:30 - 16:30
15:30 - 16:30
Unity’s New Monetization Model — A Game Changer or a Gamble?

Max Samorukov
CEO and Founder, AppMagic
Join this roundtable discussion to discuss what we can expect next and how to adapt your product strategy.
15:30 - 16:30
15:30 - 16:30
Be Like Water: How Publishers Are Diversifying Revenue with Brands


Kelly McGrath
VP Global In-App Supply, Ogury
This roundtable focuses on the question of how publishers are looking to work with brands. We’re tackling the challenges of creating brand-friendly content and developing deep partner integrations with brands in the world of in-game advertising.

16:30 - 17:30


16:30 - 17:30


Wrap Up


18:00 - 22:00


18:00 - 22:00


Bosphorus Sunset Cruise