WN Conference Cyprus'26 Draws 503 Developers to Limassol for Industry Networking

The WN Conference Cyprus'26 concluded September 18 in Limassol, drawing 503 attendees from 251 game development and publishing companies across Europe and beyond. The two-day event, the fifth consecutive conference organized by WN Media Group, emphasized networking and peer discussion over traditional lectures.

Attendees included representatives from major studios and publishers such as Owlcat Games, Wargaming, Playrix, Nexters, MY.GAMES, FLEXUS, Easybrain, and others. Over half of attendees (52%) identified as owners, founders, or CEOs, while 18% worked in business development and sales roles.

The conference format prioritized group work and roundtable discussions. A standout session titled "Welcome to the End Times: The Future of Games" brought together veteran developers including Sergey Orlovsky from Helio Games, Vladimir Nikolsky from Utmost.games, Ilya Karpinsky and Andrey Chemlekchiev from Owlcat Games, and representatives from Wargaming, MY.GAMES, and Playkot. Another session featured Cyprus's Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Dr. Nicodemos Damianou, discussing governmental support and the local gaming market's future. A separate interview covered scaling strategies and successful game releases, featuring experts from Deconstructor of Fun, Hypercell Games, and Playducky.

The indie game showcase attracted 20 independent teams competing for prizes. PC games dominated at 76% of projects, followed by Android (40%), iOS (36%), PlayStation (32%), web (28%), and Xbox (24%). Unity was the most-used engine (46%), followed by Unreal Engine 5 (29%) and Godot (7%). Action (28%), adventure (24%), and roguelike/soulslike (20%) were the leading genres.

Two games won AWS credits from the showcase. Mirrorbane by Dekovir LTD, a tactical roguelike deck-builder in a dark fantasy setting, received $5,000 in credits. Midnight Watcher: Village by RainStyle Games, a survival horror title set in Siberia, earned $2,000 in credits.

An indie pitch session evaluated four additional games directly for investors and industry experts. Titles included Through Your Eyes (Omeelia GmbH), a surveillance-themed thriller; a four-player card strategy game; World of Sea Battle (Thera Interactive), a free-to-play MMO sandbox focused on historical sailing ships; and Synvector (North Souls Games), a sci-fi action RPG inspired by Everspace and Mass Effect.

The Cyprus Game Industry Awards ceremony highlighted the conference's final evening. Mobile Games Achievement of the Year went to Standoff 2 (AXLEBOLT), beating Westland Survival and Age of Magic. PC Games Achievement of the Year was awarded to Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era (Unfrozen) over World of Tanks: HEAT and Dear Passengers. AppQuantum won Publisher of the Year; MY.GAMES received the People & Workplace Award; OHM was named Growth & Marketing Partner of the Year; and Xsolla and Unlimit shared Games Commerce & Payments Partner of the Year.

Attendees responded positively to the event. A Publishing Game Producer from Hypercell Games noted the value of meeting people previously known only online and the productive industry debate about whether current conditions represent decline or opportunity. A Partnerships Manager from Adjust described the event as "intense and productive," while GEM Capital's Managing Director praised indie teams showcasing their work.