Day 2 - Wednesday 29th April, 2026

User-generated content is a powerful engagement engine but integrating it at scale requires well thought out backend support. This session dives into the technical foundation needed to support UGC in live service games, including everything from:

• Setting up backend infrastructure that supports scalable, secure UGC integration.
• Implementing SDKs and webhooks to streamline content submission and moderation workflows.
• Building creator hubs that foster community participation and simplify content management.

LiveOps demands rapid, culturally relevant content delivery, and localisation must evolve to keep pace. This session explores how studios are integrating automation tools like AI and machine translation to assist with:

• Streamlining workflows to accelerate localized content delivery and reduce manual strain.
• Mitigating legal exposure by building safeguards.
• Strengthening player engagement by delivering localized content that feels timely, relevant, and culturally resonant.

Live service success hinges on delivering fresh, engaging content that resonates across a diverse player base. This session explores how smart level design can elevate engagement and boost revenue by:

• Aligning seasonal themes with level design to drive player engagement.
• Incorporating monetization opportunities that avoid interrupting core gameplay.
• Leveraging analytics to tailor content for segmented audiences.

This session explores the urgency of capturing player value within seconds, the cultural shift in monetization expectations given a wide demographic of players, and how to empower monetization teams across the business. Learn why players, not studios, now decide what live service means, and how that impacts content, cadence, and revenue strategy. Dive into:

• Grabbing player attention and value within the first 10 seconds to maximize monetization potential.
• Adapting monetization strategies to reflect generational shifts and platform preferences.
• Empowering teams to build monetization organically and authentically within live service ecosystems.

Nicole Opas, Vice President and General Manager of Live Operations at NYT Games, shares how The New York Times is scaling its puzzle game portfolio while deepening player engagement across their subscription-based platforms. From handcrafted game design to the integration of new features, Nicole explores how NYT Games balances free-to-play access with premium content and reaches new players by:

• Expanding reach through regional growth strategies and localized player experiences.
• Balancing free and premium content to optimize engagement and subscription value.
• Integrating metagame features to enhance retention and drive monetization.

Nicole Opas

Vice President and General Manager of Live Operations at NYT Games
The New York Times

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Fred White

Global Game Marketing & Publishing Leader
Global Game Marketing & Publishing Leader

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Ivan Donik, Monetization Lead at Kabam, brings over nine years of experience in the free-to-play mobile gaming space to this session focused on direct-to-consumer (D2C) live service strategies. He’ll share proven approaches to designing monetization features, optimizing revenue streams, and improving operational tools that drive both player acquisition and profitability by:

• Designing monetization systems that align with player behavior and lifecycle.
• Streamlining live operations to maximize revenue and reduce friction.
• Leveraging D2C strategies to deepen engagement and expand acquisition channels.

Ivan Donik

Monetization Lead
Kabam

See Bio

Session Details to be Announced

In live service games, timing and relevance are everything and current technology is changing how studios deliver both. This session explores how teams are using intelligent systems to generate content ideas and how studios are considering:

• Integrating things like AI or machine learning tools to generate content that reflects evolving player interests and cultural trends.
• Using analytics to determine optimal release timing for maximum engagement and retention.
• Building AI systems that align with creative intent and support scalable content pipelines

As live service games scale, studios must decide which tools to develop in-house and which to source from third parties. Technology integration shouldn’t be such a hassle. Why is it? Making the wrong choice can drain resources or limit flexibility. This panel will dive into how these decisions affect a studio’s ability to keep up with evolving player needs and get into:

• Evaluating the pros and cons of internal vs co-development.
• Aligning technology choices with long-term studio goals to maintain efficiency and adaptability.
• Managing budgets effectively by understanding the hidden costs of in-house development and external dependencies.

This panel will examine how market research drives success in live service games. Experts will discuss building systems to collect quality data, leveraging insights to create business value, and tracking KPIs to measure the impact of marketing strategy changes.

• Building systems that ensure accurate and reliable market data collection.
• Leveraging insights from data to create measurable business value.
• Tracking KPIs to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing strategy changes.