Program & Speakers
Full schedule coming soon!
Inventor & Entrepreneur; Co-Founder, Atari:
In 1972 Nolan Bushnell created an industry when he founded Atari and gave the world Pong, the first blockbuster video game. Today his design credo—that games should be “easy to learn and difficult to master”—is inspiring a new generation of developers. A prolific entrepreneur, Bushnell has started more than 20 companies, including Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theater, Catalyst Technologies, the first Silicon Valley incubator, and Etak, the first in-car navigation system. In the process, he pioneered many of the workplace innovations that have made Silicon Valley a long-standing magnet for creative talent. Bushnell was the first and only person ever to hire Steve Jobs, which he details in his 2013 book, Finding the Next Steve Jobs.
His latest startups are ModalVR, which offers wireless, multiplayer VR entertainment systems for turn-key commercial use, and X2 Games, an independent game publisher focused on Blockchain Technology.
A true icon of the digital revolution, Bushnell was named one of “50 People Who Changed America” by Newsweek. Currently a biopic about Bushnell, tentatively titled “Atari”, was acquired by Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company and is in pre-production.
Don’t miss Noland’s keynote on the Mega Stage, June 18. Full details and speaker schedule coming soon!
Thursday, June 18 — NAGIS Powered By Xsolla Industry Programming Day
Thursday, June 18 will be a dedicated day of premium NAGIS programming, bringing together some of the biggest and most influential voices in technology, game development, media, and marketing from across the global industry.
Throughout the day, attendees can expect a carefully curated schedule of sessions running concurrently across three NAGIS panel stages, delivering high-impact conversations, expert insights, and forward-looking discussions focused on growth, funding, innovation, and the future of interactive entertainment.
This day is structured to maximize both content value and meaningful industry engagement, positioning NAGIS as a must-attend destination for decision-makers, creators, and partners alike.
Full schedule details coming soon.
Toni Domenech
Co-Founder of ATFP Productions
Antoinette "Toni" Domenech is a global entertainment producer, strategist, and co-founder of ATFP Productions, a female-led company she launched in 2025 alongside her sister, established writer Amanda Domenech, to create content and live, in-person experiences both domestically and internationally. Antoinette “Toni” Domenech is a global entertainment producer, strategist, and co-founder of ATFP Productions, a female-led studio launched with writer Amanda Domenech. With more than a decade in live events, talent strategy, and global fan engagement, she has negotiated over 500 talent partnerships across six continents. Toni specializes in immersive programming, artist-first monetization, and international fan experiences, bridging creative vision with strategic execution.
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Pierre Moisan
Senior advisor-Creative Industries Montreal Business and Innovation Centre
A pioneer in the Canadian video game industry, Pierre Moisan has developed, over his thirty years in business, a sought after expertise before joining the CEIM team in 2015 as Senior Advisor Creative Industries. He acted as Vice-President of Megatoon (which is now called Behavior), CEO and founder of ArtMedia Studios and producer at Ubisoft. For nine years, he was also Vice-President Strategic & Business Affairs at Frima which became Canada’s largest independent studio. Pierre Moisan has built a large network of contacts in the field of video games. Over the past few years, he has organized several trade missions for Canadian Indies and given talks and masterclasses all over the world. Pierre holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Université Laval (Université de Montpellier 1, fellow of the French Republic) as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Law, also from Université Laval (Dalhousie University, fellow of the Government of Canada).
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Barsun Unique Jones (YDB)
Recording Artist & Entertainment Entrepreneur
Young Dirty Bastard, also known as Barsun Unique Jones, is a recording artist and performer carrying forward one of the most iconic legacies in music as the son of the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan. While rooted in hip-hop history, YDB has built a powerful identity of his own through original music, high-energy performances, brand collaborations, and crossover projects spanning music, gaming, fashion, and pop culture. In 2026, YDB reached the number one spot on Apple Music’s The New East Coast editorial playlist with “Quantum Lights,” further establishing his presence as a solo artist while also landing on Apple Music’s Bars playlist. His song “Next Man Up” was featured during the NFL’s 2025 playoffs as a hype record tied to the postseason. YDB also collaborated with Sega on the iconic Shinobi franchise, creating the original track “The Path Just Begun” for Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. Beyond music, he has partnered with brands like Dixxon Flannel Co., performs alongside Wu-Tang Clan, and continues introducing the legendary Wu-Tang legacy to new generations of fans.
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Mark Darrah
Industry Consultant
Mark Darrah — a veteran game developer who worked at BioWare (1997–2021), starting as a programmer on titles including Baldur’s Gate I & II and Jade Empire, later moving into project leadership and ultimately leading the Dragon Age franchise; he now runs a YouTube channel focused on leadership and development advice and works as a consultant helping teams ship their games
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Brent Bushnell
CEO & Co-Founder, Two Bit Circus
Brent Bushnell has been building attractions, viral stunts, learning experiences and large-scale productions for 25+ years. He's led multidisciplinary teams of engineers, artists, and storytellers to design and produce experiences for brands, venues, and events both in real life and virtually in VR/AR/XR. He’s cofounder of DreamPark deploying downloadable theme parks. He's cofounder of Two Bit Circus, a live entertainment incubator that builds and exhibits all-ages, social attractions. Brent is passionate about using games and play as a catalyst for learning. He is Chairman of Two Bit Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit that deploys play-based programs to inspire students about invention. Brent is a Sir Edmund Hillary Fellow, a Shark Tank alumnus, founding board member of LEXRA.org, a mentor in entrepreneurship, and a supporter of Clowns Without Borders. Many projects he’s participated in have garnered awards, including Cannes Lions, Clio, AUREA, a World Record, TripAdvisor’s Top 10% of Global Attractions and Fast Company's Most Innovative Game Company. He publishes on social media @brentbushnell.
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Bob Cooney
Founder of LEXRA
Bob Cooney, founder and executive director of LEXRA, has been at the forefront of immersive entertainment since launching the world’s first VR arcade product in the early 1990s. Today, he leads global efforts to scale and unify the XR ecosystem for sustainable industry growth. Bob is widely referred to as one of the foremost experts on location-based virtual reality
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Richard Garfield
Co-founder, Game Design Director
Richard Channing Garfield is an American mathematician, inventor, and game designer. Garfield created Magic: The Gathering, which is considered to be the first collectible card game (CCG). Magic debuted in 1993, and its success spawned many imitations. Garfield oversaw the successful growth of Magic and followed it with other game designs. Included in these are MetaZoo, Keyforge, Netrunner, BattleTech Collectible Card Game, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, Star Wars Trading Card Game, The Great Dalmuti, Artifact, and board games including RoboRally, King of Tokyo, and Bunny Kingdom. He also created a variation of the card game Hearts called Complex Hearts. Garfield first became passionate about games when he played the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, so he designed Magic decks to be customizable like roleplaying characters. Garfield and Magic are both in the Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame.
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Arka Ray
Co-founder, President and Technical Director
Popularium was founded by Richard Garfield, Jon Bankard, and Arka Ray to build a playground-lab hybrid from which the next generation of innovative gameplay experiences would emerge, with a focus on player choice, empowerment, and having fun. Chaos Agents, our first game, is the world's first Autobattler-Royale, combining the best of Autobattler and Battle Royale games with globally unique heroes. Each Chaos Agent is unique in the way they look, play, and win, and only one player at a time can play with that Agent. Every player has the chance to become the global expert on playing their Chaos Agents, and building the greatest Brokerage House the Firmament has ever seen. From the creation of a rich, detailed story universe to the building out of valuable IP, along with great development and design progress, we are incredibly grateful to our amazing team, player community, friends, family, investors, and advisors who have supported us every step of the way. We're so glad to have you with us on this journey. Let Chaos Reign!
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Jon Bankard
Co-founder, General Manager and Game Director
Popularium was founded by Richard Garfield, Jon Bankard, and Arka Ray to build a playground-lab hybrid from which the next generation of innovative gameplay experiences would emerge, with a focus on player choice, empowerment, and having fun. Chaos Agents, our first game, is the world's first Autobattler-Royale, combining the best of Autobattler and Battle Royale games with globally unique heroes. Each Chaos Agent is unique in the way they look, play, and win, and only one player at a time can play with that Agent. Every player has the chance to become the global expert on playing their Chaos Agents, and building the greatest Brokerage House the Firmament has ever seen. From the creation of a rich, detailed story universe to the building out of valuable IP, along with great development and design progress, we are incredibly grateful to our amazing team, player community, friends, family, investors, and advisors who have supported us every step of the way. We're so glad to have you with us on this journey. Let Chaos Reign!
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Kate Edwards
CEO & Founder of Geogrify
Kate Edwards is a 33+ year veteran of the game industry as a geographer who is the CEO/Founder and principal consultant of Geogrify, the consultancy which pioneered culturalization in games. She is also the CXO and Co-Founder of SetJetters, the mobile app optimized for connecting film tourists to filming locations. Beyond her subject-matter expertise, she is also has spent time advocating for a better, more inclusive game industry as the former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (2012 to 2017) as well as the former Executive Director of the Global Jam (2019-2022), the world's largest game creation event. In addition, Kate serves in several board and advisory roles. Following her 13 years at Microsoft, she has consulted on over 315 game projects for Google, Amazon, Facebook, LEGO, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, SEGA, Sony, Square Enix, and many other companies. Besides being awarded by several organizations for her advocacy work in the global game industry, she was honored at GDC 2020 with the Ambassador Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards. In August 2021, she was included in the Forbes' "50 Over 50" Vision List as one of 50 veteran women selected from a wide variety of industries, and in September 2021 was inducted into the Women in Games Hall of Fame.
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John Nguyen
Regional Vice President at Xsolla Canada
John is a seasoned executive, marketer and game developer, with close to 15 years of industry experience. He co-founded the publicly traded Stompy Bot Productions, a Canadian indie development studio which grew into an indie publisher, where he worked primarily as the company’s Senior Business Developer and Marketing Director, but also as a Producer and Game Designer. He then went on to co-found Turboplay, an indie-focused store platform where he acted as the COO. In between Stompy Bot and Turboplay, John also worked as a consultant with game related and technology clients.
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Ruwan Fernando
Founder of Go Boldly Design
Hi, I’m Ruwan. I’ve been making games for nearly 2 decades, contributing to over 35 AAA PC Console + mobile titles along the way. I’ve worked for and with the biggest studios and IPs in the industry as a UX UI Director. I founded Go Boldly Design to democratize access to Director level UX UI insight & impact to teams with limited time and budgets. My career’s focus has been to create dialogue between Creator vision and Player expectation to deliver compelling experiences that can compete in tomorrow's challenging markets.
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Trent Oster
CEO of Beamdog
Trent is a BAFTA Award-winning veteran of the games industry. He was one of six original co-founders of BioWare; during his time there, worked as a Technical Artist, Programmer, Project Director and Director of Technology, leading the development of the award-winning Neverwinter Nights from a one-sentence description through two expansion packs and over 5 million units sold. Trent played a structural role in the growth of Bioware from the founding 6 to a studio of world class RPG developers, with a staff of 420 in 2009, when Trent left the company to co-found Beamdog with Cameron Tofer. Since founding, Beamdog has grown from the two founders to a peak size of 90 people. Beamdog was sold to Embracer Group in 2022 and Trent continues in the CEO role.
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Casey Hudson
Game Director / CEO at Arcanaut Studios
Casey Hudson is a Canadian video game director and creative leader best known for shaping some of the industry’s most influential story-driven RPGs. A graduate of the University of Alberta with a degree in mechanical engineering, Hudson began his career at BioWare as a technical artist before rising through the studio’s creative ranks. He first gained major recognition as project director of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, often listed among the greatest role-playing games ever made. He went on to serve as project director for the Mass Effect trilogy, where he helped define a new standard for cinematic storytelling, player choice, and character-driven narratives in games. Over nearly two decades at BioWare, Hudson played a role in establishing the studio’s reputation for ambitious, narrative-focused RPGs. He later left in 2014, spent time as a creative director at Microsoft working on emerging technologies, and returned to BioWare in 2017 as general manager. Now leading Edmonton-based Arcanaut Studios, Hudson is developing the upcoming action-RPG Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. The project builds on his passion for emotionally engaging, choice-driven design, aiming to deliver a cinematic Star Wars experience where player decisions shape the fate of the galaxy.
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Gregory Zeschuk
General Manager, Blind Enthusiasm Group
Gregory Zeschuk is a Canadian entrepreneur and games industry leader best known as the co-founder of BioWare, one of the most influential RPG studios to emerge from Canada. After earning his medical degree from the University of Alberta, Zeschuk helped launch BioWare in Edmonton in 1995 and played a key role in building it into a global studio recognized for world-class storytelling and player-first design. He later served as a Vice President at Electronic Arts and General Manager of BioWare Austin, leading teams through a period of major growth. In 2012, he announced his retirement from BioWare.
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Poe Chuang
Research Specialist at Evolve PR
Poe: Poe has been an integral member of the Insights team since joining Evolve four years ago. He has contributed to major games showcase and regional pricing studies, while also leading coverage and sentiment analysis initiatives across a diverse client portfolio.
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Gary Qian
Global Partnership Director at SoloGame
Gary Qian is Global Partnership Director at SoloGame, helping international game developers navigate Asian market. He has supported strategies and campaigns for titles such as Assassin’s Creed, Expedition 33, World of Warships, For Honor, and No Man’s Sky, specializing in go-to-market strategy, player insights, and cross-border partnerships.
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Claire Yang
Overseas Business Development at Kingsoft
Business development professional with 8+ years gaming industry experience, bridging between the west and the east with projects across different stages. Responsibilities include building and nurturing partnerships with developers and publishers, exploring M&A opportunities in new territories and platforms, and supporting product operations with legal consulting and global marketing resources.
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Gem Johnson
CEO of Corvian Marketing
Gem is the founder and CEO of Corvian Marketing, a marketing agency built from the ground up to serve indie game developers. With nearly seven years in the marketing space, Gem pivoted from corporate digital marketing into games after realizing the people she wanted to work with were the ones who actually loved what they did - and never looked back. Corvian's philosophy is simple: the greatest marketing asset a video game can have is its community. Rather than chasing clicks and impressions, Corvian builds lasting, self-sustaining communities around games by showing the human effort behind them before ever asking anyone to wishlist. It's marketing built for an audience that is, as Gem puts it, borderline allergic to traditional marketing. Corvian currently works with studios ranging from solo devs to double-A teams, including Richard Garfield's Popularium Games, and has partnered with the Canadian Game Awards, the Toronto Game Expo, and Interactive New Brunswick to bring accessible marketing resources to developers who otherwise wouldn't have them.
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Caghan Bonnough
Director of Business & Marketing, Embersail Studios
Caghan Bonnough is a marketing expert with over 15 years of experience in the gaming, telecommunications, publishing, and energy sectors. She is renowned for her innovative strategies and leadership, notably creating the TELUS Esports Series. Caghan has also been pivotal in launching four PC and mobile games. Furthermore, Canada sat on the Advisory Board supporting the creation of Game Con Canada. Beyond her industry contributions, Caghan is a champion for women in tech, frequently speaking on various panels about the topic. Her versatility across sectors showcases her ability to deliver impactful marketing solutions, driving growth and brand visibility. Caghan's legacy is marked by her influence and inspiration in the marketing world.
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Seth DeGrace
CEO and Co-Founder of Virtual Unreality
Seth DeGrace is the CEO and a co-founder of Virtual Unreality, a Canadian indie development studio he built with his university partners in 2016 and incorporated in 2022. A lifelong game developer with over 13 years of hands-on experience across a vibrant spectrum of game development, Seth has spent the last decade channeling that into building a studio - and a community - from the ground up. His own unreleased title Under One Sky cultivated a dedicated following of thousands on Twitter, and the studio is currently developing its debut commercial title, Sunset Suckerpunch - a synthwave spectacle fighter built in Unreal Engine 5. Seth leads with a direct hand in all aspects of development, spearheading gameplay programming, animation, art direction, and writing. He specializes in fluid & satisfying gameplay, and fine-tunes the game-feel of Virtual Unreality's projects with an astute eye for VFX and juice.
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Chris Tihor
Founder/Story and Narrative Design Consultant
Chris Tihor believes every game has a story to tell. With over two decades of experience in writing, editing and narrative design, Chris has helped dozens of companies get their games story-perfect. The titles he has worked on include Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Seven Keys, BAFTA-winning Hercule Poirot: The First Cases, Destiny 2, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, and Life By You.
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Ann Lemay
Narrative Director at WB Games Montreal
After joining Ubisoft Montréal as a community manager in 1997, Ann subsequently worked in the game industry as a game designer, narrative designer, writer and director on a wide range of projects at various companies. She has written for titles such as Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect Andromeda, Discovery Tour by Assassin’s Creed®: Ancient Egypt, Assassin’s Creed Origins, Watch Dogs: Legion, Gotham Knights and many more. The Game Narrative Toolbox 2nd Edition, a book Ann co-authored with Jennifer Branders Hepler, Toiya Kristen Finley and Tobias Heussner was (re)published by Focal Press in 2023.
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Mitch Dyer
Lead Writer @ That's No Moon
Mitch Dyer is an Alberta, Canada game developer and Lead Writer at That's No Moon. He's contributed to Gotham Knights, Star Wars Squadrons, Star Wars: Battlefront II, and other game projects.
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Ben Gelinas
CEO of Copychaser Games
Ben was a newspaper reporter, most notably covering crime and arts for the Edmonton Journal, before he made the terrifying jump to a new career making video games--at first AAA, then the weirder, wilder world of indie games. He has his own tiny company called Copychaser Games Inc. based in Edmonton, through which he developed and self-published a sad conversation simulator called Speed Dating for Ghosts. Copychaser has also released a space journalism adventure game called Times & Galaxy with a larger team of developer friends, thanks to publishing partner Fellow Traveller and funding from Canada Media Fund. Ben's other foot is still firmly planted in the world of AAA, where he has wrangled words for BioWare (Dragon Age, Mass Effect), Remedy (Control, Control Remnant), WB Montreal (Gotham Knights), and now Edmonton-based studio Arcanaut (Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic).
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Garrett Fredley
Senior Build Engineer: IP Preservation at Playstation
Garrett Fredley is a Senior Build Engineer with a decade of experience at both AAA and Indie studios such as Electronic Arts, Kabam Games, Skybox Labs and PlayStation Studios where he actively leads the engineering efforts of the IP Preservation team. He strives to share stories to inspire and educate others about the world of Game Development.
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Luke Azevedo
CEO Edmonton Screen
Luke is a veteran film and media leader, serving as Commissioner for Film, Television, and Creative Industries at Calgary Economic Development (2007–2025), where he helped attract major global productions to Alberta. He previously held leadership roles at The Banff Centre and founded VisionWorks Commercial Productions, with experience in sports media including work with Hockey Canada and the Calgary Flames. In 2024, he became Vice Chair of Association of Film Commissioners International. Now CEO of Edmonton Screen, he continues to champion Alberta as a global production hub.
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William Su
Lawyer with Nicol Law
Known for his tagline "Will Su will sue for you", William is a lawyer who playtests games, sits on the advisory board of the Calgary Game Developers Association, and practices law in the videogames industry. After retiring from competing in Esports and spending his early career assisting post-secondary organizations and brands internationally with Esports programs, William knew his work had to stay with videogames. With a continuous drive to stay up to date with emerging legal issues, he assists national and international businesses entering Canada in matters of corporate, commercial, employment, privacy and intellectual property law.
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Alex Handziuk
PR Specialist at Evolve PR
Alex: Alex has been in games for over a decade, starting on the journalism side and transitioning to Public Relations where he currently resides. He’s been at Evolve for 2 and a half years, leading several high profile accounts and helping the company keep up with the ever changing nature of the industry.
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Amanda Tuckey
Community Specialist at Evolve PR
Amanda: Amanda has a 10+ year career in games, spanning QA to Community. Since joining Evolve 3 years ago, Amanda has ran creator initiatives and developed and executed social and community strategies for a large variety of clients.
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Luke Simms
Director @ Calgary Game Developers Association
Luke Simms is a Calgary-based marketing professional working in the video game industry. He currently serves as an Associate Product Marketing Manager at Digital Extremes, the studio behind Warframe and Soulframe. Prior to Digital Extremes, Luke held product management roles at New World Interactive, developers of Insurgency: Sandstorm, and Saber Interactive, where he contributed to titles like World War Z and Evil Dead: The Game. Outside of his professional work, Luke serves on the board of the Calgary Game Developers Association, where he focuses on growing and supporting Calgary's local game development community.
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Ceri Young
Game Writer
Ceri Young is a Game Writer based in Montreal who has been writing video games for 18 years, most recently as an Associate Narrative Director. She’s worked on titles including Gotham Knights, Assassin's Creed (Odyssey, Syndicate, Unity and ACIII). Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands, and Naruto: The Broken Bond.
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Anya Combs
Games Freelancer
Anya Combs has been in the games industry for over a decade wearing many hats. She got her start as the Developer Relations person at AddictingGames.com where she helped find many of your favorite flash games, had a semi-brief stint at Nickelodeon, eventually finding her way to Kickstarter where she was the Director of Games for a number of years. She currently freelancers as a Games Consultant helping countless creators fund their projects via crowdfunding, and consults on community management, business strategy, and marketing. When not entrenched in the world of games, Anya is a freelance musician in NYC, playing saxophone all over the tri-state area.
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Thank you to everyone who submitted an application to speak at NAGIS Powered By Xsolla 2026. The response was overwhelming, and while we wish we could have included everyone in this year’s programming, time constraints made that impossible. Due to the incredible interest from the community and our industry partners, we’re excited to share that NAGIS 2027 will expand to three days, featuring two full days of dedicated networking and programming, along with our crossover day with GCC, which features developer-to-publisher pitch sessions and community events.