The first Reykjavík Game Summit was held on November 27th, 2025. The summit brought together an inspiring mix of local developers, international speakers, students, and industry professionals for a full day of learning, conversation, and shared experiences. More than just a series of talks, the summit became a space for connection, reflection, and celebrating the growing game development community in Iceland.
From practical design lessons to creative storytelling, indie marketing, and honest conversations about success and growth, Reykjavík Game Summit 2025 offered something for everyone involved in making games, with a special focus on those working in game design and creative leadership.
We wanted to share a look back at the program and the moments that made the day special.
Greg Hennessey — 23 Years of Game Design’s Untaught Lessons
The summit opened with Greg Hennessey, Game Design Director on EVE Online at CCP Games.
Greg reflected on more than two decades in game development, focusing on lessons that often aren’t covered in classrooms or tutorials. He spoke about navigating creative disagreements, communicating across teams, working within production realities, and handling the diplomacy that naturally comes with collaborative creative work.
It was a grounded and honest look at the human side of game development — the conversations, compromises, and relationships that shape projects just as much as mechanics and systems.
Lóa Gunnars — What Students do Better than Us: Lessons on scope, momentum and shipping games
Lóa Gunnars, game designer and adjunct instructor at Reykjavík University, brought a refreshing perspective shaped by her experience working closely with students.
She shared how students sometimes finish more playable projects than even experienced developers, using the pottery class parable to illustrate the value of iteration and experimentation over chasing perfection. Rather than waiting for the perfect idea or flawless execution, her talk encouraged steady progress, curiosity, and learning by doing.
Lóa connected these ideas to everyday development habits like testing early, scoping realistically, setting clear milestones, and shipping regularly. Her session was a reminder that growth often comes from momentum and practice, not from waiting until everything feels “ready.”
Winter Mullenix — Driving Behavior and Response through Abstraction
Winter Mullenix, Lead Narrative Designer on EVE Online at CCP Games, offered a thoughtful and engaging look at how narrative structure shapes player experience.
Her session introduced tools for understanding how stories influence emotion and engagement, covering topics such as the difference between story and narrative, the Rule of Three, and the Ladder of Abstraction. Winter also explored how narrative design can help create emotional moments that stay with players long after they stop playing.
Rather than focusing only on lore or dialogue, her talk framed narrative as a way to guide player experience and deepen connection to game worlds.
Kim Ström — Viral Marketing for Your Indie Game
Independent developer Kim Ström brought humor and honesty to the stage while sharing his experience marketing Penguin Heist and reaching wider audiences through meme-driven campaigns.
His approach centers on experimentation — trying ideas, learning from what resonates, and repeating what works. Kim encouraged developers, especially smaller teams, to see marketing as a creative process rather than a stressful obligation.
The session was both entertaining and practical, offering a reminder that sharing a game with the world can be playful, expressive, and even fun.
Fireside chat with Johan Pilestedt and Greg Hennessey — Keeping it Real through Success and Growth
One of the most memorable moments of the summit was the fireside chat with Johan Pilestedt, Chief Creative Officer at Arrowhead Game Studios and Creative Director on Helldivers 2, moderated by Greg Hennessey.
Johan shared an open and honest perspective on what it means to guide a studio through rapid growth after success. While momentum creates exciting opportunities, it also brings new challenges — from maintaining studio culture to supporting teams and protecting creative identity.
A key theme of the conversation was growing with intention: building sustainable structures, caring for people, and making thoughtful decisions as studios evolve.
Fireside chat with Harry Krueger and Ari Arnbjörnsson — The Joy of Gameplay
The summit closed with a fireside chat featuring Harry Krueger, Game Director on Returnal, in conversation with Ari Arnbjörnsson from Epic Games.
Their discussion focused on the importance of prioritizing gameplay feel and moment-to-moment experience. Harry shared how Returnal was built by putting movement and player control first, with everything else designed to support that core experience.
He also spoke about trusting creative instincts and following the “rule of cool” — building things that genuinely excite the people making them.
Looking Ahead
Beyond the individual talks, Reykjavík Game Summit created space for conversation, connection, and shared learning between developers at all stages of their journeys. It brought together students, indie creators, studio developers, and industry veterans under one roof, creating an atmosphere of openness and mutual support.
With such a strong first edition, the summit has laid a solid foundation for future Reykjavík Game Summits. The Game Makers Iceland team is excited to build on this momentum and continue growing this event together with the community. We are currently in early stages of planning Reykjavík Game Summit 2026. If you’re interested in helping produce the event or want to suggest a session or speaker, please get in touch with us!
Acknowledgements
We extend a huge thank you to our sponsors, CCP Games and Unreal Engine, whose support was instrumental in making RGS a reality.
Special thanks to visual artist and designer Sandra Rós Björnsdóttir, aka Krumla, who created all of RGS’s visual identity and graphics.
To the Game Makers Iceland team, who work tirelessly each year to bring dozens of events to the community: thank you for your incredible effort in making this event happen.
Thank you to Sunna Ben for beautifully capturing the event.
Reykjavík Game Summit would not have been possible without Alli Óttars who first inspired the idea and helped us bring the event to life.
We are deeply grateful to all our speakers for sharing their insights and knowledge so generously with us.
Last but not least, thank you to the local community and everyone who attended RGS 2025 and helped make the first edition of the event such a success. Thank you!