WN Istanbul'26

June 18-19, 2026
The online platform availability: June 4 - July 3, 2026

About

WN Istanbul’26 is a leading game industry conference and B2B gaming event bringing together 500+ game industry professionals, game business leaders, game studios, indie studios, and game publishers from Türkiye and around the world for two days of networking, knowledge sharing, and business development.

Day 1 — Explore & Connect. Meet new people, discover new projects, and expand your network through dedicated networking sessions and our matchmaking system. Explore fresh ideas from indie game developers at the Developer Showcase, connect with investors, publishers, and partners, and become part of the growing Istanbul gaming community. The day concludes with a Happy Hour (18:00–19:00) by the hotel pool, followed by the Networking Dinner (19:00–22:00), sponsored by GreenCode.

Day 2 — Focus & Exchange. Join focused industry talks, roundtable discussions, and smaller-group conversations where game industry professionals share real experience, challenges, and practical insights. Go deeper with the people who matter most to your business.

Located at the crossroads of the European game industry and the Middle East gaming hub, Istanbul is one of the most exciting places for business networking for gamedevs. With Türkiye’s new government support for game studios, this is the perfect moment to discover the next Turkish unicorn.

First Look at Who's Joining You in Istanbul (full list accessible via meeting system)

Ozgur Ozalp

EVP of Business Development (MENATI)
PlaySide Studios

Işıl Eralp

Marketing Director
Rovio Entertainment

Chris Lefebvre

Chief Strategy Officer
ByteBrew

Emre Kesti

Partner
Firstpoint VC

Jane Anderson

VP of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships
Rollic Games

Evgeni Puzankov

Curator
briefs by gold extra

Andrei Postnikov

Senior Business Developer
Nutaku

Behic Uzel

Head of AI Ecosystem for MEA and Country Manager for Türkiye
BytePlus (ByteDance)

Dilara Kececi

Founding Partner & CEO
Lorien Accelerator

Görkem Utku Yıldız

Investment Associate
Ludus Ventures

Ozan Aydemir

Managing Partner
Joygame Publishing

Kenan Colpan

General Partner / BV Growth Fund
Boğaziçi Ventures

Halil İbrahim Özdemir

Managing Director & Co-Founder
Leus

Necmeddin Zahid Şirin

Venture Capital
APY Ventures

Başak Zorlutuna

Principal
e2vc

Abdus Samad

Director & Co-Founder
Finz Games

Oz Silahtar

Chief AI Officer
Transform Gaming

Anıl Yıldırım

Senior Associate
Inveo Ventures

Selçuk Atli

Founder & CEO
Bunch

Pınar Öncü

Head of Investments
Alphastage

What to expect at WN Istanbul'26

Download program*
*may be updated

UTC+3

09:00 - 10:30

Welcome Coffee

13:00 - 14:00

Lunch

16:00 - 17:00

Coffee Break

17:00 - 17:30
Raffle

Raffle & Awards Ceremony

18:00 - 19:00

Happy Hour

19:00 - 22:00

Networking Dinner “Green Code”

Continue the conversations of the day at the WN Istanbul Networking Dinner — an informal evening gathering designed for relaxed networking and new connections within the industry. Meet founders, studio leaders, publishers, investors, and other decision-makers from the global games industry. Exchange perspectives and build relationships that often begin with a simple conversation over great food and drinks!

Where: Near the pool @ Radisson Blu Hotel, Istanbul Sisli
How to get there: Go to Floor 5 in the hotel elevator

For Developers

Indie Pitch Jury

Dilara Kececi

Founding Partner & CEO
Lorien Accelerator

Bora Özkut

GenAI Solutions Architect
BytePlus (ByteDance)

Ozan Aydemir

Managing Partner
Joygame Publishing

Daniil Kolesnikov

Head of Business Development
Herocraft

Volkan Bozkaya

Head of Global Publishing
Devotion Interactive

Cüneyt Devrim

Board Member
Gaming Istanbul

Ibrahim Yildirim

Co-Founder
Tark Games Publishing

Zeynep Burcu Kaya

Coordinator
Games for Change Türkiye

Ertuğrul Süngü

Assistant Professor
Bug Lab Tekmer, Bahçeşehir University's gaming incubation center

Location

Radisson Blu Hotel, Istanbul Sisli

19 Mayıs Caddesi No:2
34360 Sisli, Istanbul
Türkiye

DAY 1 - C3 Floor (Bosphorus Ballroom)
DAY 2 - C2 Floor

Floor Plan

Sponsors

If you'd like to explore branding opportunities, please let us know!

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Last Year Sponsors

Media Partners

Contacts

Got questions? Please let us know!

For any questions including payment issues, please contact us at welcome@wn.media
Pavel Ryaykkonen

CEO & Founder
pavel@wn.media

Julia Lebedeva

COO & Partner
julia@wn.media
Telegram: @Julia_Lebedeva
LinkedIn: Julialebedeva

Elena Sidorova

Sales Director
elena@wn.media
Telegram: @elenassidorova
LinkedIn: Elena Sidorova

Oleg Nesterenko

Program Director
oleg@wn.media