WN Istanbul’26 took place in Turkey. Here are the results
Last week, the WN Istanbul ’26 took place in Istanbul — a milestone tenth Turkish event for game developers and publishers organized by WN Media Group. Here's what happened at the event.
Feedback
In total, WN Istanbul ’26 was attended by 510 representatives from various companies. Employees from PlaySide Studios, Rovio Entertainment, Rollic Games, ByteDance, Nutaku, Firstpoint VC, Finz Games, and many other organizations were present.
Guests of WN Istanbul ’26 were pleased with the event.
WN Istanbul was a great opportunity for Lorien Accelerator and our teams. We showcased our portfolio, supported five more game studios, and saw how they established connections with investors, publishers, platform owners, and industry leaders. Additionally, we took an active part in the event program: hosting roundtables, participating in panel discussions, and being part of the indie pitch jury. WN remains one of those rare events that truly unite the gaming industry, and we are always glad to be a part of it.
Co-founder and CEO of Lorien Accelerator
WN Istanbul left a very good impression. We made many valuable new contacts, and the indie pitch was one of the event's highlights. The Radisson hotel was an excellent venue: it was very convenient to go to dinner right after the conference, and it was easy to get to the city center. The networking dinner was also great — everything was well-organized, and we thoroughly enjoyed participating in the event.
Head of Business Development at HeroCraft
WN Istanbul provided two inspiring days filled with substantial discussions, new acquaintances, and valuable communication with gaming industry professionals. Meetings with developers, publishers, investors, and other industry experts opened up new perspectives on many issues and brought numerous new ideas. A big thank you to the WN team for bringing the gaming community together at such a well-organized event.
Business Development Manager at Oyun Sektörü Etkinlikleri
WN Istanbul was an excellent event filled with useful discussions, important meetings, and many spontaneous conversations that eventually turned into promising opportunities. Thanks to the WN Events team for yet another beautifully organized conference in Istanbul.
Co-founder and CEO of Holyday Studios
WN Istanbul was a very valuable experience for us. As a mobile game studio in its early stages, we had the opportunity to present Brick City Wars, meet with publishers, investors, and industry experts, and receive direct feedback from representatives of the global gaming market. The high level of meetings helped us better understand the expectations of potential partners, outline the next steps for project development, and open new opportunities for future collaboration.
General and Technical Directors of Nora Games
Program
WN Istanbul ’26 spanned two days — June 18 and 19. This year, the event focused heavily on networking. Traditional lectures were replaced by group work and round table discussions, allowing participants to delve deeply into the topics of their interest.
Some discussions generated particular excitement. For example:
- The round table "From Copilot to Co-author: Generative AI in Modern Game Production," supported by ByteDance, with Bora Ozkut, a Solution Architect for Generative Artificial Intelligence at BytePlus, as the moderator;
- The round table "Harnessing Desires: Engagement, Spending Predictability, and Compliance in Adult Game Development," led by Andrey Postnikov, Senior Business Development Specialist at Nutaku. Sponsored by Passion Panda Publishing;
- A Q&A session "Stylized AA/Indie Games vs. Major Franchises," where PlaySide Studios VP of Business Development Ozgur Ozalp answered questions about working on the noir cartoon shooter MOUSE: P.I. For Hire;
- A panel discussion on "Scaling Mobile Games in 2026: Creativity, Brand, and Community as Growth Drivers," featuring Chris Lefebvre from ByteBrew, Jane Anderson from Rollic Games, Işıl Eralp from Rovio Entertainment, and Abdus Samad from Finz Games.
There were also other activities at the event. For example, a closed event session with GameXCap was successfully held, alongside a Happy Hour, a prize draw, a networking dinner by the pool supported by Green Code, an exhibition of games by independent developers, and an indie pitch. Let's take a closer look at the last two.
Showcase
The developer exhibition — the showcase — featured 48 teams. Attendees could meet and talk with them, and play most of the projects they demonstrated.
The majority of the games at the showcase (83%) are being developed for PC. Additionally, many teams (52%) are planning to release their games on mobile devices. The share of games being prepared for console release is 35%. Note that some exhibition participants are working on multi-platform titles, so the total percentage exceeds 100.
Regarding game engines, Unity remains the most popular at 60%, with Unreal Engine in second place at 32%.
Indie Pitch
To recap, the indie pitch is a dedicated presentation where independent developers present their games to experts. Jury members provide detailed feedback on each project and share valuable advice.
This year, the jury included representatives from ByteDance, Lorien Accelerator, Tark Games Publishing, Herocraft, Devotion Interactive, Gaming Istanbul, Games for Change Türkiye, Gaming in Turkey, and the Game Incubation Center at Bahçeşehir University.
A total of five projects were discussed at the indie pitch in Istanbul.
H.A.I.N: Heir of the Ancient Immortal Necromancer by Hellva Games
A cooperative horror-thriller designed for teams of up to four players. In the storyline, the heroes of H.A.I.N must find mysterious artifacts and complete a ritual in which one of them becomes the necromancer's heir.
Chop Chop: Together by Dango Dynamics
Another cooperative game, but this time with an emphasis on fun and chaos. In Chop Chop: Together, players take on various professions (from chef to medieval blacksmith) and complete absurd tasks.
CloudPaws by Mad Forge Games
An adventure game about animal traders traveling on an airship. Players explore the world of the Cloud Archipelago, grow vegetables on farms, trade, and engage in numerous other exciting activities.
Little Woody by Prism Realm
An adventure game with a unique 2D art style resembling book illustrations. The main character is an intelligent log that embarks on a journey in hopes of learning more about its origins.
The Purge Revenant by OG Games Entertainment
A survival horror game about a climber whose wife went missing during an ascent. To find her, he must venture into five dark dimensions, battle enemies, and discover fragments of a powerful artifact to solve the mystery.
Among the sponsors of WN Istanbul ’26 were Xsolla, Yandex Games, Yandex Advertising Network, ByteDance, Salary.cab, Malpa Games, Verve Group, RoasUp, Brightika, ReklamUp, Rock Rim, PubScale, CloudPayments, AdCounty, Jungle Technology, and others.
Below are some photos from the recent event.
