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PGC Nordics Highlights: More Content Can Hurt Revenue
PGC Nordics, held in Helsinki on 20-21 October, delivered four sessions that all converged on a single message: doing more is not always a useful strategy for mobile game operators.
IP Deals: Lock Terms Before You Lock In
Stash’s Katharina Schmidt, a former Rovio business-dev veteran, warned that IP collaborations must nail three details at the outset: the length of the partnership, the geographic scope, and the exact way the IP appears in the game. She said that a one-week collaboration looks very different on paper from a year-long one. Early legal clarity, she added, saves studios from renegotiation headaches and hidden costs.
The takeaway for operators is that every IP deal should include a clear term sheet that specifies duration, territory, and usage rights. Missing any of these elements can lead to protracted negotiations, unexpected royalty payments, or even legal disputes that drain resources.
AI Hype: Focus on Real Value, Not Buzz
Dr Luke Dicken, founder of LuDic AI and former head of AI at Take-Two Interactive, took a pragmatic look at generative AI. He warned against two extremes: dismissing AI entirely or treating a single successful use case as a green light for mass adoption. Dicken cited contextual recaps—where a language model reminds players where they left off—as a concrete example of AI that adds real value.
His broader point was that many problems blamed on AI stem from business decisions aimed at cutting corners. Studios chasing productivity gains without a clear use case risk pouring money into tools that deliver little return. The risk is a sunk cost that could have been invested in proven monetisation tactics.
Live-Ops Overload: More Events, Less Engagement
Outfit7’s Urška Leskovar, senior lead product manager, examined the common response to declining engagement: ship more events, features, and rewards. She argued that as games mature, layers of systems compete for player attention, making it harder for good content to surface. Adding more content does not automatically add value; it can dilute the player experience and erode revenue.
Leskovar’s advice is blunt: before launching a new event, ask what it brings to the game as a whole. If the answer is “nothing new, just more noise,” the event is likely to backfire. Operators should focus on quality over quantity, ensuring that each addition serves a clear purpose.
D2C Strategy: Plan for Fee Shifts
Xsolla’s Ola Dokun distinguished between having a webshop and having a true direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategy. She traced the industry’s shift from platform fees to direct purchases, citing Epic Games’ decision to add in-game purchases to Fortnite as a catalyst. Dokun warned that fee structures and regulations are still evolving. Operators should design D2C plans that can pivot when economics change.
The practical implication is that studios should avoid locking into a single distribution channel or fee model. Instead, they should build flexible architectures that can adapt to new platforms, fee schedules, or regulatory requirements.
Bottom Line for Operators
The four sessions at PGC Nordics converge on a single risk: the temptation to add more features, AI tools, or IP deals without a clear strategic framework can erode revenue, inflate costs, and dilute player experience. Operators that ignore these lessons may find themselves chasing short-term gains while missing long-term sustainability.
The next event, PGC Jordan in Amman on 7-8 November, promises further discussion on these themes. Operators should keep an eye on how the industry adapts to shifting platform fees, AI capabilities, and player attention economics.
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