Masterclass Friday at Nordic Game 2026 Reveals Its Speaker Lineup
The Nordic Game event, one of Europe’s premier gatherings for the video game industry, has announced the expert speakers for its highly anticipated Masterclass Friday program at the 2026 conference. This specialized day of intensive workshops, now curated by the mentor group Mighty Diamonds, promises to offer unparalleled hands-on learning across four core disciplines of game development: design, art, business, and narrative. Following a successful debut in 2025, the program has been refined based on participant feedback, setting the stage for what could be the most valuable professional development day of the year for attending creators.
The Concept of Masterclass Friday
Masterclass Friday represents a significant evolution within the Nordic Game conference format. While large-scale conferences excel at providing high-level industry insights through keynote speeches and panel discussions, the deep dive required for practical skill advancement is often harder to find. Masterclass Friday addresses this gap directly. It is structured as a series of expert-led, full-day workshops, moving beyond passive listening to active learning and application. The program is designed for developers who want to move from theory to practice, offering them the opportunity to work alongside seasoned professionals and gain actionable knowledge they can apply to their own projects immediately.
Curation by Mighty Diamonds
The quality and direction of Masterclass Friday are significantly influenced by its curation partner, Mighty Diamonds. This mentor group, known for its focus on elevating development talent, is responsible for selecting speakers and shaping the program’s educational pillars. Their involvement ensures that the workshops are not merely lectures but are structured as genuine masterclasses—sessions where methodology, critique, and real-world problem-solving are central. Their partnership with Nordic Game underscores a shared commitment to fostering tangible growth within the development community, turning the event into a catalyst for professional advancement rather than just a networking opportunity.
The 2026 Speaker Lineup
The strength of any masterclass program lies in its instructors. Nordic Game 2026 has assembled a diverse and heavyweight lineup of industry veterans, each bringing specialized expertise from different corners of the game development world. This year’s roster includes:
- Christoffer Bodegård, founder of Sudden Snail. As a studio founder, Bodegård’s perspective is invaluable for developers navigating the intersection of creative vision and sustainable business operation, a crucial aspect of the “business” track.
- Chris Brettman, former level designer for Helldivers 2. With experience on a major, critically acclaimed title, Brettman offers deep insights into environmental storytelling, combat-space design, and player flow, core components of the “design” track.
- Daniel Perez, studio art director. Perez will lead sessions focused on visual direction, art team management, and establishing a cohesive artistic identity—key topics for the “art” track.
- William Blood, senior economy and progression designer at Starbreeze. Blood’s expertise in player motivation, reward systems, and long-term engagement mechanics is central to modern game design and will be a cornerstone of the “design” workshops.
- Lauren Stone, former narrative director at Ubisoft. Stone brings a wealth of experience in crafting narratives for large-scale, open-world games, offering guidance on branching stories, character development, and integrating narrative with gameplay for the “narrative” track.
- Patrick Rose, product strategy and design consultant. Rose’s broad consultancy experience provides a strategic, high-level view of market positioning, feature prioritization, and product lifecycle, enriching the “business” track.
- Johan Lundqvist, senior concept artist. Lundqvist’s work in the foundational phase of visual development will inform “art” track sessions on ideation, visual problem-solving, and communicating design intent through imagery.
This assembly of talent ensures that attendees, regardless of their specific discipline focus, will be learning from individuals who have not only theoretical knowledge but also proven, practical experience on notable projects.
The Four Developmental Pillars
The program is explicitly organized around four main areas of game development, recognizing that modern game creation is a multifaceted endeavor. This structure allows attendees to choose a track aligned with their primary role or interest.
Design
The design pillar encompasses the architecture of the player experience. Workshops here will go beyond basic tutorials, delving into advanced topics like systemic design (how game rules interact), player psychology, balancing challenge and reward, and creating emergent gameplay possibilities. Speakers like Chris Brettman and William Blood will likely explore how level design influences narrative and how economic systems drive player investment, respectively.
Art
The art pillar focuses on the visual realization of a game’s world. Sessions will address both technical execution and artistic leadership. Topics may include establishing a consistent art style across a large team, optimizing workflows for efficiency, the role of concept art in guiding entire departments, and the integration of art with technical constraints. Daniel Perez and Johan Lundqvist will provide guidance from the director and foundational artist perspectives.
Business
In today’s industry, understanding the market is as critical as understanding code. The business pillar is dedicated to the non-creative frameworks that sustain creativity. Workshops will cover studio financing, market analysis, go-to-market strategies, community building, and product roadmaps. Christoffer Bodegård and Patrick Rose will offer insights from the trenches of running a studio and advising on product strategy.
Narrative
The narrative pillar explores the craft of storytelling within interactive media. This goes beyond writing dialogue to include designing narrative systems, integrating plot with player agency, building compelling characters, and using environmental storytelling. Lauren Stone’s experience with complex, player-driven narratives in major franchises will provide a masterclass in scaling narrative ambition with technical and design realities.
Building on a Successful Premiere
The inaugural Masterclass Friday in 2025 established a strong foundation. Jacob Riis, Nordic Game’s program director, noted the positive feedback from participants, which has been directly used to refine the 2026 program. This iterative improvement is a hallmark of a serious educational offering. The feedback likely addressed session pacing, the balance between lecture and hands-on work, the relevance of case studies, and the overall logistical flow of the day. By actively incorporating this feedback, the organizers demonstrate a commitment to making Masterclass Friday a continually evolving and responsive benefit for the community, rather than a static annual event.
Access and Registration
Accessibility to this premium program is thoughtfully structured. All attendees who purchase a full Nordic Game 2026 Spring pass are granted admission to Masterclass Friday at no additional cost. This bundling makes the masterclasses a core value proposition of the main conference ticket. For professionals who may only be able to attend for the intensive learning day, a Friday-only pass is also available, providing a focused and cost-effective option. This flexibility ensures that both comprehensive conference participants and specialists seeking deep-dive training can benefit from the program.
Complementing the Main Stage Program
Masterclass Friday exists as a parallel, in-depth track to the main Nordic Game conference program. While Masterclass Friday focuses on hands-on, discipline-specific workshops, the main stage continues to host broader industry discussions. Recently announced speakers for the main program include Liquid Swords CEO Christofer Sundberg, who will likely discuss new publishing models and studio leadership, and a notable voice acting panel featuring David Bateson (the iconic voice of Agent 47 in the Hitman series) and Magnus Bruun (known for his roles in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Call of Duty). This dual structure provides attendees with a complete spectrum of learning: high-level industry trends on the main stage and granular, practical skills in the masterclasses. The full lineup for all conference events is publicly available, allowing attendees to plan their schedules effectively.
The Venue and Event Details
Nordic Game 2026 will be held from May 26 to May 29 at Slagthuset in Malmö, Sweden. Slagthuset, a historic and adaptable venue, has been a long-standing home for the conference, offering ample space for large keynote sessions, intimate breakout rooms perfect for masterclasses, and networking areas. Malmö’s position as a vibrant hub for game development in Scandinavia makes it a fitting location. The late May timing places the event after many major industry releases and announcements in the spring, allowing discussions to be informed by the current market landscape.
The announcement of the Masterclass Friday speakers is a clear signal of Nordic Game 2026’s elevated commitment to developer education. By pairing a proven format with an elite roster of industry practitioners and backing it with the curation of Mighty Diamonds, the event is positioning itself as a must-attend destination for developers who are serious about leveling up their craft. As the industry continues to grow in complexity, opportunities for concentrated, expert-led learning become increasingly valuable. Masterclass Friday at Nordic Game 2026 aims to be precisely that opportunity—a day where theory meets practice, and inspiration is translated into actionable skill.
