GIC Sprint debuts in Katowice with a big blast
The inaugural edition of GIC Sprint, the new summer edition of Game Industry Conference (GIC), welcomed 1 000 attendees representing 400 companies from 32 countries. Held at the International Congress Center in Katowice, the event marked the first time in GIC's history that the conference was organized in two annual editions, complementing the flagship October event in Poznan.
Across three days, GIC Sprint delivered 90 lectures, panels, roundtables and workshops presented by 110 speakers. The program took place across seven parallel stages, covering 18 thematic tracks, four dedicated summits, and five different content formats, offering practical knowledge for experienced game developers, business professionals and decision-makers from across the global games industry. While the two-day event is a Sprint for GIC, its size and quality, as perceived by attendees, rank it among Europe's leading gamedev conferences.
One of the highlights of this year's edition was the Game Design Summit, a full-day program of intensive, hands-on workshops dedicated exclusively to professional game designers. Rather than traditional conference presentations, participants worked directly with experienced designers from leading international studios including Elsewhere Entertainment (Activision), Owlcat Games, Digital Sun Games, and others, focusing on practical exercises, design methodologies, and real production challenges. Further, the core conference also brought together dozens of renowned experts whose careers have helped shape some of the world's most celebrated games, as reflected in their credits on internationally acclaimed titles.
International business development remained at the heart of GIC Sprint. The conference hosted the newest edition of Go to China! pitch, a GIC format providing European studios with a unique opportunity to present their projects directly to representatives of leading Chinese publishers, platforms, and media, including Tencent, TikTok, Bilibili, and HeyBox. The initiative was complemented by the GIC Meeting System and a wide range of networking opportunities, enabling participants to schedule meetings and thus find partners on their own. While the details remain confidential, a number of promising business opportunities are already taking shape.
Community initiatives also played an important role throughout the event. The first Women in Games Networking Breakfast, now brought to GIC Sprint Katowice, attracted a full room of participants, creating a dedicated space for women working across the games industry to exchange experiences, expand professional networks, and discuss career development. The initiative builds upon the long-standing and well-received Women in Games activities, which have been organized numerous times at GIC Poznan editions. But the program extended far beyond this. GIC Sprint also featured a dozen additional roundtables covering topics ranging from education to international expansion and game exports. Moreover, GIC Sprint created space for participants who often struggle to break into the industry. Speed Networking and open meeting formats helped students, indie developers, young studios, and first-time attendees connect with fellow industry professionals.
The success of GIC Sprint was made possible by partners committed to strengthening Poland's position as Europe's leading game development hub. Special thanks go to the City of Katowice, the Metropolis GZM, the City of Warsaw, and the Creative Industries Institute, which ultimately built their local and national ecosystems.
Following the successful debut of GIC Sprint, attention now turns to the flagship Game Industry Conference, which returns to Poznan this October. The organizers look forward to welcoming the industry once again for Europe's largest B2B conference for game developers. Following the enthusiastic reception of its inaugural edition, GIC Sprint has also already confirmed its return to Katowice in May 2027, with an expanded program and an even bigger event planned for next year.