The opening days of PLAYCON showcased Malta’s growing prominence in the global gaming, esports, and immersive entertainment landscape.
Day 1 began with GamingMalta CEO Ivan Filletti officially opening the conference, tracing the event’s evolution from its first edition to the present, aligned with the Vision 2050 strategy. In his address, he highlighted several key milestones, including:
- The development of base_camp, now home to a strong cohort of game studios and continuing to welcome new ones;
- The introduction of sustainable frameworks and incentives to support base_camp participants, alongside enhancements to the Accelerator Programme;
- Malta’s strengthened position in esports through a new partnership with BLAST; and
- The success of BLAST’s August event in Malta, which generated more than 66 million views globally.
Silvio Schembri, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects, described the gaming industry as an ecosystem that grows stronger each year, calling PLAYCON “more than an event – a symbol of Malta’s commitment to nurturing a vibrant ecosystem with a strategy rooted in Envision 2050.”
The day continued with a series of sessions and panels featuring leading industry voices, including Jason Della Rocca, co-founder of Execution Labs and one of Game Developer Magazine’s Power 50. He offered valuable insights into the funding process and the realities of building sustainable game studios. The day concluded with Reverse Pitches, where five publishers and investors presented their needs and partnership opportunities directly to participating studios.
Day 2 opened with the Agora Pitch, featuring ten studios presenting their projects to a panel of judges. Stardream by Rebel Pixel was named the overall winner, announced by Ivan Filletti and Kerstin James Chircop.
The day’s speaker lineup included Luke Savage from Unreal Engine, who explored the intersection of education, learning, and digital experiences within the gaming ecosystem. Joanna Simon, Co-Founder of cView, followed with Beyond the Uncanny Valley: Lessons for Achieving Character Likeness in Games, discussing how AI-driven human likenesses can affect player perception and immersion.
Noelia Ruiz led the afternoon sessions with Localisation: From Afterthought to Centre Stage, emphasising the commercial and cultural importance of early localisation in game development.
Alexander Lewin, SVP Commercial Revenue at BLAST, shared impressive data on the growth of the esports ecosystem, projecting 3 billion views in 2025, 8.2 billion minutes watched in 2024, and a reach of 2.8 million social followers.
A panel discussion titled From Islands to Arenas: Malta’s Place in Global Esports brought together James Dean (Kuoda Ltd), Trev Keane (Feenix Group), David Higginson (Daigon Esports), and Nathan Edmonds (Get In), moderated by Chris Cachia, Co-Founder of Bloxx Bureau. The session explored Malta’s strengths and challenges as a competitive gaming hub.
The day also featured the opening of the College Tournament at the Daigon Esports stand, inaugurated by Ivan Filletti. Students aged 11–18 from Bermuda, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Germany, China, South Africa, and the UK competed in Minecraft and Rocket League, bringing impressive energy and enthusiasm to the arena.
PLAYCON continues to serve as Malta’s flagship event for games, esports, and interactive media — bringing together studios, educators, investors, and policymakers to explore innovation, collaboration, and the future of digital entertainment.
