After a massive growth-spurt in Lisbon this year, DevGamm is moving to Dubai next. We explain why based on market data from the UAE, MENA's drive to gaming power and an exclusive interview with DevGamm CEO Maria Chyrvona.
Last weeks DevGamm Lisbon in the Portuguese capital posed a growth record for the special B2B event format that DevGamm is: With 1122 attendees, the third Lisbon event grew strongly from last year’s 770 attendees. Part of that was a change in venue that could hold more people, and that was located directly in the conference quarter of Lisbon’s harbor in contrast to the suburbs of Cascais last year.
DevGamm, as a rotating event in several countries, is always a strong port for the local game dev community in under-served event markets, and Lisbon is no exception. 44 per cent of attendees came from Portugal. Other notable demographics include seven per cent from UK and five per cent attendees each from Spain and Poland. A third of attendees were women. Get an impression on the whole conference in our photo gallery here.
The game showcase floor held 80 titles, exhibitors came from all over the world, for example Brazil, Italy, Poland and the US. Publisher attendance was strong in the audience as well as the speaker lineup, with the likes of Hooded Horse, Ubisoft and Nacon present and scouting.
One highlight of DevGamm’s Lisbon location are the DevGamm Awards, presented each year at the conference. This year’s winners included indie superstars like Kaizen Game Works and YCJY, but also solo devs and anti-fashist collectives. You can read all about the ceremony here.
What makes DevGamm extremely unique as an event concept is its rotation character, with three locations throughout a year. In 2025, DevGamm was in Gdansk in Spring for the third time, in Vilnius in Summer for the first time and in Lisbon in Fall for the third time as well. Next year, the DevGamm locations undergo some adjustments. That is not unusual in the event’s concept. In our interview on DevGamm Gdansk 2024 with then-new CEO Maria Chyrvona, she explains the concept of testing out underserved markets and finding fitting locations, including trying out events that might not be repeated at the same place.
Now in 2025, the changes are a lot more remarkable than in the years before:
