IGDA Finland May Gathering focused on the typical legal issues game companies have to deal with from the very start to exit. The evening was kicked off by a panel discussion led by Timo Skurnik from Aldea Attorneys at Law. Aldea is a Helsinki based law firm specialized in commercial law, which has been advicing Finnish game companies for over a decade and has a firm understanding on the business and the legal issues corporated therein. Together with Timo, Janne Snellman from Supercell, Markus Pasula from Grand Cru and Ville Vesterinen from Grey Area were sharing their experiences on various topics from founding a company to making contracts, setting up responsibilities and distributing shares to keep the company in a good shape for exit.

The Panelists shared their own experiences regarding the legal aspects associated with setting up, operating, funding and exiting a games company. Panel discussion was very practical and the audience took part in the conversation actively. After the panel it was time to head to Cuba bar for some drinks by Aldea, discuss and network with other professionals.

I personally felt the IGDA Finland Presentations session was one of the best ever. Yet for some reason there were empty seats. For those who missed the session for a reason or another, here's a video clip to give you some idea what was discussed at the panel.

IGDA Finland Gathering was as crowded as usual. This time we had nearly 150 people at the Cuba bar. It was perfect, there were enough room to move around and have discussions with people but still very good atmosphere and industry buzz going on. Finnish game development scene surely is hot at the moment and it was clear that when you do your legal stuff right from the start, your life will be a lot smoother when your game studio grows and blooms.