NGSC 2025 Studio Agenda | Live Shows, Podcasts & Interviews

Agenda

Time

Hero Stage

08:00 - 09:30

Doors Open and Registration

09:30 - 10:00

Opening Remarks

THE NEXT GAME

Building the Future of Gaming, Esports, and Sports

Ralf Reichert, Chief Executive Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation

10:00 - 10:50

Panel Session

THE KINGDOM’S NEXT ERA OF PLAY

How Saudi Arabia is Writing the Future of Gaming and Esports

Kate Scott, Sports Broadcaster
HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports
HRH Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud, Chairman, Saudi Esports Federation
H.E. Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism
H.E. Eng. Khalid Bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Minister of Investment
H.E. Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology

10:50 - 11:20

Fireside Chat

GAMING THROUGH TIME

Ubisoft’s Legacy and Future

Kate Scott, Sports Broadcaster
Yves Guillemot, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Ubisoft

11:20 - 12:30

Keynote and Panel Session

THE NEXT GAME STARTS HERE

Envisioning 2050: Charting the Future of Gaming and Sports

Matthew Ball,Chief Executive Officer,Epyllion
Jens Hilgers, General Partner & Co-Founder, Bitkraft Ventures
Jumana Haj Ahmad, Deputy Representative, UNICEF Gulf Area Office

12:30 - 13:30

Networking Lunch

13:30 - 13:40

Announcement

EWCF SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Ralf Reichert, Chief Executive Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation

13:40 - 14:00

Panel Session

THE ESPORTS FORMULA

Building Entertainment Products for a New Generation of Fans

Dr. Alexander Schudey, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group
Rawan Albutairi, Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Esports Federation
Faisal Mohammed Bin Homran, Chief Product Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation
Mohammed Alnimer, Chief Commercial Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation
Abdulaziz Bin Ahmed Baeshen, Secretary General, The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee

14:00 - 14:30

Panel Session

POWERING THE ECOSYSTEM

How Publishers Shape the Foundations of The Next Big Game

Kate Scott, Sports Broadcaster
Monica Dinsmore, Head of Esports, Electronic Arts
Minho Yi, Vice President Head of Global Esports, Krafton
Fabian Scheuermann, Chief Games Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation
Francois-Xavier Deniele, Vice President Esports & Competitive Gaming, Ubisoft
Mars Hou, Vice President of Tencent Games, General Manager of Tencent Esports, Tencent

14:30 - 15:15

Panel Session

NATIONS LEVEL UP

Harnessing National Pride to Shape the Future of Global Competition

Pete Radovich, Vice President of Production & Senior Creative Director, CBS Sports
Casey Wasserman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Wasserman, Chairperson & President, LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games
Alex Morgan, Two-Time FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion & Olympic Gold Medalist
Ralf Reichert, Chief Executive Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation

15:15 - 15:45

NETWORKING BREAK

15:45 - 16:30

Panel Session

GOING GLOBAL, WINNING MOBILE POWERED BY STC

Strategies for Scaling Games in a Rapidly Evolving Global Market

Pedro Pinto, Journalist
Pavel Kasperovich, Partner, Boston Consulting Group
Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Nodwin Gaming
Niccolo Maisto, Chief Executive Officer, ESL FACEIT GROUP
Taewon Yun, Senior Vice President and Head of Game Strategy, NCSOFT
Sean Hyunil Sohn, Chief Executive Officer, Krafton India, and Vice-President, Indian Digital Gaming Society

16:30 - 17:15

Panel Session

IP STRATEGIES UNLOCKED

Positioning Intellectual Property as a Strategic Advantage in the Next Game

Lisa Cosmas Hanson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Niko Partners
Dan Clancy, Chief Executive Officer, Twitch
Shuji Utsumi, President and Chief Operating Officer, Sega
Enrico D’angelo, Vice President of Product Economy, Roblox
Eric Shanks, Chief Executive Officer & Executive Producer, Fox Sports

17:15 - 18:00

End of Conference Day 1

Time

Foundry

8:00 - 10:30

Doors Open and Registration

10:30 - 11:00

First Cohort Announcement

Playstation MENA Hero Project

Hector Fernandez, Sony
Sujith Sukumaran, Sony

11:00 - 12:30

Keynote and Panel Session

THE NEXT DEAL

Navigating Capital, Growth, and Strategy in Saudi Arabia and Beyond

HRH Prince Fahad Bin Mansour Bin Nasser Al Saud, President, Saudi G20 Startup 20, President, Saudi G20 Yea, Chairman, Entrepreneurship Vision
Susannah Streeter, Global Financial Commentator & International Broadcaster
Marat Karpeko, Partner, NVO Capital & Co-Founder, Wargaming
Brian Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Savvy Games Group
Charity Joy, Chief Executive Officer, Mirai
Danny Townsend, Chief Executive Officer, Surj Sports Investment
Bruce Stein, Senior Strategic Advisor

12:30 - 13:30

MoUs Signing

13:30 - 14:30

Blocked for the Main Stage

15:15 - 15:30

Networking Lunch

15:30 - 17:00

Keynote and Panel Session

THE NEXT DEAL

Investing in Gaming and Sports

HRH Prince Fahad Bin Mansour Bin Nasser Al Saud, President Saudi G20 Startup 20, President Saudi G20 Yea, Chairman Entrepreneurship Vision
Susannah Streeter, Global Financial Commentator & International Broadcaster
H.E. Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communication, Information & Technology, Saudi Arabia
Toby Evan Jones, Executive Director of Gaming, Neom
Abdullah Altamami, Founding Partner, Chief Executive Officer & Shareholder, Merak Capital
Homam Hashem, Chief Executive Officer, Kafalah, SME Fund
Mike Milanov, Executive Head of Gaming & Esports, Qiddiya

17:15 - 18:00

End of Conference Day 1

Time

Hero Stage

08:00 - 09:30

Doors Open and Registration

09:30 - 10:00

Welcome Remarks

The Next Game for Players, Fans and Community

HRH Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud, Chairman, Saudi Esports Federation

10:00 - 10:30

Fireside Chat

From Games to Global Entertainment

Shaping the Future of Interactive Communities

Kate Scott, Sports Broadcaster
Mike Mccabe, Chief Operating Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation
Paul Cairns, Executive Vice President & Chief Business Officer, Electronic Arts

10:35 - 11:10

Panel Session

FOOTBALL'S NEXT CHAPTER BY AWS

How AI Gaming and Esports are Expanding the Global Game

Pedro Pinto, Journalist
Jan Alessi, Co-Founder & Managing Director, World Football Summit
Thiago Alcantara, Professional Footballer
Dave Mace, Global Leader, Media & Entertainment, Games and Sports, AWS
Sam Turkbas, Sr. Director, Esports Product, EA

11:15 - 12:00

Panel Session

WINNING AS A HABIT

Lessons from Esports and Entrepreneurship

Pedro Pinto, Journalist
Magnus Carlsen, Chess Grandmaster & EWC Ambassador
Victor Goossens, Founder & Co-Chief Executive Officer, Team Liquid
Steven Bartlett, The Diary of a CEO Podcast host, Founder of Flight Story & Thirdweb

12:00 - 13:00

Networking Lunch

13:00 - 13:45

Panel Session

RULES REWRITTEN

How Two Game Changers Built the Playbook for the Future of Competition

Pedro Pinto, Journalist
Ralf Reichert, Chief Executive Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation
Peter Moore, Ex-Chief Executive Officer, Liverpool FC

13:45 - 14:15

Panel Session

CONTENT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

Revolutionizing Platforms, Formats and Fan Engagement

Kate Scott, Sports Broadcaster
Steve Boom, Vice President, Audio, Twitch & Games, Amazon
Toshimoto Mitomo, Chief Strategy Officer, Sony

14:15 - 14:30

Networking Break

14:30 - 15:00

Panel Session

POWER MOVES

Next-Generation Dealmakers Shaping Gaming and Esports Investments

Kartik Prabhakara, Co-Founder & Partner, Aream & Co.
Maria Redin, President & Chief Executive Officer, Modern Times Group
Abdulaziz Al Omran, Founding Partner & Chief Executive Officer, Impact46
Lior Shiff, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Tripledot
Brian Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Savvy Games Group

15:00 - 15:45

Fireside Chat

BLURRING THE LINES

Between Games and Cinema

Christopher Cruz, Senior Gaming Editor, Rolling Stone
Hideo Kojima, Game Creator, Kojima Productions
Nicolas Winding Refn, Film Director, byNWR

15:45 - 15:50

Closing Remarks

Pedro Pinto, Journalist
Kate Scott, Sports Broadcaster

15:50

End of Conference Day 2

Time

Foundry

8:00 - 9:30

Doors Open and Registration

9:30 - 10:00

Blocked for the Main Stage

10:00 - 11:00

Panel Session

DRIVING THE GAME POWERED BY ARAMCO

Creating Equitable Opportunities in Sports, Gaming and Esports

Susannah Streeter, Global Financial Commentator & International Broadcaster
Nicolle Mehry (Cherrygumms), Chief Executive Officer, Black Dragons Dreamers Group
Anna Rozwandowicz, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, The Story Mob
Helena Wulf, Chief of Staff, Surj Sports Investment
Polly Handford, General Counsel, Saudi Arabian Football Federation
Trafford Wilson, Multi Sport Director, Al Qadsiah FC

11:00 - 12:00

Case Study

SPONSORING A WORLD CUP

A Case Study of Esports World Cup 2025 Brand Activation

Susannah Streeter, Global Financial Commentator & International Broadcaster
Francois Desir, Senior Manager Sponsorships, Esports World Cup
Nina Walsh, Global Leader, Media & Entertainment, Games and Sports, AWS
Debbie Scott-Bowden, Vice President Commercial, Gaming & Sport, Wasserman
Volker Düring, Vice President & General Manager of Gaming PC Business, Lenovo

12:00 - 13:30

Lunch

13:30 - 14:15

Panel Session

SOUND and SPECTACLE

Orchestrating Unforgettable Moments in Esports and Entertainment

Ariel Horn, Executive Producer, Esports World Cup Foundation
Viranda Tantula, Co-Founder, Potion Projects
Crystal Huh, Brands & Ventures, HYBE America

14:15 - 15:15

Panel Session

BROADCASTING THE NEXT GAME

AI, Spectacle, and the Future of Live Competition, the Essence of Great Esports Products - Analyzing Production, Broadcast and Tournament Trends in Esports

Susannah Streeter, Global Financial Commentator & International Broadcaster
Danny Tang, Co-Founder, CFO & Head of Global Strategy Office, Hero Esports
Robbie Douek, Chief Executive Officer, Blast
Ulrich Schulze, Senior Vice President Game Ecosystems, ESL FACEIT GROUP

16:00

End of Conference Day 2