Gaming Meetup Osijek powered by BIOS showcased the strength of the Slavonian indie game development scene
Osijek, April 24, 2025 – The Gaming Meetup Osijek powered by BIOS was successfully held at the BIOS Business Incubator, bringing together key representatives of the Croatian and Slavonian indie game development scene. Through lectures, panels, and an expo, Osijek once again confirmed its status as one of Croatia’s emerging hubs for game development.
Lectures packed with knowledge, experience, and practical advice
The event opened with Leo Tot from Reboot, who presented a detailed analysis of the indie game dev scene in Slavonia. His statistical overview highlighted the key players, types of projects being developed, and specific regional characteristics, delivering an optimistic message about the local scene’s strong potential for growth and international success.
Davor Hunski from Croteam followed with a lecture on the creation of the globally acclaimed game The Talos Principle. He shared the challenges faced during the design process and gave valuable advice to attending developers on shaping creative workflows within teams and balancing innovation with execution.
Next, Mladen Bošnjak spoke about developing the game Go Home Annie, openly sharing what went well and what he would approach differently with today’s experience. He placed special emphasis on the importance of working with publishers, offering crucial advice to indie developers on preparing for successful negotiations and collaboration.
Showcasing local studios and the Osijek scene
After the lectures, Downtown Game Studio, Big Small Games, and Acodeon – three local studios based in BIOS – gave short presentations of their projects and experiences, confirming that Osijek has a vibrant and active game dev community.
Panel on funding and HAVC’s role in industry development
One of the meetup’s highlights was the panel discussion “Funding Indie Games in Croatia”, featuring Chris Marcich, Director of HAVC, and Benjamin Noah Maričak, Head of the Department for Video Games and New Technologies at HAVC, joined by Mladen Bošnjak.
During the panel, Maričak and Marcich presented the purpose and structure of current and upcoming public funding programs for video game development, and outlined plans for expanding support to domestic developers. They emphasized HAVC’s strategic role in developing Croatia’s gaming industry with the goal of positioning the country as a competitive player on the global video game market.
Expo and networking: Slavonian games within reach
After the official program, participants enjoyed a relaxed lunch and the expo section, where they could try out games by Slavonian indie developers, meet the creators, and exchange experiences. Alongside casual networking, the event provided a strong boost for further collaboration and community building within the game development ecosystem.
Gaming Meetup Osijek powered by BIOS proved that Osijek and Slavonia have much to offer not only to Croatia, but to the global video game industry as well.
