QATestLab joined Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026, two days centered entirely around one-to-one meetings under one roof. Our delegates, Anton Yefimenko (Delivery Director), Tetiana Avramova (Key Account Manager), and Nataliia Hrushka (Program Manager), actively connected with studios, publishers, and service providers to help teams address quality risks and map out reliable release plans.
Key Insights from the Event
The audience turned out far broader than the pocket gaming label suggests, with PC, VR, and iGaming products sharing the same floor. The key trends were:
- Studios are treating player experience as a strategic priority. Onboarding, native accessibility, and player comfort are built into the pipeline from the start, with a growing segment of relaxation-focused games raising its own quality benchmarks.
- Independent build validation before external exposure is gaining ground. Indie teams are seeking professional evaluation to back their demos with objective data before heading into investor pitches.
- Compatibility is stretching beyond familiar boundaries. Studios are building across mobile, PC, VR, and smart TVs simultaneously, and device fragmentation demands a much broader technical focus.
The event also had a very welcoming atmosphere, from matcha KitKats at a Japanese booth to fresh popcorn and an indie zone full of demos that were hard to walk away from. Read the full press release at the link to get the complete picture.
Summing Up
PGC Barcelona confirmed that game studios are raising the bar for quality at every stage, from early prototype to market expansion. The event gave us a clear view of where the industry is heading and a chance to connect with the teams shaping that direction.
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