An expert review session for participants of Astana Hub’s Gamepreneurs acceleration program was held as part of the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 international technology forum. Nine teams presented their game projects to representatives of game studios and industry experts.
The pitching session took place on October 3 at the Pitch Point venue. The participants showcased their games, answered questions from the jury, and received recommendations on how to refine their projects ahead of the final Demo Day.
The following projects were presented:
- Pushup RPG by Relife Studio;
- Shadow Over Bishkek by Fish Run Games;
- Spark by No Mad Games;
- Tower Hero: Dragon Battle by Elbow Group;
- Chess Royal by the team of the same name;
- What’s Behind the Slime Factory? by Forgotten Kittens;
- Sector YAMA by SY Productions;
- Bush Escape by the team of the same name;
- PolyCity by TECHSTEPPE.
“Gamepreneurs helps game development teams prepare their projects for market launch. Throughout the program, developers work with mentors, refine their games, and prepare for negotiations with publishers. Their participation in AI & Digital Bridge enabled them to present their progress to the professional community and receive recommendations for the next stages of development,” said Anarbek Utegulov, Director of the Technology Centers Office at Astana Hub.
The session was moderated by Roman Taganov, Head of Products at Creata Games. The jury included Sergey Syskin, Art Director at Lipsar; Irakli Petrov, Producer at Mytona; Olzhas Akparov, Business Development Director at Cyber Temple; and Grigory Ivanov, Project Manager at Omnium.
“It is important for developers to receive feedback on their games as early as possible. Sessions like this provide an opportunity to discuss gameplay mechanics, project presentation, and the team’s plans. Expert recommendations help teams understand what needs to be improved before release and what to focus on when preparing for meetings with publishers,” said Irakli Petrov, Producer at Mytona and a member of the jury.
The forum also featured a GameDev exhibition zone, bringing together 22 studios from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan. These included 11 Gamepreneurs projects selected to participate with playable demo versions of their games. Visitors were able to test the games on computers and mobile devices, meet the teams, and share their feedback.
Following the forum, the participants will continue refining their projects based on the experts’ recommendations and prepare for the final Demo Day, where they will present the results of the acceleration program.
Gamepreneurs is an Astana Hub acceleration program for game development projects. Its first cohort was launched in September 2026. The program is delivered in a hybrid format and includes guidance from industry mentors.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was held as part of Kazakhstan’s Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence and became the flagship international event of AI MONTH — a month-long series of events bringing together initiatives in artificial intelligence, digital technologies, entrepreneurship, and human capital development.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was organized by the Astana Hub International Innovation Cluster jointly with the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Astana City Akimat.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was funded through sponsorship support provided by the forum’s partners.
Gold Partners: Freedom Bank, Kaspi Bank, Samruk-Kazyna JSC, and Kazakhtelecom JSC.
Silver Partner: Halyk Bank.
Business Partner: Beeline Kazakhstan.
Bronze Partner: Yandex Qazaqstan.
Telecommunications Partner: Freedom Telecom Operations.
Technology Partner: Transtelecom JSC.
Official Airline Partner: Air Astana.
An expert review session for participants of Astana Hub’s Gamepreneurs acceleration program was held as part of the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 international technology forum. Nine teams presented their game projects to representatives of game studios and industry experts.
The pitching session took place on October 3 at the Pitch Point venue. The participants showcased their games, answered questions from the jury, and received recommendations on how to refine their projects ahead of the final Demo Day.
The following projects were presented:
- Pushup RPG by Relife Studio;
- Shadow Over Bishkek by Fish Run Games;
- Spark by No Mad Games;
- Tower Hero: Dragon Battle by Elbow Group;
- Chess Royal by the team of the same name;
- What’s Behind the Slime Factory? by Forgotten Kittens;
- Sector YAMA by SY Productions;
- Bush Escape by the team of the same name;
- PolyCity by TECHSTEPPE.
“Gamepreneurs helps game development teams prepare their projects for market launch. Throughout the program, developers work with mentors, refine their games, and prepare for negotiations with publishers. Their participation in AI & Digital Bridge enabled them to present their progress to the professional community and receive recommendations for the next stages of development,” said Anarbek Utegulov, Director of the Technology Centers Office at Astana Hub.
The session was moderated by Roman Taganov, Head of Products at Creata Games. The jury included Sergey Syskin, Art Director at Lipsar; Irakli Petrov, Producer at Mytona; Olzhas Akparov, Business Development Director at Cyber Temple; and Grigory Ivanov, Project Manager at Omnium.
“It is important for developers to receive feedback on their games as early as possible. Sessions like this provide an opportunity to discuss gameplay mechanics, project presentation, and the team’s plans. Expert recommendations help teams understand what needs to be improved before release and what to focus on when preparing for meetings with publishers,” said Irakli Petrov, Producer at Mytona and a member of the jury.
The forum also featured a GameDev exhibition zone, bringing together 22 studios from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan. These included 11 Gamepreneurs projects selected to participate with playable demo versions of their games. Visitors were able to test the games on computers and mobile devices, meet the teams, and share their feedback.
Following the forum, the participants will continue refining their projects based on the experts’ recommendations and prepare for the final Demo Day, where they will present the results of the acceleration program.
Gamepreneurs is an Astana Hub acceleration program for game development projects. Its first cohort was launched in September 2026. The program is delivered in a hybrid format and includes guidance from industry mentors.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was held as part of Kazakhstan’s Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence and became the flagship international event of AI MONTH — a month-long series of events bringing together initiatives in artificial intelligence, digital technologies, entrepreneurship, and human capital development.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was organized by the Astana Hub International Innovation Cluster jointly with the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Astana City Akimat.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was funded through sponsorship support provided by the forum’s partners.
Gold Partners: Freedom Bank, Kaspi Bank, Samruk-Kazyna JSC, and Kazakhtelecom JSC.
Silver Partner: Halyk Bank.
Business Partner: Beeline Kazakhstan.
Bronze Partner: Yandex Qazaqstan.
Telecommunications Partner: Freedom Telecom Operations.
Technology Partner: Transtelecom JSC.
Official Airline Partner: Air Astana.
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