The Bluebird Studios and Ann Arbor SPARK
Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2026
April 19, 2026 - May 5, 2026
In-Person @ Ann Arbor, MI
Remote Online via Discord
Conference Agenda
Herein lies the Conference Agenda for
The Bluebird Studios and Ann Arbor SPARK
Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2026.
About the Agenda:
All times are in the Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) timezone.
Food is only available for in-person events. We will do our reasonable best to provide dietary restrictions alternatives.
The Agenda may change leading up to the event and even during the event at the discretion of the conference organizers.
If a sponsor paid money (i.e., Silver, Gold, or Platinum Sponsors), and one or more of the sponsor’s tier perks is cancelled due to Agenda changes after the sponsor had paid, that sponsor will receive a full refund if requested before May 7, 2026.
(NOTE - This year there will likely be many event date change logistics. There may be last-minute changes if an event is to be cancelled, such as last year’s sponsors not wanting a VIP dinner after the main ecosystem discussion due to travel time to return back to their cities, so that event was cancelled. To see the latest changes stay tuned to this page or email Paul at youngpau@umich.edu or paul@bluebirdstudios.org!)
(NOTE - If the sponsor was not communicated of last-minute event agenda changes before the start of the event, then the sponsor may request and receive this refund.)
Want to Participate?
Register here (link)!
Pre-Conference: March 19, 2025 to Conference Start
April 3 - Registration opens
April 6 - 1st Official Flier (with all current logos) and Event Description are Launched
April 18 - 11:59pm EDT as the current deadline (NOTE - this is extended until April 25th @ 11:59pm EDT)
to register for consideration of the “$250 formation team award”, which will be given to some teams.April 19 - Day-Of Announcement to all current Registrants
April 19 - Deadline (by April 19, 2026 @ noon) to be guaranteed to receive day-of Week 1 email announcements.
After that we’ll daily send out an Week 1 email announcements email to any registrants that sign up sometime during April 20-25th.April 26 @ noon EDT- Deadline to register as an official participant of the conference for building a game, project, or startup eligible for prize $ at the AADL showcase.
April 26 @ noon EDT- Deadline to register as an official guest speaker or judge of the conference.
(NOTE - the conference director may allow last-minute signups for guest talks or judges after this, depending on circumstances.)May 4th @ noon EDT - Deadline to officially join as a sponsor for the conference.
Week 1: April 19, 2026 - April 25, 2026
Sunday April 19, 2026 - Week 1 Main Email Announcements!
Monday April 20, 2026 - N/A (unaffiliated student showcase happening this day at U of M)
Tuesday April 21, 2026 - N/A (unaffiliated student showcase happening this day at U of M)
Wednesday April 22, 2026 - 1st Midweek Email Announcements!
Wednesday April 22, 2026 - Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2026 | Team Mixer, Skills Workshop, and Work Session
Host: Paul Young
Time: 6pm-8pm EDT
Location: Ann Arbor SPARK (330 East Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 48104) in-person,
and Online via Discord (see Bluebird Studios’ email announcements to navigate to the Discord server)
Summary: Come attend the first of 3 development work session events at The Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2026 right here in downtown Ann Arbor @ SPARK on the first floor. For this we'll host a Team Mixer to help anyone who wants to find teammates, along with a skills workshop going over basics for team formation, and a casual work session to develop your game, project, or startup during this statewide conference!
—Thursday April 23, 2026 - Guest Speaker Talk: “Navigating the Dark: Game Director Fundamentals”
Speaker: Peter Lantz
Time: 8pm-9pm EDT
Location: Online via Discord (see Bluebird Studios’ email announcements to navigate to the Discord server)
Summary: “The following ideas are collected over the years of steering my own game projects and observing how successful people do it.
Its always risky to claim to know a fundamental truth, so my hope is merely this: that one or two ideas rings true and inspires change in your work!”
Peter Lantz is a 3D platformer indie dev. He is most known as the dev behind Castle on the Coast.
Currently he solo develops Veil: Alter Unknown and does gameplay programming for Rad-Venture.
—Friday April 24, 2026 - N/A (NOTE - a speaker slot might take this up; to be announced in the April 22 midweek email announcements if so.)
Saturday April 25, 2026 - N/A (NOTE - a speaker slot might take this up; to be announced in the April 22 midweek email announcements if so.)
Week 2: April 26, 2026 - May 2, 2026
Sunday April 26, 2026 - Week 2 Main Email Announcements!
Monday April 27, 2026 - Guest Speaker Talk: Building Games That Matter: From Idea to Impact
Speaker: Joseph Kemp
Time: 8pm-9pm EDT
Location: Online via Google Meet ( link: https://meet.google.com/jaw-hyfb-kph )
Summary: “This fireside chat explores what it takes to create games that are not only engaging, but meaningful and commercially viable. Drawing from firsthand experience building a nationally recognized game, the conversation will cover ideation, design, testing, and go-to-market strategy. Attendees will gain a practical understanding of how to turn a simple concept into a game that resonates with real people.”
Joseph Kemp is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Founder, who founded the game startup Games That Matter.
With a background from the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, Joseph currently is a grad school admissions consultant helping people with applying to law school. In addition to this, Disbarred The Game is a game he made that educates players who are navigating learning legal complexities, making a very tedious endeavor into a fun playable game.
—Tuesday April 28, 2026 - Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2026 | Skills Workshop and Work Session
Host: Paul Young
Time: 6pm-8pm EDT
Location: Ann Arbor SPARK (330 East Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 48104) in-person,
and Online via Discord (see Bluebird Studios’ email announcements to navigate to the Discord server)
Summary: Come attend the second of 3 development work session events at The Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2026 right here in downtown Ann Arbor @ SPARK on the first floor. For this we'll host a skills workshop going over basics for general development (art, audio, coding, design), and a casual work session to develop your game, project, or startup during this statewide conference!
—Tuesday April 28, 2026 - Guest Speaker Talk: Q&A Fireside Chat with the Founder of Lowkey Mocap
Speaker: John Allison
Time: 7pm-8pm EDT
Location: In-person at Ann Arbor SPARK (330 East Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 48104),
and Online via Discord (see Bluebird Studios’ email announcements to navigate to the Discord server).
Summary: “I'll be talking about all things Motion Capture, and will welcome any questions from students or professionals who want to learn more about this exciting production process. From setup, to capturing data on shoot days, to what the actual process is to implement motion capture in game dev projects, I'm happy to talk about any topic. I'm also interested in talking more broadly about the state of the industry, indie game dev, and how AI is affecting the motion capture and game dev industries in positive and negative ways. Overall, I want to help students get an idea of what the world of Motion Capture is really like and if they're interested, give them pointers on how to tailor their educational goals to give them the opportunity to get into the mocap industry.”
John Allison was Studio Manager at Haptix Studio, a motion capture studio in Lansing, MI, for the past 6 years. He oversaw the day to day operations and productions for the studio, organized shoots, worked with clients and partners to create powerful performances, and spearheaded educational outreach for the company. Since leaving Haptix Studio, John is working on building his own motion capture company, Lowkey Mocap, out of Lansing.
—Tuesday April 28, 2026 - Guest Speaker Talk: “Fluid Movement Fundamentals”
Speaker: Peter Lantz
Time: 8pm-9pm EDT
Location: Online via Discord (see Bluebird Studios’ email announcements to navigate to the Discord server)
Summary: “Have you ever played a game where it feels good to simply move around? This is fluid movement, a holy grail for many developers. Join Peter Lantz as he discusses the principles behind such games and how input handling, velocity, and animation can hinder or unleash fluid movement.
The talk is largely based off this article (which might be handy to share for those who can't attend): https://peterlantz3d.wordpress.com/fluid-movement-mechanics/”
Peter Lantz is a 3D platformer indie dev. He is most known as the dev behind Castle on the Coast.
Currently he solo develops Veil: Alter Unknown and does gameplay programming for Rad-Venture.
—Wednesday April 29, 2026 - 2nd Midweek Email Announcements!
Wednesday April 29, 2026 - WCC Esports SSBU Ultimate Tournament and Hangout
Host: Max Kuznia
Time: 5pm-8pm EDT
Location: WCC Esports Arena (WCC campus, Technical & Industrial Building, Room 239),
and Online via Discord (see Bluebird Studios’ email announcements to navigate to the Discord server)
Summary: Join WCC Esports at this Esports SSBU Ultimate tournament and game hangout!
There will be food, $500 in prizes for the tournament, and more!
We hope to see you here in-person if you’re interested in a fun Esports event, or online via Discord (Bluebird’s) if you want to watch some of the action!
—Wednesday April 29, 2026 - N/A (unaffiliated student showcase happening this day at U of M - Dearborn.)
Thursday April 30, 2026 - N/A (unaffiliated student showcase happening this day at Ferris State University)
Thursday April 30, 2026 - N/A (unaffiliated student showcase happening this day at Michigan State University)
Friday May 1, 2026 - TBD, currently no event(s) this day. (NOTE - final schedule to be confirmed by April 26, 2026.)
Saturday May 2, 2026 - Guest Speaker Talk: Q&A Fireside Chat along with a Game and Branding Demo with the Founder of Bluebird Studios
Speaker: Christopher Okumura
Time: 8pm-9pm EDT
Location: Online via Discord (see Bluebird Studios’ email announcements to navigate to the Discord server)
Summary: “Chris Okumura goes over his personal journey from growing up in Hawaii to how he started Bluebird Studios, then on his path to the University of Michigan, and from there how he is continuing working as the CEO for Bluebird Studios, which is currently an Ann Arbor SPARK and Michigan SBDC Tech client.”
In addition to Chris’ extensive electrical engineering and robotics academic background, he has much experience in the real world working at renowned companies such as Texas Instruments, a University of Michigan - ELP former faculty’s personal startup of Endectra, and is currently now working at ISRA VISION in Plymouth, MI. Currently Chris along with this conference’s director Paul Young are working with Ann Arbor SPARK in the Business Accelerator Fund program.
—
(NOTE - we have a few guest speakers that have not been scheduled yet.
Please note any dates on here (the Week 2 section) may change, and should be finalized by April 26, 2026.)
Week 3: May 3, 2026 - May 5, 2026
Sunday May 3, 2026 - Week 3 Main Email Announcements!
Monday May 4, 2026 - Guest Speaker Talk: “How To Commercialize Your Game”
Speaker: Becky Roman
Time: 8pm-8:45pm EDT
Location: Online via Discord (see Bluebird Studios’ email announcements to navigate to the Discord server)
(NOTE - TBD (might change to Microsoft Teams/Google Meet/etc. last minute; if so this will be communicated).)
Summary: This talk will give an overview of commercialization, focusing on what to do to launch a small first game.
At the end Becky touches on accessible resources available (BAF, etc.) and how to apply to the program she’s working on that funds game studios.
This talk is geared towards the end of the conference so the teams that have done more work on their projects and are better able to assess if they want to commercialize what they’re working on with this opportunity.
Becky Roman is a Program Manager on the MSU Research Foundation team and is the Founder of Tiny Boat Games.
She is dedicated to supporting game developers especially in the Lansing, MI area for MSU’s world-class game-dev program, in Michigan, and beyond.
—Tuesday May 5, 2026 - 3rd Midweek Email Announcements!
Tuesday May 5, 2026 - Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2026 | Penultimate Event Before AADL Showcase
Host: Paul Young
Time: 1pm-4pm EDT
Location: Ann Arbor SPARK (330 East Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 48104) in-person,
and Online via Discord (see Bluebird Studios’ email announcements to navigate to the Discord server)
Summary: Come attend the last of 3 development work session events at The Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2026 right here in downtown Ann Arbor @ SPARK on the first floor. For this we'll host a skills workshop going over basics for general entrepreneurship (pitching, customer discovery, presenting at showcases, finding opportunities and resources right here in Michigan and beyond, etc.), and a casual work session to complete your game, project, or startup during this statewide conference right before the final showcase at AADL in downtown Ann Arbor nearby!
—Tuesday May 5, 2026 - AADL Welcomes: Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2026 | Games and Projects Showcase
Host: Paul Young
Speaker: Joe Gilby, Michigan SBDC Tech Team, game studio head of development, former Director of IGDA Silicon Valley
Time: 4pm-7pm EDT
Location: AADL Downtown Branch (343 South Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104) in-person,
and Online via Discord (see Bluebird Studios’ email announcements to navigate to the Discord server)
Link: https://aadl.org/node/668704
Summary: The Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2026 Showcase is the final event of
The Bluebird Studios and Ann Arbor SPARK Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2026.
Participants of this conference, who are mostly students and alumni from several universities/colleges throughout the state of Michigan, will showcase their startup projects, game prototypes, and more.
Come see and test out participants' games and prototypes which they're building!
—Thursday May 7, 2026 -N/A (unaffiliated student showcase happening this day at Lawrence Technological University)
(NOTE - we have a few guest speakers that have not been scheduled yet.
Please note any dates on here (the Week 3 section) may change, and should be finalized by May 3, 2026.)
Post-Conference - May 6, 2026 and after
Tuesday May 12, 2026 or sooner - Final Official Event Retroactives recapping the event with sponsor descriptions/event results/etc.
Tuesday May 19, 2026 - Bluebird Studios (Re-)Launches its Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Leader Community
(open to Bronze Sponsors representative(s) and above)Potential TBD 2026 - Bluebird Studios Hosts Ongoing Newsletter/Podcasts/etc. With Leaders in Michigan about Games Entrepreneurship
Potential TBD 2026 - Bluebird Studios Continues to Champion and Catalyze Michigan’s Emerging Games Entrepreneurship Ecosystem
Potential TBD 2027 - Potential Michigan Games Entrepreneurship Race 2027
Registration Support:
(231) 735-6923
paul@bluebirdstudios.org