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Xsolla heads to GDEX 2026: come meet the team in Ohio

October 15, 2026•3 min
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The Midwest has a games industry worth showing up for, and GDEX is where much of it gathers. Xsolla is proud to sponsor the expo's 14th year, taking place October 15 to 18, 2026, at the Cherry Valley Hotel in Newark, Ohio, just outside Columbus. Indie developers, small studios, and business or academic leaders building the region's games ecosystem are invited to connect with the team there. The Midwest's biggest gaming expo GDEX draws 2,000 to 2,500 attendees and 50 to 80 studios showcasing their work in the region. It brings developers, players, educators, and business leaders together, making it a rare opportunity to learn, network, and see what the region is building. Supporting events like this is part of how we invest in the communities that new studios grow out of. Xsolla Connect Columbus in partnership with GDEX On Thursday, October 15, from 6:30 to 8:30pm, we’re hosting Xsolla Connect Columbus in partnership with GDEX. It's an industry networking event with a welcome from Yuliya Arlova, designed for developers, studio founders, and local leaders to meet, trade stories, and make connections that extend beyond email. Whether you're a first-time exhibitor or a veteran of the regional scene, everyone is welcome to join the conversation. Hear from our Developer Relations team Xsolla’s Developer Relations team will also be on stage with two speaking sessions, one on Thursday and one on Friday:
  • Thursday, October 15, 1:00 to 1:45pm
  • Friday, October 16, 2:00 to 2:45pm
Session one: from SDK setup to first purchase Payments are often the last thing a small team builds and the first thing that breaks. In this session, our team shows how to integrate the Xsolla SDK into a game, from setup to a completed test purchase. The session covers how login, catalog, and checkout fit together, common integration mistakes, and the resources and support available after the show. Session two: monetization by design, and the Xsolla AI Toolkit For small developers, shipping a great game is only half the job. Getting paid for it is the other half. This session opens with why monetization belongs in game design from day one, especially for small teams without a business function. Learn why monetization should be part of design from the start, what the Xsolla AI Toolkit does and who it's for, how to get started with it, and what to review before going live. Schedule some time with Xsolla Beyond the stage, our Xsolla team will be onsite all weekend to discuss upcoming projects. Whether planning a launch, considering direct-to-player sales, or determining next steps, developers can book a meeting in advance to review their goals with the team. Supporting indie studios at every stage Xsolla works with studios of every size, from indie to AAA, and offers tools to help developers fund, distribute, market, and monetize their games. For smaller teams, that means access to the same commerce and payments infrastructure used by more than 1,500 game teams, without needing to build it yourself. It's the kind of support that lets a small studio focus on the game while the business side keeps pace. See you in Newark GDEX runs October 15 to 18 at the Cherry Valley Hotel. Attendees are encouraged to stop by, join Xsolla Connect Columbus in partnership with GDEX, and bring questions. The team looks forward to connecting with the people behind the Midwest's next great games.
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