The LEVEL UP KL 2026 masterclasses start today. Southeast Asia’s biggest game developers conference opens in Kuala Lumpur on 14 October 2026. This is its 12th edition, according to MDEC’s programme page.
This guide covers what the official listings leave out: what each masterclass teaches, who leads it, and what it costs in US dollars.
LEVEL UP KL 2026 Masterclass Schedule
LEVEL UP KL 2026 runs 14–16 October at the Connexion Conference & Event Centre (CCEC) in Kuala Lumpur. MDEC organizes it with BES Production, and MATRADE endorses it, per the official site.
Day 1 Masterclass Lineup (14 October)
Day 1 is the hands-on day. The official agenda overview lists a Masterclass Workshop, Game UX Summit ’26 & Masterclass, the SEAGS Pitch Clinic, LEVEL UP KL Pitching, the Business Connection Programme and a VIP Welcome Dinner.
One caution: the agenda page shows no hour-by-hour timetable for these sessions. Check it before you book travel around a specific slot.
Conference Sessions That Work Like Masterclasses (15–16 October)
The next two days are talk-led, but several sessions teach real skills. Examples from the published agenda:
- 15 October, 10:00 AM: keynote on the future of the games industry.
- 15 October, 2:00 PM: a Bandai Namco session on rendering optimization.
- 15 October, 3:30 PM: a session on player engagement.
- 16 October, 10:30 AM: a session on building UX maturity.
All of these sit on the Main Stage at Nexus 3.
LEVEL UP KL 2026 Masterclass Topics
Here’s what each masterclass covers.
Production-Ready VFX in Unreal Engine
This is a one-day, hands-on workshop from EFXCO Academy, led by Hussin Khan. Organizers haven’t published a full syllabus. His recent work points to the focus.
His book, Unreal Engine 5 VFX Cookbook, covers production-ready recipes for Niagara, Niagara Fluids, Chaos and cinematic rendering, according to his LinkedIn announcement. A recent webinar session of his looked at Niagara workflows, Sequencer timing and Movie Render Queue, per Luma’s event page.
Game UX Summit ’26 & Masterclass
Game UX Summit 2026 marks ten years of the world’s leading professional event on user experience in video games, running 12–14 October in Kuala Lumpur. PlayStation Studios Creative and LEVEL UP KL co-host it, according to PocketGamer.biz.
Topics include player psychology, usability, accessibility and AI-driven testing. It has its own ticket, listed at $160.50 on Luma.
SEAGS Pitch Clinic & Xsolla Connect KL
The SEAGS Pitch Clinic helps studios sharpen their pitches before the LEVEL UP KL Pitching session. Xsolla Connect KL is a separate programme in the Continuum room on 15 October, with its own agenda on Luma.
LEVEL UP KL 2026 Masterclass Speakers
The names matter because they come from studios shipping real games.
Hussin Khan, Celia Hodent & UX Experts
Hussin Khan is an Unreal Authorized Instructor. He runs EFXCO Academy in Malaysia and is a former head of education at Rhythm & Hues, per his publisher’s bio.
Celia Hodent, a game UX strategist, presents The Science of Player Engagement on 15 October. Jami Lukins, UX Director at Blizzard Entertainment, speaks on UX maturity on 16 October.
Studio Leaders From Bandai Namco, Blizzard & ArenaNet
Julien Merceron, Worldwide CTO at Bandai Namco Studios and CTO of Delphi Interactive, gives the keynote. JiYoung Lee of ArenaNet covers how to choose the right outsourcing partner. Seth Hawk of Gearbox and Michael Paul of The Coalition (Xbox) join a panel on fair rates in game development.
LEVEL UP KL 2026 Tickets & Access for U.S. Attendees
Prices are in Malaysian ringgit (RM). Dollar figures use roughly RM4.1 per US dollar, in line with the August 2026 rate.
Masterclass Pass Prices in USD
OTABASE lists the official pass tiers:
| Pass | Price | Approx. USD |
| Expo | RM 0 | Free |
| Academic | RM 200 | $49 |
| Conference | RM 300 | $73 |
| Conference Plus | RM 600 | $146 |
| Business | RM 1,250 | $305 |
| Business Plus | RM 2,000 | $488 |
Group deals run buy 5 get 1 free and buy 10 get 2 free on the Plus passes. Confirm which pass includes each masterclass with the organizers before you pay.
Why U.S. Developers Travel to Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia ranks 22nd globally in game revenue and has an online population of 32 million, per MIDA. Virtuos, which has a Kuala Lumpur studio, works with 23 of the top 25 global gaming companies. For U.S. studios, the draw is co-development partners, art outsourcing and Asian publishers in one place.
FAQs
What is LEVEL UP KL?
It’s Southeast Asia’s premier annual game developers conference, organized by MDEC in Kuala Lumpur. The 2026 edition runs 14–16 October at CCEC.
Who owns Level Up Games?
That’s a different company. Level Up! Games is a Philippine publisher owned by Asiasoft since 2014, per Wikipedia. LEVEL UP KL belongs to MDEC.
What are the top 10 game companies in Malaysia?
No official ranked list exists. Well-known studios include Lemon Sky Studios (credits include Final Fantasy VII Remake and Marvel’s Spider-Man), Streamline Studios, Virtuos Kuala Lumpur, Passion Republic Games, Metronomik, Bandai Namco Studios Malaysia and Animonsta Studios (BoBoiBoy).
Is Level Up a game?
No. LEVEL UP KL is a conference. “Level Up!” is also the name of a Philippine game publisher, which causes the mix-up.
What is the famous game in Malaysia?
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. It has passed 90 million downloads in Malaysia, and nearly one in five Malaysians plays monthly, per MOONTON.
Conclusion
The LEVEL UP KL 2026 masterclasses reward people who plan ahead. Check the official agenda for exact times, pick the pass that includes your sessions, and book early. The speaker lineup is strong enough to justify the trip.
Abroy John is the Founder and Editor of Asia Pop Fests, where he covers
entertainment news and events from across Asia. He focuses on accurate,
up-to-date reporting on the region’s festivals and pop culture.
