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9:45am
Chris Charla ID@XboxWill Freeman Freelance Games Journalist9:45am - 10:45amRoom 1ID@Xbox: How Indie Devs Continue to Push the Envelope in Gaming
Tuesday 11th July9:45am - 10:45amRoom 1In this fireside chat, the Chris Charla, Senior Director of the ID@Xbox self-publishing program at Microsoft will discuss what makes indie games the most exciting content on the planet. During this chat, Charla will share how the ID@Xbox program empowers developers to find success that allows them to keep creating new games. The aim is to enable developers to make profitable, sustainable, creative, and fun games in the future.
Host: Will Freeman
11:00am
Justin Glibert 0xPARC11:00am - 11:45amRoom 1On “Autonomous Worlds”
Tuesday 11th July11:00am - 11:45amRoom 1Can blockchains create a new game genre beyond digital ownership and financialization?
Blockchains have brought their share of financialization with the NFT craze and their token-powered ponzi-mechanics. Unlike personal computers and handheld devices, they haven't significant impacted games culturally yet; their contribution has been limited to predatory get rich quick schemes. Can they unlock a new game genre then? We think yes. Just like faster CPUs and graphics card introduced 3D and first person shooters to the world, we have been observing signs of new behaviours linked to the persistent and composable aspect of the "multiplayer computer" aspect of blockchains, whom we think of as a genuinely novel form of hardware.
Over the last 3 years, we have designed and built 3 worlds running "onchain". Unlike the very visible "Web3" games or "Play to earn" platforms you might have heard of that add a blockchain economy layer on traditional game architectures, onchain games have their logic and data fully executed and stored on the blockchain, leading to unique properties we will explore in this session.
Session Takeaway
- Learn about new uses of blockchain, away from the financialisation we've seen to date
- An introduction to the concept of Autonomous Worlds
- New programming concepts
Charmie Kim Space Ape11:00am - 11:45amRoom 2Highs and Lows of our Quest to find a Category Defining Game
Tuesday 11th July11:00am - 11:45amRoom 2Game lead Charmie Kim will share Space Ape's experiences of the development, and live ops scaling of their rhythm action hit Beatstar. The talk will share war stories from the search for product market fit, including memories of the many games and ideas discarded along the way as well as the tactics that allowed them to scale the game to over $100m revenue and 50m users in a year.
Session Takeaway
- Strategies and tactics for exploring blue ocean categories in game development.
- Live Ops tools for scaling arcade action games.
- Frameworks for thinking about new game opportunities and navigating the modern performance marketing landscape.
Marc Espinola Berestein Sumo Digital11:00am - 11:45amRoom 3Congrats! You’re a Middle Manager! Now what?
Tuesday 11th July11:00am - 11:45amRoom 3This session is aimed at middle managers or people aspiring to become one. As middle managers we need to be able to balance our main specialty, while taking care of other colleagues. And sometimes we aren’t even great at dealing with people! This talk wants to inspire listeners to believe it is possible and it can have a huge positive impact on other people. To make this journey landed in something more tangible, I’ve chosen to use scuba diving and the different levels of awareness of the sport. This translates very well to understand in a practical way how to successfully handle middle management.
Session Takeaway
- Learn how to: First, take care of yourself. Second, take care of your project. And third, take care of others.
- You don’t need to be a people person or extroverted to be a great manager.
- Being a manager can be very rewarding and you can make peoples’ lives better.
Sally Sheppard Wyrdren Games11:00am - 11:45amRoom 4Character Design: Creating with Care
Tuesday 11th July11:00am - 11:45amRoom 4In Character Design: Creating with care, we will talk about why it's important to design characters for video games in a way that's respectful, thoughtful, and caring. Inclusion and diversity shouldn't be an afterthought.
Session Takeaway
- Inclusive Design and its benefits
- Player representation and Studio representation and why it matters
- Diversifying your design with care
Andrew Smith Spilt Milk StudiosJazeena McCallum INTERIOR/NIGHT11:00am - 11:45amRoom 5Roundtables FREEDevelop: FTUE (First Time User Experience)
Tuesday 11th July11:00am - 11:45amRoom 5A relaxed and informal roundtable designed to help you get the most out of your time at the conference. A diverse panel of friendly and experienced devs from across the whole industry spectrum want to help anyone who feels shy, awkward, a little out of place, on the outside, or just unable to really squeeze all the goodness out of this amazing show. You'll feel positive, empowered and fully equipped to have an absolutely smashing time, with tips on how to be productive, tools to network, and commitments from volunteers to be your safety net should things get a little too much! Finally, should you feel like it would help, we'll match people up with Show Mentors to ensure however long you're in Brighton, you go back to your studio feeling invigorated and inspired!
Session Takeaway
- Shared experiences that will give you some ideas on best practise plus do's and dont's for networking at every event.
- Recommendations for talks to attend and delegates to meet, plus practical help to do so!
- Knowledge of safe and quiet spaces to help manage your experience at the show
- A mentor committed to helping you for the duration of the conference with introductions, meetings, advice, and someone to lean on!
12:00pm
MJ Widomska YRS TRULY12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 1Can Your Gaming Business Be a Force For Good?
Tuesday 11th July12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 1There’s a growing community of businesses that believe they can be a net positive to planet and society, and I want you to join them.
These companies, known as B Corps, believe that business can be a force for good. Independently graded by B Lab, they’re for-profit entities that have been verified as an organisation committed to reaching the highest levels of social and environmental responsibility. You don’t need to become an official B Corp to act like one. The gaming industry has a massive potential to do good, and it's time to take sustainability seriously.
We must do better not just because of the impact of the climate crisis, but also because the business landscape is changing. Millennials and Gen Zs, who already dominate the market in size and will soon do so in purchasing power, prioritise sustainability and make consumer choices that align with their views. Doing good business is good business.
If you’re in a small or medium-sized business, this session will help you create a plan of action on how you can do better by your workers, the environment and the society at large.
Session Takeaway
- Delegates will learn more about why sustainability is a good business choice – not just for the planet, but for future-proofing their studio
- They will also have an understanding of how to take the first steps towards more ethical conduct, and the process of becoming a more socially and environmentally conscious business
- Lastly, they'll be equipped with data and resources to put their plans into action and start making incremental changes towards sustainability
Alice Bowman MAG Interactive12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 2Narrative Design for Mobile Games: Storytelling on the Very Small Screen
Tuesday 11th July12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 2Storytelling in mobile games is still a relatively young craft - with hit trailblazers leading the way and showing just how rewarding an investment a narrative meta can be in a casual game.
Join Alice as she shares her learnings as a writer, narrative designer and story consultant on several mobile games, and analyzes the requirements for a compelling story. Referring to both her own experiences and industry leaders, Alice will examine what makes a great mobile story, and how teams can add their own compelling narrative to their next hit.
Session Takeaway
* An overview of the storytelling techniques used in successful light-narrative mobile games
* Tips and tricks on storytelling on the small screen from a narrative designer experienced in working on mobile games
* Lessons learned from successes and failures or creating casts of characters, plots and long-term content for mobile games
* A brief business overview of the impact and cost of running a narrative meta in a mobile game
Ian Simpson TT Games12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 3Lego Starwars: 200+ Character States Built for 384 Playable Characters
Tuesday 11th July12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 3One of the more unique challenges the Lego titles developed by Tt Games face compared to many other AAA games is not only creating a large number of different interactions you can do as a player, but then also customising and configuring these across such a large array of playable characters.
In Lego Starwars: They Skywalker Saga we took the opportunity to re-build much of the code base and this meant building over 200 character states from scratch and creating workflows to allow these to be configured and customised efficiently across 384 playable characters ( and a lot of non-playable characters too! ).
This session will look at the systems and processes we put in place to make this a much more manageable task.
Session Takeaway
- Understand one of the more unique challenges we face when developing the Lego games.
- Understand why we made the decisions we did around our and how other games would likely make a different set of decisions based on their need.
- See how through well thought out plans you can minimise the work and overhead needed for setting up a large variety of playable characters.
Fanny Moreaux ICO Partners12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 4Creative Partnerships - an Alternative to Gameplay Videos for Your Influencer Marketing Campaigns
Tuesday 11th July12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 4While traditional marketing methods like gameplay videos may reach a good audience for your game launch, this approach can be limiting in the long term. And they may not effectively reach certain niche or diverse groups in games where these non-traditional audiences are represented.
This talk will explore how broadening your options and partnering with creative content creators can create effective, engaging, honest and diverse influencer marketing campaigns. We will discuss alternatives to classic options like gameplay videos and how to integrate all of them together for more interesting and ultimately better marketing activations.
Session Takeaway
- How to identify a project that fits this kind of campaign
- How to define the right kind of content to make.
- Where to search for the right creators.
- The key points to look for while selecting creator
- How to manage the campaign's budget - cost references.
Jennie Lees DeepMindOllie Purkiss DeepMind12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREEFrom the Tech to the Morality and Ethics of AI
Tuesday 11th July12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 5This roundtable will discuss the implications of AI in the future by discussing how we are using it now. What do video games need to do to protect their own creativity? How will they protect their staff? Will designers and artists go the way of the Dodo? The implications are long reaching and at our doorstep. What will we do?
2:00pm
Jacob Mills Roll72:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 1Closing the Gap - Designing Levels for a New Genre in Rollerdrome
Tuesday 11th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 1Rollerdrome combines skating and shooting, two well trodden verbs in games, to create something entirely new - an arena-based skater-shooter. While its influences are worn on its sleeves, the act of blending these two genres births a set of entirely new design challenges that require their own unique solutions for this project.
In this talk, Roll7 Senior Level Designer Jacob Mills will give insight into his experience joining a new team working in an entirely new genre, chronicling the initial stumbles and offering practical advice on utilising the design process to style it out, pull a 180 and hit the ground rolling.
Session Takeaway
- Starting work in a new or unfamiliar genre is hard - how can we embrace that unfamiliarity and turn it from an obstacle to be overcome into an effective tool to be used?
- Level design extends beyond greybox - taking time to view the new project through a game design lens will provide new insight into what’s needed for the level design to shine
- Understand how to formalise your own process; utilise it to solve fresh problems
Jade Ostle Trailmix2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 2The Desire Path: Our Journey from Perpetual Pivots to Record Retention
Tuesday 11th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 2Developing Love & Pies was a stupendous journey: from testing three unique core gameplay mechanics to pivoting completely into the merge2 genre, this session will teach you about the trials and tribulations of making a successful mobile game. Learn the story of Love & Pies - the mistakes we made, how we overcame them, and how we set the game up for success.
Session Takeaway
- Learn tips for when you should pivot your game and how big changes can move the needle
- How to design retention focused features and live ops, balancing proven features with innovative ones
- Lessons from developing and launching core gameplay in 12 weeks, focusing on retention metrics
James Batchelor GamesIndustry.biz2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 3XX Things That are Definitely Not the Future of Games Development
Tuesday 11th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 3With so many people telling us which disruptive technologies and new development ARE the future of video games, it’s worth taking of what is NOT. Developers, publishers, analysts and more offer quickfire tips of what you SHOULDN’T be doing to grow your studio, shake up your genre, or accomplish whatever goal you may have set. What mistakes should you avoid? What temptations should you resist? What rules can you break? Or should you even be listening to these people?
Session Takeaway
Attendees will learn:
- What mistakes to avoid when growing your studio and establishing a hit game
- What temptations to resist when opportunities arise
- What risks are and aren't worth taking
Federica Nocerino Freelancer marketer for gaming & tech2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 4Mastering Discoverability: How to Attract and Nurture Your Game’s Audience
Tuesday 11th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 4Discoverability is one of the biggest challenges facing game developers today. In this session, attendees will learn how to build a strong community, engage with fans on social media, and use real-life case studies to market their games successfully.
Session Takeaway
By the end of this session, attendees will learn:
- How to build a strong community of fans around their game
- How to engage with fans on social media and use the latest platforms and trends to market their game
- Real-life case studies of successful game marketing campaigns
- Practical strategies for marketing their game and improving discoverability
Sarah Brewster Fresh Seed2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREEIs Your Studio Ready for the Menopause Generation?
Tuesday 11th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 5In this session we'll explore quite how deeply the issues lie around addressing the menopause in your studio and how ingrained in our thinking the biases are when it comes to issues around women in the workplace. Making up 52% of the population this issue will be yours to address now and in the future. And what's more there are many challenges women face that they've been conditioned to overlook. This session will help your studio understand what you need to consider, how to deal with female issues from the menopause to IVF and an opportunity to talk to women who have felt let down by the legacy of male dominated workplaces. Are you ready to change the world and make your studio a fully inclusive place to work?
Session Takeaway
- How to make really inclusive policy.
- How to create champions in your studio.
- How to create a culture of acceptance rather than judgement on this subject and others.
3:00pm
Conor Bradley Soft Leaf Studios3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 1Designing An Accessible Game
Tuesday 11th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 1This talk will raise awareness to the fact that we can always be doing more to make our own games accessible.
Through the experience gained while developing Stories of Blossom, Conor will share his insights into how we can all make our games more accessible to those in the disability community.
The hope of this talk is to inspire developers to start addressing the accessibility of their own games by sharing the best practices and giving practical advice that can be used to open this form of entertainment to more players.
The talk will look at the common barriers that can block players, how to address them, and how we can work with the disability community to better improve the accessibility of the games we make.
Using Stories of Blossom as an example Conor will deep dive into the lessons he has learned while trying to create an accessible experience from the outset, the challenges faced, and the resources that helped along the way.
Session Takeaway
- Inspiration to take accessibility forward in your own games.
- The steps needed to take in order to make games more accessible.
- How to involve the disability community in the process of making accessible games.
Neil Long mobilegamer.bizAlice Bowman MAG InteractiveIan Masters Flick GamesDanny Gray ustwo games3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 2What’s Next in Mobile: Discoverability, Crossplatform, Hybrids and More…
Tuesday 11th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 2Host and mobilegamer.biz founder Neil Long is joined by three mobile game veterans to discuss the future of the business, taking in how players find your work, creating crossplatform games, how game genres are increasingly merging together and more.
Jan-Hendrik Pfitzner GIANTS Software3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 3Farming Simulator Production Pipeline
Tuesday 11th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 3This talk will provide a comprehensive look into the development and production pipeline of Farming Simulator, showcasing the various processes and tools that we utilize to create and deliver a successful game. From the pre-production phase to the final builds, the presentation will cover the various tasks and responsibilities involved in creating a title of this scale.
We will also delve into the increased role of QA on the project, highlighting the custom test plans that were created for the 400+ assets in the game, and how the team took on the role of localization for the past game with the help of a glossary that was designed from the ground up and a proprietary localization tool that we created ourselves.
Additionally, attendees will gain insight into the build creation and distribution process, as well as how we work closely together with our Modding community to bring user-generated content to our inGame ModHub.
Overall, this talk will give an in-depth understanding of what goes behind making a big project like Farming Simulator and how a team works in cohesion to deliver a seamless experience across all platforms.
Session Takeaway
Our goal is to provide a transparent and informative look into the development process of a successful sandbox game like Farming Simulator, so that other teams and developers can learn from our experiences and potentially implement similar techniques in their own products. Additionally, this talk aims to help other teams who are working on similar projects, giving them insight on how to manage and optimize their resources, improve quality assurance and publishing process and how to better engage with their community to create a better game.
Yoyu Li Infinite Whys3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 4Cloud Native Development Level Up for Smaller Teams
Tuesday 11th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 4Cloud technology has been a game changer for the wider tech industry in the past decade. It has been well-adopted by bigger players in the games industry too, but less so for smaller teams. The speaker Yoyu made a bold career transition from a cloud technology consultant to an indie game developer three years ago. She has seen so many ways even small game dev teams can utilise cloud technology to improve their productivity or enhance the game experience.
In this talk, she will use real-world examples of how her team utilises cloud technology, and give practical advice on how to adopt cloud-native development, in particular for smaller teams,
Yoyu is a Google Developer Expert and Champion Innovator for Google Cloud. She is also a narrative designer for Reigns: Three Kingdoms (2022) and a producer for Whispers in the West (2023).
Session Takeaway
- What “Cloud Native” means and how it differs from “game servers”
- Some practical tips for small teams to utilise cloud technology at almost no extra cost
- Use case example of using Github Actions to pre-process Google Sheets data
- Use case example of using Object Storage for hosting dynamic game content
- Use case example of using Cloud Functions for Twitch extension backend
Estelle Bailly Hi-Rez Studios3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREEOvercoming the Imposter Syndrome
Tuesday 11th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 5Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome
Do you sometimes feel like a fraud? Well, you're not alone!
In this presentation, I will explain you what the Imposter Syndrome is, what its implications are, and which effects it could have on you and your work.
I will also share a few tips on how to tackle the Imposter Syndrome and ensure you feel empowered.
Come & join me on this journey of transformation!
Session Takeaway
- You will get a better understanding of what the Imposter Syndrome is
- You will receive some tips (and exercises) to tackle the Imposter Syndrome
- You will get closer to finally boost your confidence, own your successes and embrace your brilliance!
4:00pm
Claire Sharkey Freelance4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 1Pitfalls of a Noisy Market - How to Do the Best You Can and Preparing for it Not Working Out
Tuesday 11th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 1Talking about general discoverability and really focusing on things devs can do with limited budget and resources to help them while also talking about how to prepare for reaping no guaranteed rewards for efforts.
A lot of post-mortem insights from studios and publishers that did well tell people tips and these tips are well known but the truth of it all is that it's often just luck in a saturated market.
My presentation will show how to maximize chances within various limitations while giving positive reinforcement that if you did everything and didn't succeed then it's not your fault and that learnings still come from it all.Session Takeaway
- How to do all the "right things and it may not work out and that's not on them
- Some tricks of promoting a game they didn't know about before
- Help those looking for marketing support know what they need from that support
Dish Eldishnawy Metacore4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 2Unraveling Player Dynamics: Behavioural Retention and Its Impact on a Mobile Game Growth
Tuesday 11th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 2Are you seeing a drop in the long-term retention of your top spenders? Is your recent LiveOps event not hitting the targets? And what about your mid-spenders' ARPDAU – could it be better? Game teams often rely on monetary and UA cohort segmentation to address these problems. But there's another tool in our toolbox: behavioural segmentation. In this session, Dish will break down how behavioural segmentation can give your team a new perspective. We'll see how it can help uncover the root causes of changes in your high-level metrics, help prioritise your team's efforts, and maintain balance in your game's economy. You'll walk away with a new understanding of behavioural segmentation and practical tips on how to use it to answer your team's tough questions.
Session Takeaway
- Delve into the technique of extracting distinctive behavioural segments from your game data, turning abstract numbers into actionable insights.
- Grasp the influential role of behavioural segmentation as an impactful mechanism for dissecting and enhancing your game's performance KPIs.
- Unearth effective approaches that utilise behavioural segmentation insights to streamline your roadmap and refine your backlog.
- Acquire pragmatic strategies and techniques for weaving behavioural segmentation into your team's toolkit, empowering you to unravel complex questions surrounding your monetisation and engagement metrics.
Imre Jele Bossa Studios4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 3Games are the Future, But We Mustn’t Forget Our Cultural Past
Tuesday 11th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 3There are thousands of years’ worth of art and entertainment knowledge out there game developers often ignore. We and our games are poorer because of it. Games are the future, but that does not mean we should ignore the past.
It is time to challenge the traditional boundaries and barriers between different artistic disciplines and forms of entertainment!
I interviewed a bunch of people from various creative spaces from film set designer to theatre director, from best-selling author to fashionista etc and of course I drew from my own experience including adapting Orwell's Animal Farm into a game.
In the talk I cover business, creativity, content, team building questions. And I gave both generic inspiration and specific actionable suggestions.
Session Takeaway
- What can games development learn from the history of other art forms?
- How can we best use talent from other forms of entertainment?
- How to break out of the closed culture of games to innovate and reach new audiences?
Dr Gaetano Dimita Centre for Commercial Law Studies, QMUL4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 4Know Your IP: A Deep Dive into Open Source and AI
Tuesday 11th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 4Every video game is a mix of original and licensed Intellectual property (IP). Understanding how to protect your original creation and avoid infringing third parties IP rights is crucial to the success of your video game. IP clearance and strategy go hand in hand and every developer should be thinking IP at every stage of the video game development in order to know when to seek legal advice and avoid mistakes which might jeopardise the project. This is particularly important when incorporating open-source code and assets generated by AI in your game. They might come with strings attached which are better to understand before use.
This session will cover the core concepts of IP Law, IP clearance, and protection strategies which every developer should be familiar with, with a particular focus on open source and generative AI.
Session Takeaway
Know you IP and read what you sign
Understand the differences between the most common open-source licenses
Understand the potential IP risks when including AI-generated assets in your game
Shane Barnfield Keywords Studios4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREEGames Talent Acquisition Roundtable
Tuesday 11th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 5Keywords Studios is a Games Service provider that combines the cross-functional expertise of our Game Development and [Art Services](https://www.keywordsstudios.co...) teams. Collaborating across our global integrated network of 70+ studios, delivering the highest quality video game content to key developers and Publishers.
Myself (Shane Barnfield) and Eduardo Goncalves, both Directors of Talent Acquisition for the Create Service (Game dev & Art) at the Keywords Group would have a roundtable discussion with Stuart Godfrey (Recruitment Manager), Ben Potton (Development Director) and Rhys Cadle (Design Director) about some of the challenges to attract and retain games art and engineering talent, the initiatives in place at the studio to overcome them, the opportunities that remote hiring can represent and as well tips to start/develop a career in games.
Main topics of the roundtable are as per below:
Games Talent market
- Attracting and retaining senior talent
- Talent Market supply
- Agency Recruitment: Pos and Cons
- Growing a diverse studio
Regional challenges & opportunities:
- Hiring Overseas staff
- Brexit
Application/Interviewing process:
- Remote interviewing
- Remote tests
- Application readiness
- Graduate recruitment
Session Takeaway
- Ways to overcome the low talent supply
- Attracting and retaining Senior Talent
- DE&I talent initiatives
- Games industry application process/requirements
5:00pm
Joel Beardshaw ustwo games5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 1How to Build an Approachable and Story Focused Game in the Complex Genre of Tactics
Tuesday 11th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 12022’s Desta: The Memories Between was a different type of project for ustwo games. The games it had made up to that point were usually linear and relatively short, with a set start and end, with no fail states. So the studio set itself a challenge: to make a repayable game that a player could build mastery with over time.
Ustwo games approached this challenge from a simple premise: we often ask players to solve a problem by finding a single solution, but what if we ask the player to solve a problem with many solutions? The answer was meshing together tactics, toylike interactions and storytelling.
In this talk, Joel will explore how this particular approach to game design can work, using the team’s original reference points and its journey towards creating an approachable, character-driven narrative game that allows players to explore a multi-dimensional dream world – all through a tactical and physics-based ball game.
Session Takeaway
- It is possible to take the most complex genres and make them accessible to brand new players, while also providing new experiences to existing fans.
- Knowing when to break rules is key, even if they’re your own rules!
- Boil down your design to be as small as possible
Veronique Lallier Hi-Rez StudiosStephen Hutchins Hi-Rez Studios5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 2Knowing When to Stop
Tuesday 11th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 2In Games-as-a-Service, getting to global launch is just the starting line. But how do you determine if your game is ready to make it to that point? What should you do if your game isn't strong enough to make the start line? In this session we'll cover how to evaluate the market opportunity for your game, what metrics you need to understand to gauge during early game and UA testing to see if your game has long term potential, and how to ensure that you don't waste what you've learnt along the way.
Session Takeaway
- The challenges of bringing a PC/console game to mobile
- How to look at marketing data to gauge opportunities for your game
- Example tests you can run with your game and UA
- What to do with your ideas/work when you don't launch your game as originally envisioned
Bobby Thandi XR GamesJamie Sefton Game RepublicSimon Iwaniszak Red Kite GamesElaine Dowman BarclaysAndrew Crawshaw ThunkdJessica Kelham Rum Punch Games5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 3Northern Lights - The Past, Present and Future of Games Development in Yorkshire and the UK
Tuesday 11th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 3To celebrate 20 years of the games business network Game Republic, Develop: Brighton hosts a panel session with the people and companies that have shaped the Yorkshire and Northern England games industry to find out their biggest lessons learned in that time, what advice they would give to companies starting now and what the future holds for the Yorkshire and UK games industry.
Session Takeaway
- Advice for new business start-ups
- How to get investment/acquired
- The current games market and beyond
Andrew Fray Roll75:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 4Dodging Bullets: Lightweight Automated Testing in Rollerdrome
Tuesday 11th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 4Rollerdrome was released to critical acclaim in 2022. It was an enormous technical challenge to combine tactical third person shooting with rollerskate-based physics traversal on a tight budget, but the game was remarkably stable through development and launch.
The team used automated testing to support that stability, letting the build server run through specific game scenarios multiple times a day. QA were able to forgo repetitive tasks, artists had confidence their work would load on every platform, and engineers were able to continue deep optimisations very close to console sub.
It took surprisingly little effort and expertise to set this up for Rollerdrome. In this talk Andrew Fray will explain how even small teams can get started with automated testing in just a few hours, and why you might want to start applying some basic automated testing to your projects no matter where they are in development.
Session Takeaway
- To understand how automated testing can help your project, no matter its stage of development
- How to get started in automated testing with very little setup, and see instant benefits
- Next steps for when you’re ready to up your automated testing game
Dom Shaw Ukie5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREEThe Impact Campaign: Careers and Stories of Game Professionals Making Impact!
Tuesday 11th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 5In order for the games industry to continue to thrive, we need more people working in the industry who can bring different lived experiences and perspectives to their work and who can show others that regardless backgrounds, everyone can find a place and be included in this sector
Ukie’s #RaiseTheGame and Many Cats Studios have teamed up to deliver Impact, a new campaign that annually profiles a cohort of six disabled and neurodiverse games industry professionals of various levels and specialisms to demonstrate the unique perspectives, input and value they offer the industry over their careers by proudly advocating their identity.
In this session, members of the cohort will share their own career journeys to give greater visibility on those that are often underrepresented and not seen. The cohort will discuss their perspectives as disabled and neurodiverse people that often face challenges you likely can’t see from the surface level. The cohort will openly tell their stories to inspire the broader industry in the strength of those often overlooked and that being as accessible and inclusive is vital to welcome even more amazing talent in to the sector.
The full cohort will be revealed nearer to the conference, keep an eye out for more details!
Session Takeaway
- Insight into the strengths and challenges faced by disabled and neurodiverse game industry professionals
- Practical tips and techniques for employers to consider to make their work environments more accessible and inclusive
- Inspiration and confidence for game professionals to open discuss disability and neurodiversity to get more support within the industry
Tuesdays After Hours Events
18.00: Develop:Brighton IceBreaker in the Metropole Bar sponsored by Arctic7 - everyone with a Develop pass welcome!
19.00 Raise the Game Social
19.30 - 23.30: Poker Tournament in support of GamesAid
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9:45am
Angie Smets PlayStation StudiosJan-Bart van Beek GuerrillaMichiel van der Leeuw GuerrillaSam Loveridge GamesRadar9:45am - 10:45amRoom 1Guerrilla: To New Horizons
Wednesday 12th July9:45am - 10:45amRoom 1For over twenty years, Amsterdam-based Guerrilla has been making cutting-edge games. During this fireside chat, the leadership team of Angie Smets, Jan-Bart van Beek, and Michiel van der Leeuw will reflect on the studio’s journey - from the early days of Killzone to taking a creative risk and developing a brand-new IP with the Horizon franchise.
In this fireside chat Angie, Jan-Bart and Michiel will share insights into their development philosophy and how a mutually shared passion for creating incredible gameplay experiences that push the boundaries of technology has continued to guide the studio through its growth.
The trio will discuss challenges they faced with Horizon Forbidden West, the ambitious sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, and where Aloy’s journey will take them next as they look to expand the world of Horizon. They’ll also share a glimpse into their future vision and what excites them creatively for the next chapter.
Host: Sam Loveridge, GamesRadar
11:00am
Sitara Shefta No Brakes Games11:00am - 11:45amRoom 1Leadership & Running a Studio: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Wednesday 12th July11:00am - 11:45amRoom 1Perhaps you’re running a team or a studio, or hope to one day, and you’re wondering what it really means to be a good leader: someone who can look after people, projects, all whilst delivering on the business needs.
It’s a privilege to be a leader, and an even bigger privilege to be trusted as a leader – but how do you earn this trust?
In this talk, Sitara Shefta, Studio Head at No Brakes Games, will be discussing the exciting and fun parts, but also the difficult, challenging and “harder to talk about” parts, based on her experiences over the years.
Session Takeaway
- How being central, rather than above, your team helps you to develop an inclusive culture and supports your role
- How to survive the pressures of leadership
- How to make decisions confidently, and with your team's backing, and what to do you make the wrong call
- How crunch damages your team and business
- How to deal with conflict, performance, and knowing when it’s time to remove obstacles
- The end goal and the result: setting up your team or studio for success
11:00am - 11:45amRoom 2Building Your Portfolio
Wednesday 12th July11:00am - 11:45amRoom 2Anthony’s session will present a framework to build your portfolio which can be applied to a range of disciplines for artists including 3D Art (Environment Art, Props), Character Art and Concept Art.
The session also includes some time at the end, approximately 10-15 minutes to allow the attendees to ask any questions they wish relating to their chosen role, discipline, or the industry in general. It would be strongly advised that attendees prepare questions in advance and have them ready on the day.
Session Takeaway
- An overview of current common portfolio advice.
- A framework presented which can be meaningfully used to build a portfolio around to attain a job in the industry.
- Insight and answers to questions brought to the session
Diana Flindt Splash Damage11:00am - 11:45amRoom 3How to End the World: A Post-mortem of RuneScape 3’s 2022 Season Finale
Wednesday 12th July11:00am - 11:45amRoom 3The live MMO-RPG Runescape 3 created an epic high-fantasy story throughout its 2021/22 season of content, the Elder God Wars. The universe eaters were awake and coming to kill us all - and only our players can stop them. The conflict culminated in the 2022 grandmaster quest, Extinction. I was lead developer and main writer for this quest while a junior developer at the time. In this talk I will share what went wrong, what went right, and lessons learned from building an end-of-the-world story in a live game. I will highlight the unique narrative challenges of trying to create a satisfying ending in an ongoing live game, the importance of scoping out the consequences of your stories, how to get players to care about high-stakes conflict, and how to learn from hostile player reception.
Session Takeaway
- How storytelling in live games is fundamentally different to storytelling in standalone titles, and how to leverage that.
- How to avoid some common pitfalls when creating stories for live games.
- How to learn from players not liking your stories.
Gert Dhaenens Frontier Developments11:00am - 11:45amRoom 4Every Bit Counts: Effective Rendering Techniques for Sandbox Games
Wednesday 12th July11:00am - 11:45amRoom 4Frontier Developments has a history of making simulation and management games that allow the players to have very high degrees of creative freedom. These degrees of freedom bring implications to how our rendering systems need to deal with the highly dynamic nature of our games and require us to think outside of the box. This session will provide some case studies of how we tackle those problems and provide insight into the reasoning behind them.
Session Takeaway
- Why to not underestimate the proven track record of game development’s wide range of rendering techniques
- How the interaction between multiple rendering techniques can have a larger impact than the contributions of a singular technique
- How decisions about your game world can affect which rendering technique to choose
- How to think about how your rendering techniques impact the look and feel of your game world
Andrew Smith Spilt Milk StudiosJazeena McCallum INTERIOR/NIGHT11:00am - 11:45amRoom 5Roundtables FREEDevelop: FTUE (First Time User Experience)
Wednesday 12th July11:00am - 11:45amRoom 5A relaxed and informal roundtable designed to help you get the most out of your time at the conference. A diverse panel of friendly and experienced devs from across the whole industry spectrum want to help anyone who feels shy, awkward, a little out of place, on the outside, or just unable to really squeeze all the goodness out of this amazing show. You'll feel positive, empowered and fully equipped to have an absolutely smashing time, with tips on how to be productive, tools to network, and commitments from volunteers to be your safety net should things get a little too much! Finally, should you feel like it would help, we'll match people up with Show Mentors to ensure however long you're in Brighton, you go back to your studio feeling invigorated and inspired!
Session Takeaway
- Shared experiences that will give you some ideas on best practise plus do's and dont's for networking at every event.
- Recommendations for talks to attend and delegates to meet, plus practical help to do so!
- Knowledge of safe and quiet spaces to help manage your experience at the show
- A mentor committed to helping you for the duration of the conference with introductions, meetings, advice, and someone to lean on!
Koen Samyn Digital Arts and Entertainment11:00am - 11:45amRoom 6Coding FREETake Control of Your Build System with CMake
Wednesday 12th July11:00am - 11:45amRoom 6Many programmers struggle with properly configuring the builds of C++ projects. This session will start with a quick recap of the fundamental building blocks of a C++ application (i.e. object files, libraries and executables) and how these files are built by the compiler and linker.
Next we discuss building a single executable project without dependencies while also discussing the syntax of the CMake programming language.
The logical next step is to add library projects (external and internal) to the project and to create an installer for the various executable artifacts. An important aspect of CMake in this regard is the possible to create modular library projects which makes it easier to configure new projects.
The session conclude with the integration of a CMake project in a CI/CD setting.
Session Takeaway
- Basics of CMake
- Does CMake offer an advantage for our builds?
- Structure of a cross platform build.
- CMake build configurations
12:00pm
Stefania Barbaglio Cassiopeia Services and Gamebridge12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 1Blockchain to Bring Games to the Next Level
Wednesday 12th July12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 1The session will be an introduction to the concept of Web 3 games and the value blockchain technology is bringing to the gaming industry. I will discuss the concept of digital ownership of in-game assets, NFTs utility, and a recommended approach to NFTs integration; how to build a successful project via partnerships, community building and focus on user experience. I will also share some of the work I am doing with my new project Gamebridge which is building blockchain infrastructure for games.
Session Takeaway
- understand the value of blockchain in games
- digital ownership
- importance of community and partnership
- A strategic approach to NFTs in games and metaverses
- focus on user experience
Jan-Jaap Fahner Guerrilla12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 2Space-Efficient Content Packaging for ‘Horizon Forbidden West’
Wednesday 12th July12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 2For Horizon Forbidden West, Guerrilla rewrote their asset packaging and streaming system from scratch. Building on concepts from graph theory, the underlying algorithm automates the packaging process while delivering a provably space-efficient layout. This method produces unique object groupings that are guaranteed to facilitate loading of any combination of content without overreading, while guaranteeing the lowest number of read operations. Packaged content is guaranteed to be non-cyclic, simplifying loading and unloading mechanisms.
The algorithm does not require any object duplication, although it does not prevent it, and does not impose any limitations on artists’ workflow or content setup, making integration into existing pipelines feasible. Fully automating the packaging process, it removes any need for manual management of the object grouping setup, while enabling fine-grained control over partial and on-demand content delivery.
Session Takeaway
- Discover a new way of packaging your game content that maximizes space efficiency and simplifies the content loading system.
- Reduce the metadata complexity of your content graph by orders of magnitude, while removing any undesired duplication on disk and in memory.
- Learn how you can get control over fine-grained partial and on-demand content delivery.
Shayleen Hulbert Freelance12:00pm - 1:30pmRoom 3The 3D Character Art Workshop
Wednesday 12th July12:00pm - 1:30pmRoom 3A full bodied and in depth breakdown of best practices to follow and common mistakes for games characters but most importantly; how to fix them. Learning any discipline can be trial by fire with universities not having the scope to foresee issues you may face in a studio, resources online often not breaking down key fundamental pipeline must haves and so fresh artists may not realize their mistake until it's already been pushed into the main branch. Here you will get a comprehensive guide to the pipeline for 3D characters with an abundance of opportunities to have your questions heard and answered.
Session Takeaway
- Best practices for games characters for production
- How to spot and best fix common mistakes in the character art pipeline
- How to implement stronger artistic fundamentals
Brynmor Richards Super Rare Games12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 4Spreading an Indie Game on Social Media from Announcement to Release & Beyond
Wednesday 12th July12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 4Breaking down organic social media strategy and helping you to work towards creating campaigns for games you might work on. Giving a structured system that you can apply to any indie game. Using 10 phases, we'll be breaking down the spread of awareness across social media platforms. Throughout these phases, I'll use examples and break down how you can be open and adaptable. The phrase “Social Media is too unpredicatable” is often a deteriment to the truth, that you can properly plan ahead. This would be a great talk for people new to the industry trying to figure out how to deliver social media campaign plans.
Session Takeaway
- Have a phase-by-phase plan on to base your strategy on.
- Understanding asset efficiency and working with devs to achieve it.
- Have a better overall understanding of platform and analytical strategy.
Leon Killin Sumo GroupLadell Smith Auroch Digital12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREELGBTQ+ Roundtable
Wednesday 12th July12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 5A open roundtable for LGBTQ+ games professionals and students having frank conversations about the challenges they face in our industry.
Session Takeaway
- An understanding of the concerns of LGBTQ+ individuals working in the games industry
- Techniques shared from first-hand experiences of celebrating diversity in workplaces
- Tips and tricks for pushing for better in-game representation from within the industry
- Building a sense of community and optimism for the future!
Daniel Wood Ukie12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 6Business FREEThe Guide to the Future: Why Should You Care What the Government Thinks?
Wednesday 12th July12:00pm - 12:45pmRoom 6Regulations and incentives are the often-overlooked beating heart of making games in the UK, quietly shaping the landscape of our industry in every conceivable way. Over the past few years and changes of government Ukie has been working extensively with policymakers on topics such as loot boxes and online safety, and to address the issues that could hamper the future growth of the industry, such as the talent gap and changes to Video Game Tax Relief. In this session, Ukie gives an update on the work that will guide the future of the UK games industry – and how you can prepare.
Session Takeaway
- An overall insight into how policy influences the practice of making, selling and playing games
- A practical understanding of changes to existing funding strands (VGTR)
- Insight into how key new regulatory requirements will impact games businesses and what future challenges and opportunities are
1:00pm
Alistair Aitcheson The Incredible Playable Show1:00pm - 1:45pmRoom 1Design FREEInteractive Session: Empowering Creative Play
Wednesday 12th July1:00pm - 1:45pmRoom 1Alistair Aitcheson is the designer and host of award-winning [video game live shows](https://playable.show). Drawing on a portfolio of work that encourages physical movement, cheating and chaos - as well as 5 years’ experience as an amateur clown - he will demonstrate how to design games and challenges that empower players to be creative and expressive.
Alistair will explore creative activities designed to build emotional connections, as well as how he built his latest project - livestream game [Artholomew Video’s Stream Challenge](https://artholomew.video) - to open up painting and performance art to participants who do not see themselves as creative. He’ll also explore the gamelike structures of clowns and the surrealists, and how they can be used to conjure up surprising and unusual experiences in the digital age.
This talk will be ideal for anyone who wants to build games that build personal connections with their players, and provide inspiration for any designer who wants to enrich their projects with flexibility and unpredictability.
Session Takeaway
- Build flexibility into your design
- Understand why someone would be afraid to interact/explore
- Allow players to make a mark and claim ownership of the experience
- Give room for players to introduce make-believe, but also provide a context for that make-believe build from
2:00pm
Travis Martin Snowed In Studios2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 1Making the Most of ADHD in Game Design
Wednesday 12th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 1Game design is a wonderful career for folks with ADHD. However, some tasks that are unavoidable for game designers can be extremely challenging for this kind of brain.
We'll go over the basics of ADHD, and see how they complicate the responsibilities of a game designer. But, have no fear: for each one, we will discuss ways to minimize pain and maximize progress.
Ultimately, this is the story of how one person deals with their highly chaotic brain. If none of the practices work for you, then follow in my footsteps and create your own!
Session Takeaway
- Basics of neurodiversity and ADHD
- Specific Game Design tasks which are challenging for this type of brain
- Tools and tips for overcoming painful tasks, and keeping everything together
These three end up being broad topics, and we will cover a lot of information!
James Noonan Hello Games2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 2Bitmaps and Pieces: Tips and Tricks Learned from Working as an Art Generalist
Wednesday 12th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 2One does not simply work on No Man's Sky updates for 5 years without picking up some handy lessons along the way.
In this talk, we will share and examine some of the practical and theoretical knowledge gleaned from working as an art generalist in a small team. From concept to gameplay, and from organic fauna to hard sci-fi surfaces, the talk will cover subjects such as:
- What the pipeline of an art generalist in a small team looks like.
- Practical skills for generating ideas as a non-concept artist.
- Techniques for getting more art with less time.
- Design tips and tricks, and why fundamentals are key.
Hopefully artists will walk away with new ideas and inspiration for making new work efficiently as well as ways to build on their level of quality with the tools they already have.
Session Takeaway
- An insight into some parts of the art pipeline that may be otherwise unfamiliar
- Practical tips and techniques for artists to add to their generalist workflows
- Inspiration and confidence for artists to get more out of their work
Alex Nichiporchik tinyBuild2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 3AI in Gamedev: Is My Job Safe?
Wednesday 12th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 3Alex Nichiporchik, CEO of tinyBuild, will go in-depth into how the publisher adopted AI in daily practices to exponentially increase efficiency. From a 10x increase in key art production efficiency to using AI to gather data and verify community sentiment, we're in the industrial revolution of the digital age. Those who embrace it already have an advantage.
Session Takeaway
- We are experiencing the industrial revolution of the digital age, where productivity for game developers embracing AI tools skyrockets
- Alex will dive into examples of how AI tools already help tinyBuild in different aspects of gamedev - from writing code, logic, creating art, and games marketing
- There will be a human resource reallocation that'll change and optimize how teams work
- People who embrace the change will lead the next generation, while those who resist are likely to be left behind
Connor Carson Half Mermaid Productions2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 4Match Cuts in IMMORTALITY: Programming a Tiny Scorsese
Wednesday 12th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 4Hear how and why the team at Half Mermaid took the cinematic technique known as the match cut and adapted it into the boundary-pushing, exploratory mechanic it is in IMMORTALITY, the award-winning, decade-spanning FMV game about three films that were never released, and the missing actress at the center of it all. Peak into the design processes that went into the match cut system. Learn from Connor Carson, the lead programmer on IMMORTALITY, how over 2000 props, actors, set-pieces and everything in-between were tracked across every frame of 288 scenes. How that massive amount of data was optimized, converted into in-game data, maintained and synchronized, and then finally tracked across each scene in real time. How seamless transitions were calculated from the data, allowing the code to make editing decisions on the fly. And finally, How the algorithm driving the player’s progress made meaningful, yet seemingly random decisions, giving each player a completely unique experience of Marissa Marcel’s story.
Session Takeaway
Attendees will learn how Half Mermaid handled and serialized massive amounts of data in pursuit of creating a player experience that felt unrestricted and expressive. How to parse and import large quantities of different data types, and how that data was converted into positional information that had to be perfectly synchronized and tracked in a cheap way across every frame of footage. Given enough data, how the code was able to make useful and accurate decisions about when and where to transition to during a match cut, freeing the team from the burden of having to hand select transition points across all 288 clips of footage. And finally, how the game’s driving algorithm moved the player forward in a meaningful way, taking into account their decisions and progress, while still maintaining a feeling of unpredictability through use of randomness.
Sky Tunley-Stainton Safe in our World2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREEWhere is Your Safe Space Within the Games Industry?
Wednesday 12th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 5This session will be a candid opportunity for attendees to share in an intimate discussion around mental health in our industry. Representing the mental health charity for games Safe in our World, attendees will be provided tangible examples of the methodology of Safe in our World, and be brought into the conversation to share in the ultimate questions:
- Where are your safe spaces within creating games?
- How do we instill trust in our teams?
- How do games provide you refuge?
And what are the asks that we can be making to ensure a better environment that is conducive for creativity, for sharing, and that allows us to bring our vulnerabilities and our whole selves into the workspace?
Safe in our World is here to impress urgency for a cultural shift in the games industry so that this is a healthy and thriving work environment for everyone who makes games. So we invite all attendees to come on this journey with us and get empowered to talk about mental health and make more asks within their companies to make mental health and wellbeing a priority.
Session Takeaway
- Attendees will be provided with actionable examples of current activations regarding mental health and wellbeing in the games industry, that they can take with them and make the ask of their companies too.
- Attendees will have had the chance to be heard and contribute in an inclusive session built around safe spaces, and be guided on how the same can be done within their own workspaces.
- Attendees will have a better understanding of the methodology of Safe in our World and why mental health is not only a crucial need for people who make games, but be shown that in improving the health of the environments for creators, it creates a trickle effect that positively impacts player environments as well. And that drives better loyalty and love from our players, and nurtures the love we all have for making games.
James Binns Network N Media2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 6Business FREEThe One Thing Every Game Needs
Wednesday 12th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 6Digital game stores own their users, not you. They recommend games you compete with. They showcase your game however they want. And they refuse to play nice with other platforms. Build your own website and own your player and the conversation. James Binns, games media veteran tells you the 20 things every games website needs. And the 5 things you should never do.
Session Takeaway
- Your game needs a website, because it is the easiest, most secure way to own your audience away from the platforms
- Websites need to be designed to get found via search, social and deep links, and then tell the very best story for your game
- A website without a data strategy, follower strategy or a plan for how to drive player action is a dead end
3:00pm
David Amor Playmint3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 1A Developer’s Guide for Raising Money from Venture Capitalists
Wednesday 12th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 1Venture capitalist funding involves giving away a part of your company in exchange for money. It can be a great way of funding projects and ideas without losing IP rights or handing over creative control to a third party. It's a very common way of funding but isn't widely used in the games industry in the UK despite billions of dollars being available for the right companies.
Session Takeaway
- Whether VC funding is right for your business.
- How to value your company.
- How VCs work.
Veera Hokkanen Housemarque, Sony PlayStation Studios3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 2Concept Art In Returnal: How Creative Principles Shaped Returnal’s Visual Development
Wednesday 12th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 2Veera Hokkanen was part of the visual development of Returnal which is Housemarque's latest award-winning science fiction roguelite AAA-game. She will explain the core guiding design pillars of Returnal and how these principles affected the art style of the game. Throughout the presentation Veera will showcase various concept art paintings done during the production of Returnal with her personal views of each work on the side.
Session Takeaway
- The importance of defining creative goals in order to build a coherent visual look for a game
- Overview to the work of a concept artist in different stages of production
- Lessons learned from creating our first roguelite game from an artistic perspective
Paula Rogers Sweet Baby Inc.Amy-Leigh Shaw Sweet Baby Inc.3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 3In The Room: Running and Participating in Modern Writers’ Rooms
Wednesday 12th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 3Paula (Lead Writer, Story Editor, University Professor) and Amy-Leigh (Writer and Narrative Designer) will be in conversation about their experiences running and participating in writers’ rooms, including best practices, structures for fruitful discussion, collaboration techniques, creative team-building exercises, and how best to prepare yourself for working with others. After these discussions, they will also be open to any questions on the subject, including questions about writing collaboratively for genre (comedy, horror, romance) and fostering teamwork.
Session Takeaway
- Build a supportive and fruitful environment for getting the best ideas out of a writing team
- Provide actionable creative feedback and keep writers feeling motivated and positive
- Prevent or correct harmful and counterproductive group dynamics
Oliver William Walker ZA/UM3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 4TikTok Game Dev: The Eldritch Horror - How to Create Powerful Content
Wednesday 12th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 4Understanding TikTok feels like trying to unpick the workings of a twisted all knowing ancient creature. I spent the last 2 years creating game dev content on TikTok and in 2022 I took my eldritch magic to another level by posting daily for 7 months (and living to tell the tale.) This talk is about unpicking the learnings directly from someone who has been deep in the dark depths of Game Dev TikTok content creation. We'll break down strategy and tactics, how best to effectively use the platform, and all sorts of unusual magic I have learned from hands on content creation.
Session Takeaway
- What makes successful content on TikTok and how to make it
- How to effectively use the platform for your specific needs
- Tips and tricks on TikTok content creation and the platform
Lauren Kaye Limit Break MentorshipJo Haslam Limit Break/Snap Finger ClickJenny Kassner Limit Break/PlayStation London StudioHarun Ali No Brakes Games3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREEHow Mentoring Is Tearing Down Walls in the Games Industry
Wednesday 12th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 5Are you feeling like you need a helpful voice in the games industry? Or are you interested in how you can help the next gen of games industry professionals? Join our round table where we discuss Mentorship and how Limit Break Mentorship can help you find your way.
Please note: This Roundtable will be recorded for use on the SPG podcast.
Session Takeaway
* What a healthy Mentorship relationship looks like
* How Limit Break is helping with the match making process
* More confidence in how to meet the right mentor
Kish Hirani Kiss Publishing & BiGJack Chapman PlayStation London StudioCharlie Bewsher Creative AssemblySimon Beigi-Cooper Hangar 13Jess Hider Rare3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 6Pingle Studio XD Networking Series Presents: Tech Vs Game - Design Challenges and Taking Advantage of Tech Constraints
Wednesday 12th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 6Ask any creative person if they like constraints and most will answer that it makes them more creative and efficient over an open canvas approach.
Join us as our panellists discuss the current and past hardware and software constraints they have encountered and how they have worked around them followed by some of the best practices working within constraints.
We will conclude with their ideal future tech and maybe even design the future gaming system that enables them to bring their creations to an even wider audience.4:00pm
Ella Romanos Fundamentally GamesCassia Curran Curran Games AgencyPamina Bou FactortechWill Freeman Freelance Games Journalist4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 1Funding: Everything You Need to Know
Wednesday 12th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 1This inspiring and diverse group of funders will discuss the current and future funding landscape. They will also impart what they look for when you sit across from them, sweating over your deck. Does a flashy Powerpoint matter? Is it all about the demo? This panel promises to give you insight into what they want and need you to know before you sit down with them.
Please feel free to bring your questions to this dynamic panel of industry pros.
Host: Will Freeman, Games Journalist
Session Takeaway
- What's the proper funding for you?
- What's the secret to having a good pitch?
- How to define your game's X Factor in your pitch?
- What are funders looking for?
Ron de Feijter Interior Night4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 2Programming for ‘As Dusk Falls’: Using Unity Differently
Wednesday 12th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 2In the summer of 2022 Interior Night released its first title, the branching narrative game 'As Dusk Falls'. Developed in Unity, this game posed some interesting engineering challenges due to its very nature. Think for instance of its instantly recognizable and distinct art-style using 2D characters placed in 3D environments. These character images are created by 2D artists based on stills from video shoots of actors playing out the story, which allowed us to capture the emotion of the actor’s performance. This, however, only works if these 2D and 3D elements are merged together perfectly. Or what about the design requirement to have no loading screens whatsoever during an entire episode.
This talk will focus on how As Dusk Falls was realised by creating a range of bespoke Unity extensions and pipelines as well as a number of supporting tools around that. It will discuss the way the game was constructed in Unity, how content creators were able to navigate through the game both at design and runtime and how the tools were made to enable them to work effectively. As a specific example it will examine the character pipeline combining 2D character images with 3D environments by describing the custom tooling created in Unity to work with these character images, the bespoke tools implemented to generate the required content at the video shoots, the automated processes happening both inside and outside Unity to support the content creators, and many more elements that tied into this pipeline. Furthermore, this talk will also highlight some additional (Unity) tools and integrations implemented to facilitate debugging, performance measurements, reviews and iteration, and providing production with insights into the state of development.
Session Takeaway
- How to build a branching narrative game in Unity
- How to organise a narrative game to hide content loading
- How to create an art style that combines 2D and 3D elements
- Examples of how to create custom UI and integrations for Unity to streamline the workflow for content creators
- Examples of how to combine tools inside and outside Unity to create bespoke pipelines
- Examples of how to use automated processes to free up development time
Mark Friend PlayStation Studios4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 3Anthology of Accessibility: Research, Advocacy & Accessibility Tags
Wednesday 12th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 3In April 2023 the PlayStation Accessibility Tags launched on the PlayStation Store. But a project of that scale didn’t happen overnight. It required robust best practices, effective user testing and involvement from the disabled community, and a company committed to accessibility.
In this talk, PlayStation Studios Accessibility Lead Mark Friend will share key learnings on how accessibility processes and culture have evolved over his 10 years at the company, as well as providing an insight into the creation and development of the PlayStation Accessibility Tags.
Session Takeaway
- The best practices for creating and using best practices
- Why it’s important to include people with disabilities in user tests, and how to effectively run accessibility research
- How to succeed as an advocate for accessibility and create a culture of inclusion at your company
- How the PlayStation Accessibility Tags were created and an insight into their development
Sam Hogg Sharkmob4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 4Creating Characters with Narrative Appeal
Wednesday 12th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 4Concepting characters is one of the industry’s most sought after roles and a skill that is often judged by very subjective opinions. So how can you be sure you’re creating the right characters for your project? As humans we’re very drawn to other humans and the stories they have to tell, whether that’s AAA behemoths like Aloy or Masterchief, or the diverse array of characters that the indie scene presents. So how do you design the right character for your game? How do you know where to start, especially in those early development stages where nothing is locked down and everything is possible? Join concept artist and illustrator Sam Hogg as she talks through her process for compelling character design.
Session Takeaway
- How to give yourself a starting narrative
- The design process in a nutshell
- How to find the unexpected
- Why appeal is important
Dr Gina Jackson OBE SkillfullMick Morris Psyop4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREECreating Allyship in Games: See Something, Say Something
Wednesday 12th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 5Allyship is defined as a practice that needs to be embedded within an individual's sense of everyday commitment to equity. How do we create Allyship within our industry?
We've all heard or experienced bad behavior at events over the years, and the increased reports in 2023 are frightening.
Collectively what can we do as individuals and organisations to stamp out the unacceptable behaviour reported at events? Join us to brainstorm ideas. We will discuss how we can create Allyship within our industry to challenge and confront toxicity. Please help us create an action plan for change.
Come to this roundtable to be a part of a positive change in our industry.Session Takeaway
Discussion topics include:
- How can Allyship help promote a more positive culture?
- How do we stop this sort of unacceptable behaviour?
- How can we offer advocacy and support?
- What can your studio do for you?
- What's the trade body doing?
- What are events doing?
- What resources are available?
Max Pears Contractor4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 6Design FREEJohny Silverhand’s Porsche: Designing Levels for Cyberpunk 2077
Wednesday 12th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 6In this talk, I will be breaking down my process when designing the level 'Ebunike'. Looking at how it started, working with brands as well as offering players multiple routes for them to best facilitate their playstyles as they progress through the space. We will be going through the challenges that not only the players face but myself when designing it too.
Session Takeaway
\- How to design and embrace the chaos of multiple routes for players to use and adapt
\- Building Narrative within your level design
\- Adapting to Players' choice
5:00pm
Jon Torrens Communications Coach5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 1The Real-Time Pitch Review
Wednesday 12th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 1Pitching your idea can be terrifying, but is vital for your idea to reach its potential. Like a baby bird leaving the nest for the first time.
In this interactive session, there will be a live pitch situation on stage where communication Coach Jon Torrens will ‘pause’ developers during their pitch to give them real-time feedback on how to improve (don’t worry, he’s kind). Jon will use his years of experience to help each individual, and also share techniques with the whole audience on how to communicate effectively during your pitch or high-level meetings.
At the end of the session, you have the chance to pick Jon’s brain on specifics for your next pitch.
Session Takeaway
How to:
• Keep an audience’s attention
• Make your pitch concise
• Not fall apart in a messy pile of nerves
Will Myles Framestore5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 2Realtime Engines: Blurring the Boundaries Between Film and Game Development
Wednesday 12th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 2Delivered by a games industry veteran, turned VFX noob, this session will begin with an examination of the growing trend in using real-time engines as part of the film-making process. Exploring the current applications for real-time engines in Virtual production. From In-Camera VFX using LED volumes, to engine use in Pre and Post visualisation.
Framestore's Unreal Shot Engine (FUSE) – a collaboration with Epic through their MegaGrant project - is presented as the next step in real-time engine use for film. This innovative technology seamlessly integrates Unreal Engine into the company's VFX pipeline.
In order to test FUSEs real-time workflows in a production environment, a short film "Flite", has been created. Which will be used as a case study to discuss the benefits and trade-offs of using real-time engine technology in this way.
The session concludes by considering the exciting possibilities that now exist for closer collaboration between the film and game industries.
Session Takeaway
- You'll have gained a comprehensive understanding of the traditional VFX pipeline.
- You'll understand the significant improvements that real-time technology has brought to the filmmaking process. And why real-time engine use in film has rapidly grown in popularity.
- You’ll have seen how the FUSE project has integrated Unreal into the VFX pipeline. And been used to produce a short film, rendered completely within Unreal Engine.
In summary, this session offers an invaluable opportunity to gain knowledge and insights into the cutting-edge technology and practices that are shaping and bringing together the future of the film and game industries.
Dan Evans-Lawes Deep Silver Dambuster StudiosAaron Ridge Deep Silver Dambuster Studios5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 3The Innards of F.L.E.S.H: Dead Island 2’s Gore System Dissected
Wednesday 12th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 3A deep dive into the Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids that powers Dead Island 2. F.L.E.S.H. pushes procedural real time gore to a frankly ridiculous level, as well as providing optimised content pipelines for authoring a large number of damageable zombies.
Session Takeaway
- Smart combinations of simple techniques can be used to create procedural gore at a quality level that is competitive with bespoke art assets.
- Clever thinking about in-game procedural techniques can improve content pipelines.
- Procedural feedback systems can improve the sense of connection between the player and the virtual world.
Hannah Flynn Failbetter Games5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 4A Standout Launch Campaign Retrospective
Wednesday 12th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 4Indie game marketing has levelled up. Now everyone’s got the memo about TikTok, Steam sales and making a press kit, how will your game marketing stand out?
Looking at examples from the marketing of Mask of the Rose, Hannah Flynn takes you through strategies for generating creative marketing ideas which go beyond the norm and show your studio’s personality to the full, enabling your games to shine.
Learn how to grow your audience through community-building campaigns, investigate your community’s other interests for new promotional angles, collaborate fruitfully with creators and invent surprising and enticing calls to action.
Session Takeaway
- How to choose what to focus on when preparing to launch your game
- How to run partnerships with other creatives for maximum benefit
- Reflections on a recent Steam game launch and analysis of results
Jade Leamcharaskul POCinPlayNida Ahmad POCinPlay5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREEFinding Your Community + Social Mixer by POCinPlay
Wednesday 12th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 5The aim of this roundtable is to give a general guideline of creating and maintaining support structures for your community as well as sharing resources from an organisational, personal, and mentorship level. This session is also a chance to have a chat with the PiP team and other PiP members.
There will be a Social Mixer afterwards which is open to all. Non POC (People of Colour) attendees are welcome to join, however please remember that this space focuses on those who are racial minorities and that you are a welcome guest.
Session Takeaway
- Gain insight and confidence in building and safe guarding your community
- Expand knowledge of other DEI resources
- Make new connectionsCinzia Musio Code Coven5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 6Business FREESupporting Marginalised Genders in Games: Where is the Accountability?
Wednesday 12th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 6The conversation around improving the games industry for people of marginalised genders started years ago. While we’ve seen some progress, we’ve generally struggled to move away from the biggest issues. From harassment, to lack of diversity at the top; where has the accountability been? Join Cinzia Musio, Interim CEO at Code Coven, who will talk about actions that can be taken to hold ourselves and each other accountable, and exclusively announce a project that Code Coven has been working on as a tool for accountability throughout the industry.
Session Takeaway
- How to hold leadership accountable
- Move the Diversity & Inclusion conversation forward
- Take action to make the industry a more welcoming and inclusive place to all
Wednesday After Hours Events
15.00 - 17.00: Women in Games Fizz and Cake in Metropole Restaurant
16.00 - 18.30: Spill the Tea by the Sea with OMG: tea, coffee, cake and entertainment with Out Making Games
17.00 - 18.00: Expo Mixer sponsored by Keywords Studios
19.00: Develop:Star Awards - drinks reception followed by dinner in the Oxford Suite. Headline sponsor Unreal Engine
GamesIndustry.biz Summer Party -
10:00am
Jon Ingold inkle10:00am - 11:00amRoom 1Further Up and Further In: Making Richer Gameplay Narratives
Thursday 13th July10:00am - 11:00amRoom 1The late, great science-fiction writer Gene Wolfe said: “My definition of good literature is that which can be read by an educated reader and reread with increased pleasure.” But narrative games are traditionally designed to be disposable: single-play experiences that become purely clockwork things on a repeat playthrough.
However, the more responsive a game is and the broader its content, the more players will miss first time around. So how can we design our games to make replay-ability a core component without the story losing its integrity?
In this keynote, Jon Ingold will present a manifesto for re-playable narratives - games that deepen and enrich themselves every time a player returns to walk their halls. He’ll outline the strategies developed by inkle over a decade’s worth of work, from the “just write everything” approach of Sorcery! and 80 Days, to the re-contextualisation of Heaven’s Vault and the procedural systems of Pendragon and the upcoming A Highland Song.
Narrative is more than content, writing is more than output, and 100% complete is not the limit.
Session Takeaway
- An example-based overview of narratives that demand to be re-played
- Strategies to reduce the content-creation burden
Adele Cutting Soundcuts & Audio Track Host10:00am - 10:15amRoom 3Audio Track Welcome & Introduction
Thursday 13th July10:00am - 10:15amRoom 3This year’s Audio Track host, Adele Cutting, welcomes attendees and the day’s audio sessions.
Eric Nielsen CCP Games10:15am - 11:00amRoom 3Finding the Signal in the Noise: Prioritizing Sound in EVE Online’s Vast Universe
Thursday 13th July10:15am - 11:00amRoom 3Released back in 2003, Eve Online has hosted some of the largest player-versus-player battles in video game history within its virtual world. Throughout the years, the players of EVE Online discovered numerous methods to gain an edge in these titanic clashes. One of these methods, codified in online documents that players call “fleet doctrines”, was to disable audio in order to save on CPU.
Join the audio programmer for EVE Online in a deep dive into the technical and artistic challenges they faced, as well as the lessons they learned, while developing a solution to this decades-old problem. Discover how this solution ended up revitalizing the overall mix of the game and how it encapsulates the often blurry boundary between sound design and programming that comes with the profession of audio programming.
Session Takeaway
- Practical examples for prioritizing sound in complex and unpredictable scenarios.
- Insights into mix design for larger scenes.
- Thoughts about the role of audio programmer and the interplay between tech and creativity.
11:15am
Matteo Cerquone JumpshipJay Steen SweejTech11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 1I Know What You Did Last Somerville
Thursday 13th July11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 1In this talk, Somerville’s Audio Director and Audio Programmer discuss the creative and technical challenges of the game’s sound design and how they overcame them. They will cover the cinematic, storytelling mix and creating Somerville’s brooding sonic atmosphere; how the alien elements of the audio were created and implemented; and how sound was used to ground the player in an interactable environment.
Session Takeaway
- How to empower sound designers to create mix moments for a story-driven game through flexible, reusable tools rather than strict rules.
- How to design and mix sound for a highly cinematic camera with an always-controllable character.
- Some good practices to use when you Wwise up Unity.
- What worked well and not so well when creating the sound of Somerville.
Josh Grier Ember LabMike Grier Ember Lab11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 2Challenges in Creating a Completely New IP
Thursday 13th July11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 2Join Josh and Mike Grier, the creative minds behind _Kena: Bridge of Spirits_, as they present their experience in creating new IPs - from marketing campaigns to short films, and, of course, gaming. They will discuss their creative process, inspirations, challenges, and breakthroughs. Afterwards they will participate in a Q&A session.
Session Takeaway
- Finding the Heart
- Discovering a Visual Style
- Creating the World
- Developing Characters
- Crafting the Story
- Sharing the Vision & Bringing the World to Life
Kate Edwards Geogrify / SetJetters11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 3Cultural Interoperability: The Biggest Challenge to the Metaverse (and Beyond)
Thursday 13th July11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 3As gaming spaces are the foundation for what is envisioned to be the forthcoming "metaverse", most of the current discourse is about technical interoperability; i.e., how we enable diverse platforms to seamlessly work together. However, this focus almost completely overlooks the most challenging aspect of cultural interoperability; i.e., how people from diverse worldviews and geographies will achieve equal access and common ground. This is especially problematic when our current world shows clear centrifugal cultural and geopolitical forces that are the antithesis of what the metaverse promises. With over 30 years of experience in games as a geographer and culturalization strategist, Kate Edwards has been involved in the creation of over 250 games. She will demonstrate the complexities of managing cultural interoperability as we strive to build globally inclusive virtual spaces in the midst of very real-world constraints.
Session Takeaway
- Attendees will understand the complexities of trying to accommodate multiple worldviews in a single, shared space
- Greater understanding of the role of culturalization in preparing content for a global, multicultural audience
- An appreciation of how realizing a true metaverse will be far more challenging than just the technology
Andrej Horoschun Frontier Developments11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 4Observational Drawing
Thursday 13th July11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 4This talk would be the value of observational drawing/ painting and it's possible carry over effects into art and other fields.
Session Takeaway
- Observational Skill, learning how to perceive the world or a specific subject matter.
- Analytical thinking. Breaking down the visible and understanding it's mechanics
- Astraction and projection. While transitioning the seen onto paper we need to re assemble information and since we are limited by our tools, we need to learn to abstract and imitate.
Meg Rouncefield d3tPeter Yates d3t11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 5Roundtables FREECreating Among Chaos: Finding Your Flow with a Noisy Brain
Thursday 13th July11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 5While trying to build up a support group for neurodiverse individuals within our studio, not only did we realise there were "far" more of us than we originally thought, we also discovered that we were all struggling in similar areas. All of us were experiencing issues with overwhelming amounts of information and emotional dysregulation that made sitting down and getting the work done impossible. We soon began to swap references, psychological studies, and our own tried and tested methods that have helped us maintain our attention when working - or more specifically, reach a state known as “hyperfocus.” Hyperfocus is described as an “intense fixation on an interest or activity for an extended period of time” and is often triggered by engaging in “special interests.” By exploring what types of activities trigger these "hyperfocus" states for us, we can begin to understand which elements we need in place to be able to concentrate on our work as well.
In this session we discuss our unique challenges as neurodiverse designers in the games industry, and share some of the methods we've discovered while trying to manage our noisy brains. We talk short attention spans, burnout, and how our passion for zone games has helped us to discover our own creative flow state while we work.
Session Takeaway
Through our session we hope to:
- Raise awareness of neurodiversity within the games industry.
- Provide methods for finding and maintaining a creative flow when working.
- Encourage others to bring their authentic self to work.
James Stone Unity11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 6Indie BootCamp FREETips for Successful Game Development in Unity
Thursday 13th July11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 6A session for new indie devs using Unity, who want to know how to be successful in not only building, but shipping their games on multiple platforms. You will learn how to avoid the common pitfalls that developers encounter when developing their games, and how to approach publishers and platform holders.
Session Takeaway
- Development pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Useful tips on optimising your development and your game
- How to approach publishers and platform holders
12:15pm
Jodie Kupsco PlayStation Studios // Creative ArtsSonia Coronado PlayStation Studios // Creative ArtsAlex Previty PlayStation Studios // Creative Arts12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 1Mixing AAA Games – Process, Collaboration & Systems
Thursday 13th July12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 1Join PlayStation’s own Jodie Kupsco (Dialogue Supervisor), Sonia Coronado (Music Supervisor), and Alex Previty (Ambience Pillar Lead/Technical Mixer) for a deep dive into the process, collaboration, and systems involved in mixing the global hit games of today and the future.
Drawing on their latest work from God of War Ragnarök and beyond, this team of award-winning professionals will discuss timelines, thorough premix processes, thoughtfully designed bussing structure, mix targets, innovative dynamic mixing techniques, and immersive 3D audio. They will also reflect on lessons learned and opportunities for improvement, all with a positive and growth-oriented mindset.
Session Takeaway
- Be inspired by key PlayStation creatives explaining their mixing approach, design and methodology.
- Learn about mixing systems, processes, techniques and how to set-up for success.
- Benefit from lessons learned by the team and their thoughts on future opportunities for development.
Leanne Bayley Atomhawk Advance12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 2Style, Trends, Immersion and Abstraction - Developing UI Art Direction
Thursday 13th July12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 2Great game UI art elevates a game, it keeps players immersed, it helps tell the story or build the world, it makes reading quest entries, crafting items and selecting skills things players want to do not have to do. So how do we develop our UI art to make sure we are creating something that compliments the game rather than something we have to add because otherwise its hard to know how many bullets/pumpkins/gems we have?
It is not always obvious how to get from grey boxes to UI that stands out for all the right reasons, but by looking at UI styles and trends, where on the immersion to abstraction scale we want to be and how genre and platform can influence UI, we can develop truly striking UIs. This talk will cover some kick off points to consider when developing your UI Art Direction.
Session Takeaway
- Trends and styles in UI art
- Immersion to Abstraction, a scale to plot against to help with decisions about UI elements
- Tips for how to kick off your art direction for the UI
Arjan Brussee Epic Games12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 3What’s New and Upcoming for Unreal Engine in 2023
Thursday 13th July12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 3Arjan, who is Product Director on Unreal Engine's development team at Epic Games, will go over the headlines for what's upcoming for Unreal Engine development in 2023 and beyond.
Simon Byron Yogscast GamesMark Cantwell Fourth Floor12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 4PlateUp! – A Recipe For Success. Or Why Wishlists Don’t (Always) Matter
Thursday 13th July12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 4Ask any indie developer or studio what the single most important metric is ahead of a Steam launch and they’ll say one thing: Wishlists. This continual quest for a consumer click dominates all pre-release marketing – but how valuable are they? And what, ultimately, do they mean for your imminent launch?
PlateUp! was one of the biggest indie hits of 2022, selling over 650,000 copies in its first four months of release – a result you’d not have predicted from its pre-launch Wishlists alone. So what happened, and what can we learn? Join Yogscast Games and its marketing agency Fourth Floor as they lift the lid on the game’s pre-launch velocity and discuss what helped the game grow and grow.
Session Takeaway
- Why Wishlists are not a reliable indication of success
- How you can make games which engage content creators
- How you can track sales uplift
Nigel Twumasi mayamadaTazziii mayamada12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 5Roundtables FREE“Do I Look Like A Gamer?”: Bringing Genuine Diversity to Video Game Narratives
Thursday 13th July12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 5As part of the "Do I Look Like A Gamer?" representation campaign, we will explore the current state of storytelling in video games and the importance of bringing genuine diversity to narrative design.
The roundtable will be moderated by mayamada co-founder Nigel Twumasi, who will lead a conversation with players and makers to discuss examples of diversity across video game storytelling, and how to distinguish between tokenism and authentic representation.
The panellists will emphasise the importance of creating genuine diversity in narrative design, not just for the sake of representation, but to improve storytelling in the medium going forward. This means the need for game makers to incorporate a diverse cast of characters that add depth and complexity to stories, making them more engaging and resonant with players.
We will help game developers to understand why creating genuine diversity in narrative design matters, and how to spot when tokenism is happening where there should be sincere efforts to involve diverse voices in the creative process.
Ultimately, our industry benefits from better games, and there is much we can learn from diversity done well in video game storytelling which includes authentic and nuanced representations of characters from different backgrounds, experiences, and identities.
We value open, honest dialogue so the session will end by welcoming questions from the audience as we encourage further discussion on the topic of diversity in video game storytelling.
Session Takeaway
- Why creating genuine diversity in narrative design makes your game more engaging and resonant with players.
- How to go beyond surface-level representation and tokenism to create diverse storylines.
- How to involve diverse voices in the creative process and conduct research to ensure accurate and authentic representation.
- What we can learn from positive examples of diversity in video game storytelling.
Chris Filip BFI / UK Global Screen FundSarah Jones Creative UKPaul Durrant UK Games FundRory Clifford Northern Ireland Screen12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 6Indie BootCamp FREEDemystifying Public Funding for Games Studios
Thursday 13th July12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 6There is close to £10,000,000 public funding available between the 4 main speakers at this roundtable, available to UK indepedent games studios. However, not many game studios are aware of this funding, and much of it is, due to the way the funds were set up, complex to access, especially for game developers and founders who may come from underrepresented backgrounds, such as working class, English as second language, education leavers or people with dyslexia. This is before factoring in geographical, business, revenue, team or other requirements.
This roundtable is not only the first time these 4 organisations - the UK Global Screen Fund, Northern Ireland Screen, Creative UK and the UK Games Fund - are in a room together, it's the first time we all sit down together with the games industry, explain the funds we manage in plain language and open the floor to any questions to all of us. We will not only be talking about how to apply for the funds, but also how the funds themselves are formed and what we are looking for, as fund managers.
The purpose of this roundtable is to create a resource for game company founders, owners and indies to feel like they can ask any question and eventually access the pots of public funding that are available to them.
Session Takeaway
- Understand how public funds and grants work compared to equity investment and debt investment
- Learn about the funding criteria of the UK Global Screen Fund, funding from Creative UK, the UK Games Fund and funding from Northern Ireland Screen
- Understand how public funds available to games studios are managed
- Gain insights into how assessing funding applications work
- Be able to create a strategy of which public funds are best to apply to for your studio
- Learn about success cases from the UK games industry
2:00pm
Presenting an Authentic F1 Audio Experience: Insight into an Asset Heavy Cross Disciplinary PipelineWill Augar Frontier DevelopmentsTim Bartlett Frontier DevelopmentsAndy Hair Frontier Developments2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 1Presenting an Authentic F1 Audio Experience: Insight into an Asset Heavy Cross Disciplinary Pipeline
Thursday 13th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 1Key members of Frontier’s audio team tell the story of a deep collaboration of skillsets within tech audio, and how they turned the usual audio design process on its head by heavily mining real world assets from F1 - including recordings of every driver and car in every race from last year and this year’s seasons. They’ll discuss how they focused on designing automation and clever systems to select the correct asset to use in the simulation, based on game data (track, camera position, manufacturer, driver) at run time, and how by bringing together different aspects of automation and technical design to create a smart collaborative asset pipeline, they have created a compelling and authentic game sound experience.
Session Takeaway
- Gain insights into deep cross-discipline collaboration.
- Be challenged to think outside the box when approaching audio design.
- Learn how to create a highly effective asset pipeline using technical smarts.
Regner Blok-Andersen Splash Damage2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 2How Splash Damage Utilises Epic’s Horde Build System
Thursday 13th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 2Horde is a new build system developed by Epic specifically for Unreal Engine. In this presentation we will discuss what exactly Horde is, how it can help accelerate development of Unreal projects, what we learned rolling it out to 5 projects and hundreds of developers, and key things to be aware of if you want to try it yourself.
Session Takeaway
- What is Horde and how it compares to alternatives
- Why should you, or should you not, use Horde
- Leasons learned rolling Horde out to a studio
Nina Roussakoff Lovewish2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 37 Things I Wish I’d Known About Creative Leadership
Thursday 13th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 3Leadership is a skill, and creative leadership asks for even more. A creative leader not only guides their team, but also champions the vision while fostering an environment that encourages creative contribution. Balancing vision with creative input comes with its own unique challenges.
Nina Roussakoff has been in games leadership for the past 7 years, as a lead, as a game director, and eventually a founder of a games studio. She has faced obstacles, made her fair share of mistakes, and lived to tell the tale. In this talk, she shares the insights she gained along the way - a treasure trove for anyone looking to lead with creativity and purpose.
Session Takeaway
- Ways to balance vision with creative input from the team
- Collaborative communication
- Greater confidence in leadership
Eric Luhta Blackbird Interactive2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 4Minecraft Legends: Building a Unique Animation Style True to Minecraft
Thursday 13th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 4When Blackbird Interactive was given the opportunity to develop a genre-bending action strategy game set in the iconic Minecraft universe, it led to a fascinating problem: how do you make a distinct adaptation without inadvertently losing what made it so beloved in the first place?
In this presentation, Game Studio Animation Director Eric Luhta examines that problem through the lens of animation. He explores Minecraft's distinctive (and very unique) approach to character animation and movement, and the enormous challenge he and his team undertook to find that core essence of Minecraft's animation style and adapt it to Minecraft Legends' host of brand new characters and enemies. Alongside plenty of videos and screenshots, Eric will provide concrete examples of his team's approach to bringing the world of Minecraft to an entirely new genre and at a level of detailed movement not seen by the IP before.
In doing so, Eric creates a loose framework that other developers — regardless of discipline — can apply when developing new games set in well-established IP. A philosophy that can help you identify the inalienable essence of that IP, what aspects of it can be modified or altered, and an iterative process for bridging those two elements together.
Session Takeaway
- How to find what makes an IP unique and preserve it
- How to add new ideas while maintaining the IP’s integrity
- How to animate characters from the inside out
Jonathan Quinn AardmanStacy Knapton AardmanBen Laws Splash DamageWill Marshall Dovetail Games2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREETech Leadership in Games
Thursday 13th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 5Join Develop’s roundtable discussion on the oft-overlooked topic of technical leadership in the video game industry. Whilst public post-mortems, retrospectives, and interviews tend to focus on studio founders, and creative and game leads, strong technical leadership is a crucial aspect of building a successful game.
Unfortunately, finding reliable resources and guidance on technical leadership can be problematic. Engineering blogs and social media prioritise exciting technical solutions, or zeitgeist debate, leaving leadership strategies and support in the shadows. This can lead to a knowledge gap for incumbent and aspiring technical leaders, who often have to rely on personal networks or an extrapolation of a discussion from another field.
This siloing of knowledge can lead to stagnation and limit growth opportunities for individuals and the industry. Good leadership is hard, so why not give it the same attention and effort that you might give to a technical challenge? This roundtable aims to bridge the knowledge gap by providing an open forum for technical leaders to share their experiences, strategies, and insights. Through this discussion, attendees will improve their leadership practices, and make meaningful connections to advance their careers and the industry as a whole. Learn from your peers and become better (absolutely no guarantees).
Session Takeaway
- Practical improvements to your leadership skills, covering topics critical to you, in areas such as: team and studio leadership, strategy, process and direction, engineering and delivery, and personal development
- An awareness of best practice, and a refresher on what you should be doing as a leader
- Make new connections
- Fun debate, and hopefully some new motivation
Rachel Macpherson Neonhive2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 6Indie BootCamp FREEThey’re Just Not That Indie You: Five Mistakes Devs Make When Pitching to Press
Thursday 13th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 6In an increasingly saturated games market, trying to get your indie game noticed by the press can be challenging. But pitching your game to the press can be more complicated than just knowing the right people and the right time to pitch. In this lecture, Rach aims to chat through some of the biggest mistakes developers make when pitching to press, based on data gathered from five industry experts, and how these are often influenced by the changing nature of the games media landscape. Whether it’s planning a robust PR strategy or understanding the relationship between PR and press, this lecture will aim to give devs important tips and tricks to think about when preparing to pitch their game.
Session Takeaway
- Good planning before completing press outreach
- Have a clear idea of the outcome you want from pitching to journalists, when you’re going to pitch and what benefits it would add to your campaign.
- Who you’re going to pitch to is also important.
- Clear idea of messaging
- What is your game, what does it do? More importantly, what’s the tone?
- What works and doesn't work
- Avoiding the pitfalls of pitching (at busy times, to the wrong people, with the wrong angle, with the wrong outcome in mind).
- An understanding of how PR and the press rely on each other and why this relationship is important while pitching.
3:00pm
Byron Bullock Formosa InteractiveRobert Krekel Formosa Interactive3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 1Sound Effects Recording: Inspire Your Sound Design Workflow
Thursday 13th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 1Hear from multi-award winning sound designers Byron Bullock and Robert Krekel about the amazing value of custom recorded sound effects for videogame projects. Value not just creatively in the nature of the bespoke assets captured but also in the team building benefits and morale boosting effects that come from the recording process itself.
This inspiring talk will feature both small and large scale examples from global hit titles such as Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Part 2, as well as sharing expertise from one of the masters of the Boom Library!
Session Takeaway
- Learn much more about the true value of creating custom sound effects.
- Get insights to the team and morale positives that come from sound recording adventures.
- Be inspired by examples from top tier global hit videogame productions to get out there and record yourself!
Geraldo Filipe Garcês do Nascimento Lively - A Keywords Studio3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 2Sustainable Coding with a Mental Health Mindset
Thursday 13th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 2By being kind to yourself, to the code, and to others, you can be more productive, accept future changes more easily, and leave the path open to implement new features while making your current features work better together. All with a sustainable mental health mindset.
This talk explores the intersection of game programming, software engineering and emotional intelligence. Topics include how to keep your codebase nimble, how to code well with others with a kind approach to feedback and specific approaches to game engineering to keep one step ahead of design changes.
Session Takeaway
- Kindness for game programmers: boost productivity while keeping your mental health
- Day-to-day coding principles to follow
- Modern software engineering practices applied to games: dependency injection, asynchronicity, reactive programming
Chloe Patricia Hodgson Ubisoft Reflections3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 3UXpected Me to Talk About UI: Prioritising Players Throughout Development
Thursday 13th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 3The role of a User Experience (UX) designer in games is different than in other industries. Despite the common label of ‘UI/UX’, the user-centered mindset should impact all phases of your project’s development to not only ensure usability, but power meaningful experiences for your players. This talk will cover an introduction to UX processes, how to begin taking UX beyond UI in games, and common barriers to fostering a culture of design which prioritises the players’ perspective.
Session Takeaway
- An outline of the UX process and how it can be used to move a product from functional to meaningful for users.
- How to think about your players’ higher-level goals and motivations to inform design.
- How people of any discipline can begin to apply user-centered approaches to their work, and therefore practice UX in the team.
- Steps you can take to advance your UX maturity and team mindset.
Kosala Ubayasekara W.R.K.S Games3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 4AI in Art and Marketing Pipelines - How We Integrated AI to Create Reliable Commercial Returns
Thursday 13th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 4Kosala will talk through how W.R.K.S Games deeply integrated AI into their art and marketing pipelines, increased their conversion rates to 8%, and made AI a cornerstone of their company strategy for sustainable game development.
The talk will include the process, marketing results, and commercial results, and leave attendees with a blueprint that they can use to replicate and integrate that knowledge into their workflows.
Session Takeaway
- What AI tools to use and how to use them
- How the combining of these tools improve results and our results were
- A blueprint of how to replicate and integrate AI into your game company processes
Tom Cole University of Greenwich3:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 5Roundtables FREE“Together We Are Stronger” - Building Bridges Between Higher Education and the Games Industry
Thursday 13th July3:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 5Building on a very successful and well-attended roundtable session last year, this is a 90 minute workshop for communication, collaboration, and forging new relationships between higher education and the games industry.
Session Takeaway
Clear communication of what issues and pressures are facing Higher Education
Clear communication of the issues and pressures facing the games industry
Collaborative generation and discussion of potential solutions to benefit both sides
Sam Jones Pinpoint3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 6Indie BootCamp FREEWhy You’re Already Out Of Touch on TikTok
Thursday 13th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 6'We do have a TikTok, but we don’t really use it’
‘We put out a trailer on TikTok and it didn’t really do much’
‘We don’t get many views on our videos, even when our games are discounted in the Steam sale’
The list goes on.
Consumers see straight through inauthenticity; Long-gone are the days of using TikTok as a value-add to your existing marketing strategy – it now plays an integral role in all kinds of marketing campaigns.
In this talk, we will explore the change in content on TikTok over the last few years, and take the mystery out of many of the age-old questions about the platform:
- Should I be on TikTok? If not, why not?
- Is it just for kids?
- Should I be using it personally, or strictly business?
- Why does my content not perform that well?
- Is it essential? Will my game/brand succeed without it? Will it help me sell more games?
- Can I provide measurable results to see the impact it has?
- How can I make content fun and relevant without losing attention to my game?
Session Takeaway
- Insight into how strategy has changed over the last 2-3 years and why – what we know now
- Discussion on why people come to the platform in the first place and how you can tap into the right markets and make the channel work for you
- Practical tips on how you can get started making some fantastic, relevant content
- How to make your tone of voice on TikTok work for you, making your brand values shine authentically
4:00pm
Ed Walker Sounding SweetSimon Barford Sounding Sweet4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 1AAA Car Sound Masterclass
Thursday 13th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 1Ed Walker and Simon Barford from Sounding Sweet share their extensive experience of interactive car sound design and field recording. Renowned for their work on AAA racing games, they will present valuable insights applicable to any game that involves vehicles.
They will guide us through the intricacies, unravelling key concepts, thought processes and direction. Gain a deep understanding of the nuances and challenges involved in recording and creating complex mechanical and physics-based audio systems.
Whether you're a sound designer, audio engineer, or game developer, this talk is designed to provide you with knowledge and inspiration that will leave you burning rubber towards audio greatness!
Session Takeaway
- Discover valuable insights to creating AAA standard vehicle sound.
- Gain a deep understanding of the nuances and challenges involved in creating complex mechanical and physics-based audio systems.
Ben Cowley JagexKieren Charles Jagex4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 2Why a Thriving Community is Essential for a Game’s Long Term Survival
Thursday 13th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 2Building a thriving community is of invaluable importance to the success and longevity of live service games. Your players are your greatest advocates and it’ll require your time, effort and innovation to fully realize this and drive your game far into the future. Staying up to speed with modern tools like Discord can level up your efforts, whether your game is a card-based deck builder, fantasy MMO, or first person shooter. We will discuss how Old School RuneScape has utilized Discord recently within our ongoing major project.
Session Takeaway
- Why you should be community driven to begin with
- An exploration of how you can harness your community to make your projects better
- A way for designers to work with the community directly utilising newer platforms like Discord Stages
- Common mistakes and learnings in operating with a players-first mentality
Stuart Young Failbetter Games4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 3Five Practical Production Hacks
Thursday 13th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 3Production advice is often nebulous and theoretical, or very specific to one team. This is hardly surprising; it's a broad discipline and the work of different producers varies wildly. So in this session, I want to share some practical production behaviours that I've found useful, and you might too. Specific enough to be actionable, broad enough to be applied in other teams, these are five "production hacks" I've learnt on my journey that really pay off.
Session Takeaway
- You're not too small for build automation
- Meetings aren't free
- Use a scripting language
- Share the numbers
- Bundle your questions
Alfie Wilkinson Spacespy GamesEmily Brown ustwo gamesJohn Ribbins Roll74:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 4How to Break Through: From Young Games Designer to BAFTA Winner
Thursday 13th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 4At 14, Alfie Wilkinson won the 2022 BAFTA Young Game Designer competition with his speedy action platformer ‘Egglien’. A year later, it has now been published for PC and console on multiple major platforms.
Join Alfie as he presents Egglien and talks games design with John Ribbins, Creative Director at BAFTA-winning Roll7 and Emily Brown, Lead Designer at ustwo and 2022 BAFTA Breakthrough.
Follow the game design journey from a very first game, to breaking through in the industry to leading on award-winning games. Find out the lessons, inspirations and challenges along the way – on a journey that has insights for every level.
Session Takeaway
- Learn insights from three different stages of a games design career journey – including the challenges and breakthrough moments.
Agnė Vitkutė G.Round4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 6Indie BootCamp FREEHow to Avoid a Bad Steam Score?
Thursday 13th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 6This session will focus on playtesting as a tool developers can use in order to improve their game and predict the score at launch. We will touch on different forms of playtesting and how each can be utilized at different development stages.
Session Takeaway
- What is playtesting and why is it important
- What’s the difference between focus groups, public and private testing and their pros and cons
- What data types can you gather through playtesting
- How indie developers used user feedback to improve their games
- How to use playtesting data in publisher negotiations.
5:00pm
Michael Kent PlayStation Studios // Creative Arts5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 1Creating the Epic Audio for God of War Ragnarök
Thursday 13th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 1In this talk, God Of War Ragnarök’s Supervisor Sound Designer Michael Kent will take you on a journey through the approach, development, and execution of the sound design for one of the most loved and critically acclaimed video game franchises of all time. You’ll learn about the work that went into the ambience, creatures, player design, HDR system, and cinematic workflows for this multi award-winning game—and get some insight into the challenges faced when building a sequel.
Session Takeaway
- Be inspired by Michael Kent and his team’s approach to, and development and execution of God of War’s hugely acclaimed sound design.
- Learn about the challenges faced when building a sequel within such a beloved franchise.
- Benefit from insights into the team’s work on ambience, creatures, player design, HDR and cinematics.
Simon Byron Yogscast GamesJonathan Smith TT Games5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 3FREEFinal Fun Session: Come and Play
Thursday 13th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 3Come and find out who won the Indie Showcase Competition, and then join regular end-of-conference hosts Simon Byron and Jonathan Smith on stage as they repurpose existing game show formats into exciting new videogame-themed rounds. It’s a bit like what the New York Times does, though without pretending otherwise.
Adele Cutting Soundcuts & Audio Track HostPaul Lipson Formosa GroupDominique Devoucoux KingJeremie Voillot PlayStation Studios SoundMalin Arvidsson Massive EntertainmentEd Walker Sounding SweetMatthew Florianz Frontier Developments5:45pm - 6:30pmRoom 1Open Mic 2023
Thursday 13th July5:45pm - 6:30pmRoom 1In keeping with Develop Conference tradition, our panel of game audio experts limber up for an inclusive town hall style discussion with conference delegates about the current state-of-the-art of music, sound and dialogue for games and what the future holds for game audio business, technology and creativity.
Moderated by Soundcut's Adele Cutting.
More special guests to be announced soon.
Thursday After Hours Events
17.00: It's a Wrap - the final session on Thursday 13 July in Room 3 everyone welcome!
19.00: The post-conference party in support of SpecialEffect and OneSpecialDay at Oh So Social Bar on the seafront
