From its roots as a trusted development partner to becoming a studio defined by innovation and community-first thinking, 4J Studios has been shaped—at every stage—by players.

In this candid and forward-looking keynote, Joe Garrett and Chris van der Kuyl take the stage to unpack the journey of 4J Studios: from its early history and over fifteen years working on Minecraft, through its bold evolution into a creator of original technology and its new IP, Reforj.

This talk explores how 4J is building Reforj to be a modern game ecosystem—one shaped not behind closed doors, but in partnership with its community. From early experiments through to key update milestones, Joe and Chris will reveal how direct player feedback has actively informed systems, features, and design direction.

Looking ahead, they will share what’s next for Reforj, including a preview of Title Update 8 and the unique fully custom Elements Engine powering it.

Session Takeaway

• The importance of listening to your community and how to harness their feedback.
• Insight into 4J Studio’s story and how the company has evolved over 21 years.
• The choice to commit to a custom engine and the impact of its constant evolution.

Chris van der Kuyl
4J Studios

Joseph Garrett
4J Studios

Following a brief introduction and welcome to the day’s events by track hosts Laurence Oldham and Dr Tom Cole, in this keynote, Jake Habgood explores the role of formal and informal apprenticeship in the games industry. Drawing on experience from his own early career at Gremlin Graphics and 20 years of leading training initiatives across industry and academia, the session examines how much of what defines an effective developer is not easily codified, but instead acquired through observation, collaboration, and participation in real production environments.

The talk focuses on tacit knowledge, the practical understanding of workflows, judgement, and team dynamics that emerges through close interaction with experienced colleagues. It argues that this form of learning is central to game development, where rapid iteration, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and shared problem-solving are essential. The session also considers how changes in working patterns, particularly the shift toward remote working, affect the transmission of this knowledge by reducing opportunities for informal exchange, mentorship, and apprenticeship-style learning.

The keynote reflects on the implications for studios seeking to build capability, maintain cultural cohesion, and support early career development, particularly where traditional learning pathways are disrupted. It outlines considerations for sustaining effective knowledge transfer and team development in modern production contexts, before concluding with a Q&A.

Session Takeaway

• Understand the role of apprenticeship, both formal and informal, in developing games industry skills.
• Recognise the importance of tacit knowledge in production environments.
• Identify the challenges remote working presents for knowledge transfer and team development.
• Consider approaches to sustaining effective learning and cultural cohesion within studios.

Laurence Oldham
Digital Impact Incubator

Tom Cole
University of Greenwich

Jake Habgood
Freelance

ustwo games was born in 2012 inside ustwo studios, a digital design agency in East London. Fourteen years later, they have carved their path as an independent company and a certified B-Corp. Their award-winning games like the Monument Valley series and the inspiring eco-adventure Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, have reached millions of players worldwide.

In this fireside chat, Maria Sayans, CEO, Daniel Gray, Chief Creative Officer, and Peter Pashley, Chief Development Officer, will discuss the origins of the studio and how they’ve made games with a lasting impact.

They’ve spent years crafting interactive, memorable moments that not only entertain but also make a difference. In the current climate, this is a success story we need to hear.

Maria Sayans
ustwo

Daniel Gray
ustwo

Peter Pashley
ustwo

Sam Loveridge
GamesRadar

As Develop celebrates its 20th anniversary, we’ll explore how game dialogue has evolved and examine the importance of cross-disciplinary influences in shaping compelling characters.

Adele Cutting
Soundcuts

Where you launch matters more than ever. Player behaviour is shifting, competition is intensifying, and developers have more choices than ever before. In this talk, I’ll cover how Xbox and developers can work together to help games break through by improving discovery, reaching new players across devices, and reducing the friction of shipping. I’ll also cover when to engage with ID@Xbox, how to pitch us, and the common pitfalls we see, with practical examples throughout.

Guy Richards
Xbox

End your Develop 2026 on a high (or at least a very weird note)...

Join us for a Taskmaster-style showdown featuring:

🎮 Video game trivia

🧠 Puzzling nonsense

💥 Physical challenges of questionable purpose

🏆 Prizes include actual items (Develop passes) and concepts like ‘smug satisfaction’ and ‘mild regret’

The Rules?

They’re made up on the spot. But we can confirm that fire beats leaf beats water beats fire. Expect that logic to settle more than one argument.

Your hosts, Stevie Ward and Jon Torrens, will be your gloriously biased BOSSES. Will they be fair? Or petty? Only the fates (and their caffeine levels) can say. They’re easily bribed, too. And vain.

Expect:

✔ Tomfoolery

✔ Shenanigans*

✔ Silliness

(*the value of shenanigans may go down as well as up)

Also: There’s beer. Which probably should have been the first bullet point.

Will you survive the madness?

Of course you will*.

Stevie Ward
Future Publishing

Jon Torrens
Communication Coach