The video game industry thrives on the creativity of thousands of independent developers helping to push the medium forward. Join industry legends Shuhei Yoshida and Greg Rice as they reflect on their combined decades of experience supporting game developers large and small to make their best work.

What makes a good game? What challenges and common mistakes are seen in development? How can we help support and nurture creativity in game development? Let's discuss all this and more!

This fireside chat will be hosted by Ella Romanos from Fundamentally Games.

Greg Rice
Sony Interactive Entertainment

Shuhei Yoshida
Sony Interactive Entertainment

Ella Romanos
Fundamentally Games

Everyone wants to make games that are easy to learn, but they also want to make games that are inventive and original. The hard truth is that these goals are in tension, and the more you innovate and create new experiences, the tougher it will be for players to learn how to play your game. But the flipside is also true: the easiest games to learn are those that do nothing new... and these will swiftly vanish from everyone's attention as forgettable. Navigating between these two extremes is a key skill in the delicate art of game design.

The age-old battle between the game designers and the marketing department takes on a new meaning once this issue comes into clear focus. Game designers often try to push for inventive changes to game concepts that the marketing department frequently cannot understand how to make into selling points. At the same time, game designers are frustrated by the marketing department's insistence on lining up with some existing game style, which feels lazy and unoriginal. Yet both sides want originality - they just don't quite mean it in the same way.

Unexpectedly, the marketing department is genuinely onto something here - but frequently doesn't know how to express it to the design team. Recapturing the original meaning of 'unique selling point' can become a means of delivering innovation in game design while keeping the learning curve manageable. The trick is to ask a different question: which player practices are we borrowing...?

Session Takeaway

• Discover techniques for recognizing the player practices sustaining each market for games
• Create surprising new common ground between game design and marketing!
• Recapture the original meaning of ‘unique selling point’ as a tool for easy-to-learn game design

Chris Bateman
International Hobo

Creature design is a weird science and YOU are the mad professor! Designing unholy abominations may be fun, but it is also hard work. There is method to the madness. Creature designers combine knowledge of real world animals and fantastic ideas with clear and communicative sketching. In this lecture, Molly Heady-Carroll will take you through the entire gruesome process of designing creatures. Her methods may be unconventional, but her creations might just be crazy enough to work. It's alive… IT'S ALIVE!

Session Takeaway

• DESIGN: creature design requires an evaluation, ideation, prototyping and testing cycle, just like the design thinking cycle that is applied to game design. Nature also "designs" her animals in the same way. Animals are an iteratively tested solution (evolution) within a design system (ecology). Every animal is a design loop (species) that works for one of millions of very specific circumstances (niche).
• ZOOLOGY: nature has millions of species and all are a functioning solution to fill a niche. You know they work because they exist in real life. Having an extensive knowledge of real world animals provides creature designers with a mental library of real world possibilities they can draw from for their fictional designs. Artist can do this by researching animal zoology, observation and life drawing.
• DRAWING: focus on how well you can design imaginary animals, how well you can communicate through drawing and that you can do this fast. Clear visual communication is NOT the same thing as being good at rendering. Creating a functioning, appropriate concept comes first, polish and rendering is the polish on an already functioning foundation. It won't save a bad design.

Molly Heady-Carroll
Freelance Creature Consultant

Executives and senior leaders are required to manage people who are experts in their respective fields, bringing together a variety of diverse (and often conflicting) points of view, and enabling them to output the highest quality work collaboratively. 

This is no small feat. And not something most leaders are explicitly trained to do.

In this session, we’ll explore six key competencies that will allow you to confidently lead people who know more than you, in ways that empower everyone to succeed.

Session Takeaway

Learn how to:

• Use Trust as a framework for feedback and management
• Ask the right questions to unlock your team’s full potential
• Understand how small tweaks in your behaviour have an outsized impact on your team

Charity Joy
Criterion (EA)

A Journey from Theory to App.

Demystify machine learning’s complexities and showcasing its practical applications in game publishing. Starting with a foundational overview of ML concepts, Heimbach shares his journey of fine-tuning a machine learning model, offering a candid post-mortem analysis of the challenges faced and lessons learned. Attendees will gain insights into the iterative process of ML model development, from data gathering and model training to evaluation and fine-tuning, with a focus on actionable strategies and use cases. This talk aims to equip game developers with the knowledge and tools to leverage machine learning in their own projects.

Session Takeaway

• Foundational Understanding: Grasp core ML concepts and how they can be applied to game development.
• Practical Insights: Learn through a real-life case study of developing a machine learning model, including selecting the right algorithms, dealing with data, and overcoming obstacles.
• Actionable Strategies: Discover effective techniques for model evaluation and fine-tuning to enhance game features, such as AI behaviour, content generation, and player experience personalization.

Christian-Peter Heimbach
Actioncy Tech

A 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
• Introductions to helpers who you can approach throughout your visit if you need a friendly face!

Jazeena McCallum
Surgent Studios

This presentation explores how small to medium-sized game studios can leverage the booming esports industry to elevate their development and marketing strategies. Highlighting the success of GIANTS Software with "Farming Simulator 22," which boasts over 6 million units sold and a robust daily active user base, it demonstrates the potential reach and engagement esports can provide. The talk delves into the current state of esports, emphasizing its youthful demographic and significant marketing power. It addresses the initial hurdles, such as investment in infrastructure and community building, and outlines strategic approaches for successful integration, including market research, game development, partnerships, and enhancing spectator experiences. By incorporating esports, studios can unlock new opportunities and expand their audience, ultimately contributing to long-term business success.

Nils Heine
Giants Software

Join us for an insightful session where we delve into the work of Google DeepMind's "A Generalist AI Agent for 3D Virtual Environments." We will present an in-depth exploration of this generalist AI agent's capabilities within immersive games and 3D environments.

During this session, we will cover

• The hypothesis behind this project and how did we get here
• Its performance across a diverse range of games and virtual environments
• The agent's ability to learn, adapt, and solve short horizon challenges autonomously
  
  We will also discuss the challenges and opportunities that arise from developing and deploying generalist AI agents in virtual environments. Whether you're an AI enthusiast, a researcher, or simply curious about the cutting-edge of AI, this session will provide valuable insights and spark thought-provoking discussions.
  
  Join us as we unlock the future of AI and explore the transformative potential of generalist AI agents in shaping our interactions with virtual worlds.

Session Takeaway

• Learning about the capabilities of generalist AI agents in games and 3D virtual environments
• Recognizing the challenges and opportunities associated with the development and deployment of these agents
• Gaining insights into the future directions and applications of AI in virtual environments
• Appreciating the transformative potential of AI in enhancing digital experiences

Piermaria Mendolicchio
DeepMind

Daniel Slater
DeepMind

How do you find and engage the best content creators for your game in 2024?

It's long established that working with content creators is one of the most impactful ways to promote your indie game. But as an indie dev, you may not have the knowledge, time or resources to get to grips with the whole streaming scene and put your game in the right people’s hands.

How do you find the best people to approach for your particular game? How can you package what you’ve got to make it really streamable and exciting to them? What challenges are streamers facing that you might not know about? What kinds of campaigns are there that might work for a game like yours? And what can you do if you have absolutely no marketing budget?

Seasoned creators Hannah Rutherford aka Lomadia and Shaz Shanghari will join Hannah Flynn of Failbetter Games for a panel discussion touching on all of the current best practices for working with streamers and content creators.

Session Takeaway

• How to approach streamers to work on your launch
• Different types of campaign beyond 'please play my game'!
• Best practice for game features that make streamers' lives easy

Mat Alcock
Visually Impaired Content Creator and Accessibility Consultant

Hannah Flynn
Failbetter Games

Hannah Rutherford
Independent Creator

Solo-dev Thomas Waterzooi will explore the intersection of modern artist James Ensor’s paintings and accessible, yet deep, mobile game design. The session serves as a practical case study for game developers seeking insights into bridging traditional art with interactive experiences, but also designing for mobile. He’ll discuss and compare the different challenges faced during development of the first game versus the second game, and share things learned from his journey as a solo-developer, winning the Google Play Indie festival in 2022 and securing a Apple Design award nomination. From finding funding, game-design, PR, marketing to releasing a game on Steam, mobile, Nintendo Switch, and efforts post-release, there are lots of takeaways from this talk.

Session Takeaway

• How to stand out in an overcrowded gaming-landscape
• General insights into what it takes to be a solo-dev indie.
• Techniques to adapt public domain art into (mobile) games.

Thomas Waterzooi
Indie Developer

Improving social mobility within the games industry is important now more than ever before. But how can we all play our part in levelling the playing field? In this talk, you will gain insights from other industries on how they identified issues and worked to rectify them as well as receive the opportunity to ask questions yourself. You will also get a short live demonstration of BAFTA’s Invisible Barriers resource, an interactive guide to assist hirers in the screen industries to support individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Session Takeaway

• What actions have been taken to improve social mobility in other creative industries?
• How can we all play a part in the games industry when it comes to social mobility and why is it important?
• What is BAFTA doing in this area?

Luke Hebblethwaite
BAFTA

Katherine Bidwell
State of Play

Kathryn Ellis
Strategy & DEI Consultant

With approximately 1 in 4 people in the games industry considered neurodivergent (UKIE Survey, 2022), almost every studio will have several employees whose needs and communication styles differ from the typical. That means all managers, producers, and studio heads need to be prepared to accommodate the needs of all their staff by being aware of the best methods and strategies to create a neuro-inclusive work environment. Drawing on his 9 years of experience of managing a majority neuro-divergent studio, as well being a founder of the IGDA Neurodivergent in Games SIG, running Playing Attention (which supports ADHD individuals in the games industry), and being part of the Limit Break committee (supporting accessibility), Adam will take you through some of the ways you can make your studio more inclusive, more accessible, and how you can improve communication with all of your employees, clients, and contractors, helping your studio become a more accommodating place for people to work and play.

Session Takeaway

• Simple things to be aware of when communicating to employees that will make your studio more neuro-inclusive
• Tactics for effective communication within your studio
• Key things to look out for that could help you catch and clear up misunderstandings faster

Adam Niall Clewes-Boyne
BetaJester

Join us for an insightful session that delves into the intricacies of cash flow management and its pivotal role in enhancing the financial resilience of video games businesses. In this presentation, an experienced accountant and a seasoned financier will collaboratively guide you through the fundamentals of debt financing and cash flowing, tailored specifically for the gaming industry.

The spotlight will shine on the nuances of UK tax credits, providing attendees with valuable insights into leveraging financial opportunities unique to the region. Our experts will also shed light on the latest developments in HMRC's tax credit regime, ensuring participants stay well-informed and equipped to optimize their financial strategies.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of how effective cash flow management can propel your gaming business towards sustained success in the dynamic landscape of the industry.

Session Takeaway

Discussion of debt, financing and cash flowing

The talk will explain:

• Mastering cash flow strategies for games businesses
• Understanding the essentials of debt financing in the games industry
• Insight into financiers' criteria and lenders' expectations
• Unveiling the intricacies of UK tax credits, with a focus on the latest HMRC updates

Nick Johnson
The Affect Group

Piers H Hunt
HH5

Get a taste of the Mediterranean with Malta’s ambitions in the video game development space from key players who are already located on the island. Key panellists will share their first-hand experiences and journeys in shaping and building British-based video game development studios on this European island. Learn how Malta is embracing and supporting numerous initiatives, from education and funding to incubation, in making Malta a Home of Gaming Excellence.

Host: Luke Evans from Unity.

Session Takeaway

First-Hand Experiences: Hear from industry leaders about their personal journeys in establishing and growing video game development studios in Malta.

Educational Initiatives: Discover how Malta is fostering talent through specialised education programs designed to equip the next generation of game developers.

Funding and Incubation: Learn about the various funding opportunities and incubation programs available to support budding game studios and innovative projects.

Ross Laurie
Reforged Studios

John Keefe
Draw & Code

Ivan Filletti
GamingMalta Foundation

Serkan Hassan
Electric Square Malta

Christa Agius
Exient

Luke Evans
Unity

Join us for an insightful session on "Cyber Security Trends in Gaming," delivered by Cloudflare. This session will explore the latest cyber security challenges and solutions in the gaming industry, focusing on three key areas: Phishing, Security Recommendations, and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.

Phishing:

Learn about the phishing techniques targeting game developers and how to protect against them.

Security Recommendations:

Discover best practices for enhancing security, including password management, two-factor authentication, and awareness training.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS):

Understand the impact of DDoS attacks on gaming and the latest strategies to defend against them.

Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to enhance cyber security, ensuring a safer environment for all.

Alex Vinokurov
Cloudflare

Join Edge's Alex Spencer and creatives from award-winning UK studio The Chinese Room to discover the story behind critically acclaimed narrative horror Still Wakes The Deep. Daan Hendriks (Audio Director), Laura Dodds (Associate Art Director) and Louis Larsson-De Wet (Project Technical Director) will discuss how The Chinese Room created one of 2024’s most atmospheric thrillers – and why they chose a North Sea oil rig for its setting.

Session Takeaway

• The opportunities and challenges involved in making such a distinctly British game, building on the studio's previous work in this field.
• How The Chinese Room researched and cast Still Wakes The Deep to make it authentic to its unique location and period setting.
• Techniques involved in staging atmosphere, tension and drama in a first-person narrative-driven horror.

Daan Hendriks
The Chinese Room

Laura Dodds
The Chinese Room

Louis Larsson-De Wet
The Chinese Room / Sumo Digital

Alex Spencer
Edge

With a stylised art direction, art which looks good in a screenshot isn't necessarily what makes for great art in motion. And, as we found out in a fast paced action game, can be complete cognitive overload . Oh no, we've overwhelmed the player! What are we going to do now?

Aubrey McCarthy will take you through 3 games worth of learning about illustrative art styles. Drawing from Rollerdrome, OlliOlli World, and John Wick Hex's development. Come learn practical lessons on what it's like to make a video game which audiences will look at and think is hand drawn.

Looking different requires a different art creation approach. As well as throwing up a abundance of visual challenges. This talk will help you navigate some of the early pitfalls you'll likely fall into.

Session Takeaway

• How we arrived at our illustrative art styles, things to consider when choosing your own, and how to make your life easier if you do
• Colours: Where art meets science. How to make colours do heavy lifting for you.
• Detail: How to balance making a game which is visually rich and stylised, while still looking great and not overwhelming in action.

Aubrey McCarthy
Technical Artist

This session will explore the ways that the team behind Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR worked to bring a AAA experience from a much-loved franchise into mobile VR, and used the limitations of the Quest 2 as an opportunity to think innovatively to build an immersive living world.

It will include tangible examples with gameplay footage and performance numbers, and will also explore how the team looked into the franchise’s history (Assassin’s Creed Unity) to elevate the experience.

Session Takeaway

• Understand the challenges and trade-offs involved in achieving AAA quality in mobile VR
• Learn techniques to boost performance without sacrificing NPC fidelity
• Discover what it takes to achieve realistic NPC reactions in VR

Lisa Ridley
Ubisoft Reflections

Launched in 2015 by Lionhead alumni, Glowmade has grown to become a team of 60+ developers - but the journey has not always been easy. The Guildford-based game studio has weathered storms, made mistakes and learned from them, but is now thriving with the studio growing in size, and working on an exciting new IP which will be published by Amazon Games.

In this session Glowmade Studio Head Jonny Hopper presents a candid story about how to build and grow a studio through turbulent times, and how embracing core values and creating a positive culture is essential to success.

Session Takeaway

• Launching and growing a studio
• Adapting a business throughout turbulent times
• Defining company values
• The importance of staying honest and humble

Jonny Hopper
Glowmade

An open talk to look at how the year has been for the LGBTQIA+ Community.

This year has had good days alongside the bad days, we think it is important for us to discuss how we have been throughout the year and celebrate our achievements, no matter how big or small.

With all the unfortunate redundancies in the past year having a major affect on so many lives, it is important for our community to have a safe space to openly discuss how the past year have impacted their lives, plus how the gaming industry can help more LGBTQIA+ people

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

Brynmor Richards
Super Rare Games

Ladell Smith
Auroch Digital

André is presenting a comprehensive strategy for the sound design of Farming Simulator.

He will explain their methods for developing and applying ambient sounds in a dynamic, open-world setting, crafting engaging sound effects for agricultural implements, and detailing their process for capturing, creating, and integrating vehicle sounds into the game.

The speaker will discuss the challenges encountered in designing the ambient audio system, the techniques used to maintain realism and authenticity in a simulation game, and the requirements for accurately replicating the sound of a modern tractor. Additionally, he will offer some helpful tips on audio editing and processing.

André Sousa
Giants Software

Unreal Engine is a constantly evolving beast, and just one of Epic Games’s investments in tools you can use to make, sell and operate video games. Join this session for the latest developments in the Unreal and Epic Games ecosystem.

Session Takeaway

• The latest Unreal Engine 5 features enabling the highest quality cross-platform video games
• Awareness of the range of tools and services Epic offers to help you make great games
• An introduction to Unreal Editor for Fortnite

Ben Board
Epic Games

This session is about world building and asset creation using traditional handcrafted art, photogrammetry, and Houdini driven tools. It is a demonstration of how a mid-sized team created lush expansive levels efficiently, with a high level of quality, yet remained flexible for design iteration. We will look at content creation, object placement, and play space creation via an intriguing fusion of methodologies.

The team will give insight into a broad range of artistic challenges, and our solutions to them. We used an interesting bag of tools to create an English village, assemble stone structures, ensure accuracy in vegetation ecosystems, and build entire levels. We will go through various case studies in the creation of both natural and man-made areas from one of Rebellion’s upcoming games. (Currently unannounced!)

Session Takeaway

• Be clear on your vision, and what you want to achieve with your art
• Be flexible in your approach to art creation, and open to new methodologies
• Save time on the tricky and tedious bits, then spend that time on the fun stuff!

Ryan Greene
Rebellion

Daniel Meeuws
Rebellion

Chris Kabeya
Rebellion

Surprise is a crucial part of what it is to be entertained. It can elicit a range of human emotions, from amusement and joy to confusion and fear.

In games, surprise in storytelling is both a powerful and hazardous tool with the potential for a high positive or negative impact on the player experience. Conditions, intensity, delivery, and the players themselves are all factors that influence the outcome of the surprise and must be carefully considered to ensure the desired reaction is achieved.

As part of a Master’s Degree in Indie Game Development at Falmouth Games Academy, Morwenna carried out a research thesis into creating effective surprise and its effects on players, drawing on influences and theories across the sciences and arts, including biology, psychology, narrative, music and game design. The study tested a theoretical framework through a mixed methodology of practice-based and practice-led research and produced some thought-provoking results.

This session provides a fun and accessible overview of the research findings. It proposes a new theory to explain the study findings and a practical model for the intentional design of surprise to understand, identify and minimise the risks that high surprise events can create.

Session Takeaway

• Some of the key physiological, neurological, and behavioural impacts of surprise.
• Some of the ways the human brain interprets sensory data to create assumptions.
• How 1 and 2 may affect and be leveraged in creating engaging experiences.
• The effects of high surprise in contexts of high uncertainty.
• Identifying potential areas of risk in your game.
• Ideas for how mitigate these risks.

Morwenna Griffin
Unity Technologies

Do Early Access the right way. Is Early Access right for you? How finished should your game be? How will it impact your games development and future roadmap? How will anyone ever find you?

Russ Clarke CEO and Co-Founder of Payload Studios will answer these questions and many more in this session aimed at studios looking to launch a game into Early Access on Steam.

London-based Payload Studios is launching TerraTech Worlds into Early Access, coming off the back of a top-ten Steam Next Fest performance (#9 out of 1100 demos ranked by followers gained) and building on the legacy of TerraTech, an Early Access success which still sells strongly and maintains a keen community in its 10th year since launch.

Community driven development is in Payload Studios’ DNA and this approach has allowed the studio to sustainably grow to 50+ developers, attract investment and continue to grow its player base and revenue. Clarke will explain why Early Access is a mindset and a methodology which starts long before launch.

Topics:

• What is community driven development and is it right for you?
• Managing community feedback – how do you strike the right balance
• The risk and reward of a detailed public roadmap
• Managing hyper engaged players and what happens if something needs to change
• How to establish your credentials and build momentum as you approach EA
• Using Discord and closed playtests to engage your community
• Steam Next Fest, building wish lists & working with content creators
• What next – the development roadmap after Early Access

Session Takeaway

• How to decide if Early Access is right for your game and studio
• How to embed a true community driven development model
• How to prepare for Early Access to give your game the greatest chance of success
• What next – the development roadmap post Early Access

Russ Clarke
Payload Studios

Join us for a roundtable discussion with a varied bunch of narrative designers, indie, AA, and AAA, to talk about mistakes made and what we can learn from those mistakes.

Host: Nina Roussakoff, Lovewish

Session Takeaway

• Gain valuable insights from 5 experienced narrative designers
• Learn of at least 5 mistakes to avoid
• Gain an understanding of what solutions might be applied if you encounter similar narrative design problems

Anna Winterstein
Lively

Nina Roussakoff
Lovewish

Andrew Crawshaw
Thunkd

Chavonne Brown
Splash Damage

Danny Salfield Wadeson
Firesprite

The graphical representation of our game worlds has reached near photorealistic levels. But what does this mean to the physical representation for us to reach the same higher level of detail? This talk covers a brief history of the physical representation of the game world, before discussing the different approaches we can take using Havok technology to lower the performance barrier and generate the detailed world representations game developers are striving for.

Session Takeaway

• Understand the variety of ways to represent the physical game world.
• Learn about different types of physics queries that can be used to inform non-physical systems.
• How to control simulations that retain the required frame rate for detailed worlds.

Steve Ewart
Havok

A look at Rocksteady's journey into Material Layering, and the system we created to support character customisation. The "quality first" design philosophy and how we created and leveraged tools to create Rocksteady's highest fidelity characters ever! We will cover the rocky beginnings, the conversion of a team into Material Layering and the lessons we learned in the process, as well as the system's strengths and successes as well as its limitations and the aspects that could have been better.

Session Takeaway

• An overview of the character creation process at Rocksteady, with a focus on Materials & Textures
• An understanding of the challenges involved in creating a Material Layering pipeline almost from scratch
• How to overcome a team's initial resistance in order to successfully implement a new and "weird" pipeline
• A chance to peek under the hood and see how the system works

Pablo Hoyos Isusquiza
Rocksteady

In UE5, sun directional shadow calculations are expensive, even when using predominantly Nanite assets. Having a day/night cycle and recomputing the sunlight directional shadow every frame is not affordable for most titles.

In our presentation, we outline the problems that Virtual Shadow Maps in UE5 have with the day/night cycle and propose one solution that consists of distributing shadow computation generated by sunlight between multiple frames.
We present potential performance gains that reach up to 70% on shadow computation as well as talk about visual losses that you may get with this algorithm.

We believe that by sharing this idea with developers, we can provide a better understanding of how shadow mapping can be optimized in UE5, as well as in other engines. Furthermore, our goal is to encourage developers to optimize their graphic bottlenecks, so they can gain more frame time budget for other assets and technologies in their games.

Session Takeaway

• Low-level understanding of Virtual Shadow Map (VSM) Clipmap technology in Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) and its limitations
• How to use time-slicing to optimize VSM for a dynamic day-night cycle game in UE5

Ihor Pavlovskyi
Virtuos

Peter Sikachev
Virtuos

Ostap Trush
Virtuos

Last year, I embarked on a Kickstarter campaign and encountered a steep learning curve that encompassed everything from the critical importance of pre-campaign initiatives to the intricacies of setting up a compelling preview page, designing the page and rewards, and strategically planning stretch goals. I’m giving this talk to highlight several dos and don'ts and share these lessons and insights with anyone considering launching their own Kickstarter, aiming to equip you with the knowledge and strategies to navigate your campaign more effectively.

Session Takeaway

• Strategies to effectively build and engage a community before launching a Kickstarter campaign, including targeted advertising and email list growth techniques.
• Best practices for designing a captivating Kickstarter page, setting attractive rewards, and planning stretch goals to motivate backers.
• Insights into managing the live campaign through social media, cross-promotions, and navigating post-campaign logistics for continued success.

Elena Höge
Yaldi Games

Drawing not only from the experiences of being design feature lead for romance and companions on Baldur's Gate 3, but also a lifetime of growing up having crushes on fictional characters, I will present an analysis of how we craft interactive relationships which create real parasocial affection in players. This will be part history of romance features in video games, part analysis of why we crave this feature in the first place, and part suggestions for improving on past designs.

Session Takeaway

• This talk will establish some genre definitions and taxonomise types of romance design within gaming history.
• Simulation of romance in video games has historically led so many questioning LGBT+ individuals to have a safe environment with which to run experiments testing their sexuality.
• We are very good at showing escapist visions of relationships in video games, but we are not particularly good at showing the 'ugly'. I will analyse some of my work trying to depict arguments, drifting apart, power imbalances, and sexual trauma within video game relationships - and what those themes mean to players.
• The talk will overall try to provide insight into more realistic ways to think about relationship design - we aren't collecting 'sex' cards like in Witcher 1 any more.

Baudelaire Welch
Larian Studios

The games industry has faced a rough climate over the last year with layoffs, downsizing in resources and more matters arising which has created a lot of uncertainty across the sector and giving people doubts about the future.

One of the biggest causes for the current industry landscape could be attested to the boom and bust nature of game businesses, where projects are driven to the point of achieving a period of great prosperity or rapid economic growth yet most don't get to release due to hazardous development cycles, lack of investment or businesses stepping back from Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) efforts needed to empower employees. While those that do go gold don't often consider what's needed to keep the company and talent within business uplifted in the long run, but rather focus on what's the next project or how can we milk the content we got for as long as possible; which only puts them closer to failing next time. This is not to say every company aligns strictly with this approach because there are clearly some companies that keep the business in check, take care of their people, and overall growth in different pockets of the industry.

With this in mind, what do we need to do differently to survive and thrive?

This roundtable asks and looks to facilitate discussion around the questions:

• Within this precarious market, are project focused methodologies and short-term savings costing us greatly in the long run, and are we missing out on opportunities to attract critical talent and vital investment into our businesses by discounting inclusive working and suitable business practices?
• What is the cost for companies who opt not to invest in business sustainability and people-first mechanisms on all fronts?
• What does an inclusive, sustainable business look like?

Session Takeaway

• Prioritising business sustainability and embedding values of EDI as strategic components for a company; especially in periods of planning and analysis.
• The different ways in which overlooking, or down playing, the important of business sustainability and inclusive practices in the workplace, costs the company as a whole.
• The value of investing in people and businesses today. For a billion pound earning industry to become healthier, uplifting and more mature in the future.

Dom Shaw
Ukie

Sarah Brewster
Fresh Seed

Gina Jackson
Skillful

Liz Prince
Amiqus

Join us for a friendly and informative session on how early collaboration with Operations and HR can transform your Studio's success. Learn how working together with Ops and HR can reduce stress and help your team focus on what they do best - creating amazing games. We'll cover the essential roles and responsibilities of Ops and HR, and share practical insights, compelling data, and actionable advice. This is your chance to discover how investing in these partnerships from the beginning can make a difference. Perfect for Studio owners and leaders, this talk will equip you with the knowledge to leverage Ops and HR for long-term success.

Rebecca Sampson
Moxie Ops

Emma Smith
Hestia Talent Partners

From the newly announced UKBAA Angel of the Year 2024, an honest and open take on the pitfalls of raising finance in the current market, including dispelling or maintaining some of the myths. I've been raising money for many years and have made many mistakes, maybe I can save you making some of those mistakes, or at least allow you to make different mistakes. Will also touch on Funding Quest UK and its goal to improve the financing pipelines for all UK games companies, looking at what we can all do to make it better.

Session Takeaway

The key to any money raise is:

• Make an emotional engagement with your audience
• Build your relationships from a long term point of view
• Make sure you understand the impact of a fundraising decision

Nick Button-Brown
The Games Angels

The ongoing revolution in artificial intelligence may be worrying. Will we all be redundant in 20 years? Worry not! In this talk you’ll learn how AI can be an empowering force in game development, expanding what’s possible, and even creating jobs.

From Neural Radiance Fields to markerless motion-capture, the new AI wave is letting us capture the world in higher fidelity. Using handmade models and live actors Hairy Heart Games has been exploring how AI can change game making in a positive, creative, and human-centred way.

Session Takeaway

• How to use modern photogrammetry tools to capture game-ready assets.
• How to do motion capture with a smart phone.
• How to work with physical makers from outside the games industry.

Joe Bain
Hairy Heart Games

Still Wakes The Deep is set on an oil rig in the North sea off the coast of Scotland circa December 1975. It’s “The Thing” on an oil rig. The sea, and water in general, plays a big role in our game. Not only are there sprawling vistas of the sea, but you have standing pools of water, flooding rooms and claustrophobic swimming sections.

Water is not your only enemy on the rig – something else came onboard.

For the first part, I will talk about our water implementation, which includes real-time water simulations.

And then in the second part, I will talk about our monsters – in particular procedural animation and how to make them move in a realistic way with their tentacles through a complex environment.

Session Takeaway

• Understand the challenges of having water in a game
• How to implement different kinds of water, including real-time simulated water and dirty water
• See how to make a monster move realistically through a complex environment.
• Niagara Systems and Control Rig in Unreal Engine

Louis Larsson-De Wet
The Chinese Room / Sumo Digital

Join Playstack for an insight-packed session delving into the pre-launch marketing strategy that propelled Balatro to commercial success and widely reviewed with critical acclaim.

As an experienced publisher, Playstack understands the importance of working in partnership with developers to execute an impactful launch that gives a game the greatest possible chance for success. In this talk, we’ll unravel the marketing strategies and tactics that led to Balatro becoming the fastest-selling title in our portfolio, doubling its Steam wishlist numbers in the month leading up to release.

By dissecting the anatomy of the successful launch of Balatro, attendees will gain practical insights and actionable strategies to enhance their own marketing efforts. Whether you're a seasoned publisher or an aspiring developer, join us as we unlock the secrets behind a triumphant game launch.

Session Takeaway

• Explore exactly how to utilise influencer marketing to grow your community before launching your game
• Learn critical strategies to increase your Steam wishlisting and conversions
• Discover how to analyse your marketing data and optimise your campaigns for success
• Hear the challenges and learnings from a real-life case study from the launch of Balatro, Playstack’s fastest-selling game to date

Liz Cheng-Moore
Playstack

No company is perfect, but how do we get things moving in the right direction or moving at all?

Moo would like to start a discussion about identifying team culture issues within a company as an individual employee, but also when viewing for a potential role from the outside.

We'd also like to discuss strategies and share stories of what has an hasn't work for people, whether it's building up support for change within the team or saving up political capital for the causes that are important to you.

And lastly, when you manage to succeed, how do you prevent things from slipping back?

A POC in Play social will follow this Roundtable. All are welcome.

Session Takeaway

• Strategically approaching company culture issues
• When it's worth fighting and when it's time to go
• Tips for leadership to be more receptive to improve your company culture

Moo Yu
Team Artichoke

After the exponential growth during a pandemic, the games industry has faced significant headwinds this year. From industry layoffs to a tight finance market, 2024 is proving to be a challenging year for UK games businesses. Ukie’s new CEO, Nick Poole, provides an assessment of the key challenges that industry is facing now, how Ukie plans to support developers over the next twelve months and why collective action is the key to unlocking government support for the next five years.

Session Takeaway

• The key trends shaping our industry in the next 12 months
• How can Ukie support developers in overcoming these challenges
• What can we collectively call for from Government to help the sector grow

Nick Poole
Ukie