Free sessions for students, start-ups, and anyone else looking to be the next big thing! Join us to hear straight talking from successful indie developers about how they started, what worked for them, and what mistakes they made – so you can avoid repeating them. Plus talks from experts and leaders in their field who can guide, advise and inspire you on your game making journey.
Everyone keeps telling you to market your game early, build a community, make more hashtag content, blah blah blah. They’re not wrong, but you’re already pressed for time and resources, so what will get you the best return for least effort... TikTok. TikTok is an incredible marketing tool for games that very few are using effectively. This talk is a no-nonsense, practical guide, on how to create attention grabbing videos by just being yourself. I’ll show you how other studios are using this space for gameplay reveals, dev diaries, and generally winning over their audience one post at a time. Whether you’re a solo dev or a small team, if you’re up for some experimentation then the sky's the limit. TikTok is a fertile platform for growing a fan-base, extending your game’s narrative, and selling more copies.
Takeaway:
You have a great game idea but does that necessarily mean you have what it takes to run a successful business? Most game developers wanting to start their own studio haven't been to business school or don't have a perfect business plan. But is passion enough to get a small company off the ground? In this talk, we will explore topics related to start-up formation and some tips and tricks to assist any aspiring game dev entrepreneurs.
Takeaway:
Figuring out what to charge for your indie game can be a daunting proposition, especially if you’ve never released a commercial game before. In this session, Lewis presents a data-driven methodology for perfecting your price point - using publicly available information to predict the sales and revenue potential of different price brackets, based on the genre and quality of your game.
Takeaway:
As an indie, one of the most stressful parts of development is finding funding. If you want to go down the publisher route, you must convince them to back your game, negotiate the deal, then actually make the game in a partnership. In this talk, Nina will talk through tips and advice Auroch Digital has learned over more than 10 years of signing and developing games with various publishers. Nina will use her experience of working on multiple projects (with some war stories!) and of taking Auroch Digital’s latest exciting announcement from pitching all the way through to partnership relations during development. Using this example, Nina will highlight areas you can improve your pitching and classic things to look for to avoid getting into a bad deal that could put your project, or even your studio, at risk.
Takeaway:
For every successful game that has been able to draw in millions of users (and make them stay) there are literally hundreds that have failed to reach that critical sticking point where they can go the distance. There are plenty of examples in gaming history of titles that have continued to go from strength to strength for 5, 10 or even 20 years. Focusing on the importance of evergreen and evolving design, meaningful social interaction, player empowerment, and long-term commercial viability - these games should be held up as examples of exactly how to launch a new title, or even franchise, in a way that will keep it sustainable long past what chasing trends can accomplish. About Melvor Idle: The brainchild of Australian solo developer Brendan Malcolm, Melvor Idle was created to reimagine the core components of the RuneScape franchise in a way that they could be enjoyed casually, fitting around the busy schedule of adult life - distilling the core components down into an idle game in the same vein as games such as Clicker Heroes and Egg Inc. About JXP: Jagex first became aware of Melvor Idle in early 2020, and was hugely impressed with the game, realizing there was a significant opportunity to help support the game’s future development, and to reward a fan-made passion project and bring it to the attention of RuneScape players around the world.
Takeaway:
Develop:Brighton offers you an inspiring mix of top-notch speakers, practical how-to sessions, insights into the latest trends and technologies, plus fantastic networking opportunities. Find out about the different conference pass options and prices here or...
Register NowDevelop is important – the networking is very important. And go to talks they’re inspiring and get your creative juices flowing, they can make you think and you’ll learn how other people do things.
Jason Kingsley
Rebellion
Develop always gets put in the diary. There are many reasons to be here, not just the talks, but the networking, people exchanging ideas about where the industry is right now and where it’s going to. It’s pretty essential to be here I think.
Ian Livingstone, CBE
Develop is the must-attend event for the games industry in the UK. It’s where we all come together and learn from each other. It’s the best way into the industry and it’s the best place to learn from your colleagues.
Hannah Flynn
Failbetter Games
I really like Develop, I really like the intimacy of it and I love the location.. there’s a good diversity of talks going on so there hasn’t been a time when there’s nothing I want to see.
Brenda Romero
Romero Games
Building games is hard and it’s taxing physically, mentally and emotionally. So being around a community that understands that is great – there’s a comraderie here.
Haden Blackman
Hangar 13
Develop is a very important place – it’s one of the few developer focussed conferences we have in Europe and that makes it very valuable.
Rami Ismail
Vlambeer
Develop is an excellent way of catching up with people – there’s a really nice community feel here.
Mike Bithell
Mike Bithell Games
There really is a huge mix of people at Develop - loads of peers that you can learn from and the perfect blend of every element of game development as well.
Alex Moyet
Curve Digital
A lot of the opportunities that come from being here are speaking to other developers who are doing exactly the same thing as you. And there are some good parties – it’s very much a pleasurable work experience!
Gemma Foster
Dlala Studios
There’s something creative about Brighton, so it’s the perfect place to have the conference.
Graham Devine
Magic Leap
There are many ways you can be part of Develop:Brighton - including taking a booth in the Expo or choosing one of the many sponsorship opporunities during the event or at the Star Awards.
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