This year I’m looking forward to Develop:Brighton more than ever. When I head down there next week, it’ll be the first in-person games conference I’ve attended since before COVID. I’ve missed the parties, the chats, bumping into old friends, meeting new ones and the inspiration that comes from walking around and seeing what incredible things people are doing in games at the moment. Things you can’t replicate working at home in your kitchen, no matter how hard you try.
Alongside my colleague Ethan, Talent Acquisition Specialist at REALTIME, we’ve put together a list of the things we’re most looking forward to at Develop this year. Let us know what makes your list.
The Expo Indie Showcase
Sponsored by TALENTHOUSE MEDIA FOUNDRY, the Expo indie showcase demo’s some of the best independently developed projects around – we can’t wait to try our hands at playing them and learning more about their development.
Spill the Tea by the Sea with OMG!
We love the chance to chat over a cuppa and a slice of cake, so you’ll catch us at Out Making Games’ event on the seafront. OMG welcomes LGBTQIA+ games workers and allies to their Develop:Brighton queer tea party to network, mingle and connect by the sea.
The Spirit of Independence: Challenges and Inspiration from Three Decades at the Top
Debbie Bestwick MBE co-founder of Team17 and one of the only female founders of a games listed company in the world today, will be a keynote speaker on the ‘Spirit of Independence,’: covering everything from signing amazing games, building franchises, and transforming a business. We can’t wait to hear what she has to say about helping to build the studios of tomorrow and taking the UK stock market by storm.
Running a 21st Century Games Studio
The final keynote ‘Running a 21st Centruy Games Studio‘ boasts a panel of who’s who in the UK games industry: Jonathan Smith (TT Games), Alex Grimonpont (Hi-Rez Studios), Sally Blake (Silent Games), Rami Ismail and Maria Sayans (ustwo games). The panellists will be discussing the challenges facing their studios today, how they navigated the pandemic and what the future holds.
#RaiseTheGame Knowledge Drop Meet-Up with Women Making Games
As #RaiseTheGame pledge partners, we know how important talking about Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) issues and sharing knowledge between studios can be to drive change. We’re super excited to hear from Women Making Games and to be able to network with like-minded people.
REALTIME is an award-winning CG studio that works with video game creators to produce amazing creative that excites and engages their audience. If you’re heading down to Brighton next week and want to catch up over coffee or a beer, drop me a line. We’re looking forward to hearing about your upcoming game releases and marketing plans.