What happens when nature isn’t just your setting, but your design philosophy? In Life Below, the players don’t build cities or armies. They build coral reefs. The game grew out of a simple idea: what...

Amidst rapid geopolitical shifts, cultural volatility, and live-service ecosystems, games must do more than launch safely - they must endure. This talk introduces Cultural Resilience: a framework for anticipating change, absorbing disruption, and adapting content over...

Over recent years, the traditional developer–publisher model has evolved significantly. Studios and publishers now use diverse funding and publishing structures, including co-publishing, publishing-as-a-service, marketing partnerships, platform deals, revenue-share models, crowdfunding, and regional licensing. This...

Player feedback can be insightful sometimes brutally honest. In this unique session, we bring real Steam reviews to the stage for an exploration of how community perception shapes game development. Developers will reflect on authentic...

How we built a production system that scales from one NPC to thousands, each with distinct personalities, memories, and relationships. How we built it and what are the new realities of dialogue with AI driven...

Why teamwork often falters, and how “nice people being nice” can unintentionally create toxic work environments. Blending theory, philosophy, and practical insights, lets discuss strategies for building anti-fragile teams—ones that thrive under the pressure...

Most enemies fail because they’re designed as obstacles instead of experiences. Learn how to create enemies that drive player emotion, deepen gameplay, and elevate your entire game.

What's the point of these marketing guys? Do you need them and why? When should you develop for marketing to keep player promise? Why is onboarding so important? And how do you get investors to...