Tag Archives: Brighton

Train2Game News Ed Vaizey at Develop Conference

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Tandem Events, organisers of Europe’s leading video games developer conference Develop:Brighton, announced Minster for Culture and the Digital Economy, Ed Vaizey MP, will address attendees on Wednesday 15 July.

Speaking directly after the opening keynote at 10.30am, Vaizey MP will deliver a speech on his department’s outlook for the video games industry in the United Kingdom.

Ed Vaizey MP first attended Develop:Brighton in 2010 and will look back on what has changed in terms of policy over that time period, how tax credits will affect the industry and his ambition for the next five year while in office.

Appointed Minister of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, with responsibility for digital industries on 15 July 2014, Ed Vaizey MP was first elected as the MP for Wantage in 2005. He was re-elected in 2010, and May 7 2015.

“We are delighted to welcome back Ed Vaizey MP to Develop:Brighton,” commented Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events. “It’s fantastic the Minister continues to champion the video games industry in the UK and that he’s chosen to deliver his address here at Develop:Brighton once again.”

Registration is open at www.developconference.com with passes starting from as little as £125. Entry to the Expo is free.

Train2Game News Develop 2015 People’s Choice session

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Today, Develop:Brighton, Europe’s leading game developers conference, opened voting for the brand new People’s Choice session.

Taking place on Thursday 16 July at 2pm, the People’s Choice session puts the power in the hands of the delegates by allowing them to choose the session they would like to see.

Attendees have three options to choose from and voting closes on Wednesday 24 June. The three choices are:

Filling the Gap – Financing Tips from the UK Film Industry
Jonny Kane, Iglu Media

Market It Like An Indie
Colm Larkin, Gambrinous

Becoming Indie Before the Word was Invented
Robert Muresan, Exosyphen Studios

More information, video pitches for each session and links to vote can be found by visiting www.developconference.com/content/peoples-choice-voting

Develop:Brighton 2015 takes place from Tuesday 14 July to Thursday 16 July at the Hilton Brighton Metropole. For more information visit www.developconference.com

Train2Game News Develop 2015

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Today, Tandem Events, organisers of Develop:Brighton, announced Neil Young, industry veteran and CEO of N3TWORK will deliver the Evolve:Brighton track keynote on the opening morning of the conference.

In his session entitled, ‘Peak Mobile, Are We There Yet?,  Neil –former General Manager at EA and founder of ngmoco- will discuss the potential for mobile games, exploring what native mobile quality means and how it’s important to building the games that truly leverage the power of the platform. He will delve into why the industry hasn’t seen the peak of mobile games market yet and will also share his approach to the role of talent in building the next great games company.

Evolve:Brighton takes place on Tuesday 14 July and is the start of the content packed three day Develop:Brighton conference. Evolve:Brighton, a one day track, focuses on all that is cutting-edge and innovative in game development – new platforms, new technologies, new business models and new markets.

To celebrate the tenth year of the conference, big hitting companies such as Nickelodeon, Amazon and Google will be joined by exciting and up and coming first time speakers, offering the insight of the next generation in video games development.

Following on from the Evolve:Brighton opening keynote there will be 13 sessions from some of the most forward thinking companies in the industry including:

1.      ‘We’re not playing very hard!’ Using Children to Design Games – Dr Esther MacCallum-Stewart, Digital Cultures Research Centre, UWE
2.      Advertising and Games Two World Class UK Industries and How VR will connect with them – Seamus Masterson, Maverick; Ian Chambers, Freelance; Katie Grayson, Inition
3.      Big $ In Japan – Harry Holmwood, Marvelous Europe
4.      Everything is and Will be a Game – Javier Marti, JavierMarti.co.uk
5.      How SMITE Became a Top Global eSport Using Community, Crowdsourcing and Stupid Videos – Todd Harris, Hi-Rez
6.      Studios Kids, Consoles, Content, Coolness – Alison York, Nickelodeon UK
7.      The Develop Panel: What Next Big Thing is Around the Corner? – Chair: James Batchelor, Develop Magazine
8.      The World As Your Game Map: Blending Virtual Experiences with Real World Activity and Exploration – John Hanke, Niantic Labs (a division of Google)
9.      User Generated Content – The Next Generation – Lee Bamber, The Game Creators

“Evolve:Brighton is all about being at the cutting edge of games development,” commented Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events. “With a fantastic mix of brand new speakers and big name companies there is great potential for some exciting new ideas to emerge. Added to that it gives me great pleasure to welcome Neil Young as our opening keynote focusing on the ever changing mobile space. It is a cracking line up for the first day of our tenth Develop:Brighton conference.”

Registration is open now at  www.developconference.com  and Early Bird rates are available until midnight on Wednesday 3 June, saving up to £160 off a three day pass.

Train2Game News Get your game at Develop

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Develop:Brighton’s annual search for the next big thing in independent games development is underway as submissions open for its fifth Indie Showcase at www.developconference.com.

The conference’s free-to-enter Indie Showcase celebrates the very best of indie game development with an exhibition featuring the ten best entries as chosen by a panel of experts, chaired by Assyria Games’ Adam Green.

All 10 finalists receive two free Indie Dev Day conference passes, up to five Expo passes, pre-event publicity and a profile on the event website, plus the opportunity to show off their games to around 1,800 developers and publishers at the event.

Over the past four years, more than 250 indie developers have submitted their games to the judging panel. Alumni winners include critically acclaimed 2013 Editor’s Choice winner, Gunpoint, 2014 Editor’s Choice winner Darklings which has made it into the top-100 grossing games chart on iOS and 2013 People’s Choice winner, That Dragon Cancer.

“The quality of the games submitted to the Develop Indie Showcase last year was nothing short of astounding, and it’s great to see so many previous winners going onto both commercial and critical success,” said Andy Lane, managing director of conference organisers Tandem Events.

“The showcase is now in its fifth year and continues to be a fantastic opportunity for indie developers to get their games in front of publishers, the gaming press and their fellow peers,” added Adam Green, managing director of Assyria Games and chair of the judging panel.

“Last year had a record number of games submitted to the competition and what really stood out were the diversity of the entries; everything from highly polished commercial titles, to deeply artistic emotive personal projects and everything in-between. I can’t wait to see what this year’s selection has to offer!”

Constantin Graf, developer of iOS title SwapQuest and 2014 Indie Showcase winner commented “The first thing I would say is do it! It doesn’t really matter if you’re on a very tight budget, just take your chances, somehow you’ll be able to make it in the end. The other thing I’d say is you shouldn’t just do it for the chance of winning, but for the experience of meeting up with like-minded people that can give you some real insight.”

Submissions for the Develop Indie Showcase are now open and it’s completely free to apply. Applicants wishing to enter must comply with the following rule:

– Studios with no more than 15 people
– Studios – and games – that are non-publisher funded
– Games which are not published by a third party at the time of submission
– Games that have a development budget of less than £1million
– Games that are created in the “indie spirit”
– More information and application forms can be found on the website www.developconference.com

The deadline to enter is 11 May and the overall Indie Showcase and People’s Choice winners will be announced to press and delegates at the Develop:Brighton Conference on Thursday 16 July 2015.

Train2Game News Develop next week

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One week from today, Tuesday 8 July, over 1,600 developers are set to descend on Brighton as the industry comes together for the ninth annual Develop in Brighton Conference.

The three day conference will host over 90 sessions covering the whole spectrum of games development. More than 100 speakers will debate the biggest issues and trends in the industry, from the Virtual Reality boom and growth in Second Screen to cloud gaming, new types of funding, alternative publishing models and the psychology behind player interaction.

Rob Fraser, Chief Technology Officer for Cloud Services at Microsoft UK, will open the Evolve Conference on Tuesday. Wednesday starts with Andrew House, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, and Mark Cerny, Lead System Architect for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, giving the Develop in Brighton opening keynote entitled 20 Years of PlayStation, 40 Years of Console Games and 100 Years to Come. On Thursday, Co-founder and President of Capybara Games, Nathan Vella, will deliver the Indie keynote, while Garry Taylor, Audio Director for Sony Computer Entertainment, will give the audio keynote.

Other headline speakers include Peter Molyneux, David Braben, Chris Charla, Dave Ranyard, Roberta Lucca and Siobhan Reddy, Ian Livingstone and Richard Bartle, while the list of companies speaking includes Amazon, Google, Versu, Twitch, Nickelodeon and Lift London.

In the Expo area, delegates attending Develop in Brighton can meet some of the biggest names in the industry including Sony Computer Entertainment, Microsoft and Epic, as well as discovering some breakthrough talent in the Develop Conference Indie Showcase, sponsored by Unity.

Centrally located within the expo, the Indie Showcase highlights ten unpublished, independently-developed games selected by a judging panel of industry experts. Delegates have the chance to get hands on with the games and vote for their favourite through the People’s Choice vote.

Organisers Tandem Events has also announced new features for the 2014 conference including a new Marketing track, free Indie Boot Camp sessions in the Expo hall and the inaugural Develop Game Jam.

Full information on the conference sessions and speakers together with who is exhibiting at the expo can all be found on the new mobile event app, sponsored by Autodesk, which is available to download through the App, Google Play and Windows store by searching Develop in Brighton.

With around 500 companies booked to attend, the Develop in Brighton Conference isn’t just about the content, but the people you meet during the After Hours events. There’s a host of networking events including Tuesday’s Ice Breaker Drinks, sponsored by Unreal Engine, and the GamesAid Charity Poker Tournament sponsored by Relentless Software. On Wednesday there is the Develop in Brighton Expo Booth Crawl and the Develop Awards. Finally, on Thursday delegates can attend the Close of Conference Beers.

“With only a week to go, we’re thrilled with the quantity and quality of speakers and exhibitors we have to offer our delegates,” commented Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events. “From our headline keynote speakers to sessions dedicated to the hottest topics currently in the industry, we have something to offer every type of developer – from one man indies to the biggest studios. Develop in Brighton really is the go-to event for everyone who develops games and I can’t wait to see everyone down in Brighton.”

Train2Game News Develop next week

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One week from today, Tuesday 8 July, over 1,600 developers are set to descend on Brighton as the industry comes together for the ninth annual Develop in Brighton Conference.

The three day conference will host over 90 sessions covering the whole spectrum of games development. More than 100 speakers will debate the biggest issues and trends in the industry, from the Virtual Reality boom and growth in Second Screen to cloud gaming, new types of funding, alternative publishing models and the psychology behind player interaction.

Rob Fraser, Chief Technology Officer for Cloud Services at Microsoft UK, will open the Evolve Conference on Tuesday. Wednesday starts with Andrew House, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, and Mark Cerny, Lead System Architect for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, giving the Develop in Brighton opening keynote entitled 20 Years of PlayStation, 40 Years of Console Games and 100 Years to Come. On Thursday, Co-founder and President of Capybara Games, Nathan Vella, will deliver the Indie keynote, while Garry Taylor, Audio Director for Sony Computer Entertainment, will give the audio keynote.

Other headline speakers include Peter Molyneux, David Braben, Chris Charla, Dave Ranyard, Roberta Lucca and Siobhan Reddy, Ian Livingstone and Richard Bartle, while the list of companies speaking includes Amazon, Google, Versu, Twitch, Nickelodeon and Lift London.

In the Expo area, delegates attending Develop in Brighton can meet some of the biggest names in the industry including Sony Computer Entertainment, Microsoft and Epic, as well as discovering some breakthrough talent in the Develop Conference Indie Showcase, sponsored by Unity.

Centrally located within the expo, the Indie Showcase highlights ten unpublished, independently-developed games selected by a judging panel of industry experts. Delegates have the chance to get hands on with the games and vote for their favourite through the People’s Choice vote.

Organisers Tandem Events has also announced new features for the 2014 conference including a new Marketing track, free Indie Boot Camp sessions in the Expo hall and the inaugural Develop Game Jam.

Full information on the conference sessions and speakers together with who is exhibiting at the expo can all be found on the new mobile event app, sponsored by Autodesk, which is available to download through the App, Google Play and Windows store by searching Develop in Brighton.

With around 500 companies booked to attend, the Develop in Brighton Conference isn’t just about the content, but the people you meet during the After Hours events. There’s a host of networking events including Tuesday’s Ice Breaker Drinks, sponsored by Unreal Engine, and the GamesAid Charity Poker Tournament sponsored by Relentless Software. On Wednesday there is the Develop in Brighton Expo Booth Crawl and the Develop Awards. Finally, on Thursday delegates can attend the Close of Conference Beers.

“With only a week to go, we’re thrilled with the quantity and quality of speakers and exhibitors we have to offer our delegates,” commented Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events. “From our headline keynote speakers to sessions dedicated to the hottest topics currently in the industry, we have something to offer every type of developer – from one man indies to the biggest studios. Develop in Brighton really is the go-to event for everyone who develops games and I can’t wait to see everyone down in Brighton

Train2Game News Psychology in Games at Develop

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DevelopTandem Events – organisers of Develop in Brighton – today announced the inclusion of three psychology sessions as part of the Evolve day.

Taking place on the first of the three days of Develop in Brighton, Evolve is dedicated to sharing new ideas about the latest and hottest trends in video games development.

One of those trends, using psychology within video games development, has become of increasing importance to the flow and style of modern day gaming. Evolve will have three sessions dedicated to the latest research curated by Berni Good, founder of Cyberpsychologist Limited.

Dr Linda Kaye from Edge Hill University will begin proceedings with her session entitled Social Psychology and Digital Gaming Experiences – What Can Developers Learn From This Discipline? Dr Kaye will outline some key insights from her research on concepts such as group flow and social identity theory. Linda will help delegates understand how gaming with others provides largely positive psychological experiences and outcomes for players, as well as outlining the implications for game development.

Following on from Dr Kaye is Alex Meredith from Nottingham Trent University with his session Psychological Research in Video Gaming 101 which will delve into the methods available to developers to doing psychological research in video games. He’ll explain under which circumstances certain research methods and types of analysis should be used.

Finally, Berni Good of Cyberpsychologist Limited will discuss the future of gaming psychology in her session Using Psychology in an Applied Way in Game Development – and a Glimpse into the Future of Psychology in Gaming. Berni will talk about how psychology is used and applied in video game development and research, with examples of real life success stories.

At the end of the sessions, there will be a Q&A with all three speakers, chaired by Berni Good.

Evolve takes place on Tuesday 8 July, with the Develop in Brighton Conference continuing on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 July at Brighton’s Hilton Metropole.

To find out more about these sessions and to register visit www.developconference.com

Train2Game News NaturalMotion hiring spree

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CEO Torsten Reil says the tool maker and games studio wants to recruit a ‘sizeable’ number of staff as it aims to create ‘something truly amazing’ on mobile platforms

NaturalMotion has begun a “sizeable” recruitment drive intended to help the studio expand its offering of console-quality mobile games.

The games and tool maker is hiring for numerous positions at varying levels, ranging from game design to producers and product leads for its Oxford, London and Brighton studios, CEO Torsten Reil told Develop.

“We are attempting to create console-quality games on mobile that go way beyond what people have seen before. For that we need to have the best people in the industry,” Reil said.

“We’re looking to grow our teams with designers, programmers and project managers in order to achieve those goals. But we’re also looking to fill some of the gaps we have in our teams, some of which are already fully functional, but some of them aren’t yet.”

NaturalMotion is best known for its animation middleware Euphoria and Morpheme, which have been in used in the likes of GTA IV and BioShock Infinite respectively. Its in-house development teams have created successful mobile hits such as My Horse, Clumsy Ninja and CSR Racing.

While its middleware is built to handle the demands of console game development, Reil says its team sizes are unusually slim by comparison.

“Our team sizes are quite small compared to a console studio, usually 20 to 25 people. But the output is quality high-end, so we need to have the best people to achieve that.”

Reil said the reason devs should choose to work at NaturalMotion is because “we have ambition”.

He explained: “We try to do something truly amazing. And hopefully people can see than in our games – it’s not lip service.

“We really try to push the boundaries all the time. And that means that, working here, there’s a sense of purpose. This not a job just to earn money or to make a few nice games. This is a job to move millions and millions of people. And that is what drives us. And if we find people or talent who are hungry and who want to do that, I think it’s a great combination.”

In addition to display and online advertising, the UK developer also visits game events and hosts some of its own, such as one recently held for data scientists, where attendees gave talks and shared knowledge.

The studio, which currently employs more than 200 staff, is headquartered in Oxford and has studios in London, Brighton and San Francisco. It was acquired earlier this year by social game maker Zynga for £317m ($527m).

Train2Game News: Over 1,600 developers attending Develop Conference

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DevelopOn Tuesday 9 July, any Train2Game students lucky enough to attend the eight annual Develop Conference in Brighton will have the chance to interact with over 1,600 developers.

The three day conference will host over 90 sessions covering the whole spectrum of games development. 120 speakers will debate the biggest issues and trends in the industry, from Neil Brown’s session on PlayStation 4, to developments in touch-screen technology, discussions about Kickstarter and funding, global markets and even a session on cyber-psychology.

Lee Schuneman, studio head at Microsoft Lift London, will open the Evolve Conference on Tuesday before Mark Cerny, president of Cerny Games, will give the Develop Conference opening keynote entitled Changing the Game: Developing into the Next Generation. In total, there are nine tracks and seven keynotes over the three days.

Outside the conference, Develop will be hosting its biggest expo yet. Attendees can meet some of the biggest names in the industry including Dolby, Microsoft, Sony Computer Entertainment, Unity, Unreal Engine and Valve, as well as discovering some of the newest talent in the Develop Conference Indie Showcase.

Centrally located within the expo, the Indie Showcase highlights ten unpublished, independently-developed games selected by a judging panel of industry experts. Delegates have the chance to get hands on with the games and vote for their favourite through the People’s Choice vote.

“With only a week to go, we’re delighted with both the quantity and high quality of content we are offering our delegates,” commented Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events. “We’re lucky to have some fantastic keynotes and great sessions, which will offer invaluable information for every type of developer – from the smallest indies to established studios. I’m really looking forward to welcoming everyone down to Brighton next week.”

Full information on the conference sessions and speakers together with who is exhibiting at the expo can all be found on the new mobile event app, sponsored by Microsoft, or you can find the information on www.developconference.com.

Train2Game News: Games Industry News – 21.06.13

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PS4It’s Friday which, of course, means it is time for the games industry news round up.

Mark Cerny, the lead system architect on Sony’s PlayStation 4 console, will deliver the conference keynote at Develop in Brighton, which takes place at the city’s Hilton Metropole from 9-11 July 2013. Cerny’s keynote, Changing the Game: Developing into the Next Generation, will see the industry legend take delegates through the journey he has been on to bring the console to reality, looking at the lessons learnt from previous console generations, the future vision for PS4 and how embracing the Indie community will have a key role in fulfilling that vision. To find out more about the event, go to http://www.developconference.com/

Gamers competing via the Xbox Tournaments with Virgin Gaming app on Xbox 360, now have a new way to win cash and show off their gaming skills. With the new update, available today, players can now enter buy-in tournaments and head-to-head challenges using their own money. Since launching nearly two months ago, Virgin Gaming has awarded Xbox 360 gamers nearly $100,000 in cash prizes, while also allowing players to seamlessly browse, enter, challenge, play in and track tournaments for their favourite games directly from Xbox Live. Gamers that are not already using the app can register for an account at http://virgingaming.com/xbox and download the app from Xbox Live.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced LEGO Legends of Chima: Laval’s Journey will be available for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita handheld systems in Europe on 21st June. A Nintendo DS version will follow this Autumn, as will a free-to-play online world, LEGO Legends of Chima Online. The new games all complement a line of branded products and TV content based on the LEGO Legends of Chima action packed world ruled by eight animal tribes that tells the classic story of good and evil, friendship and family.

Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 will be releasing on Xbox LIVE Arcade, PC/Steam, PlayStation Network, iPad, and for the first time on Android tablets next week. As with previous years Wizards of the Coast are rolling out the release of the game over two days across the myriad of platforms. The game will be released on June 25 for iTunes, Google Play and Amazon App Store. The following day will see the release on PC, Xbox Live and PSN. Associate Community Manager Sean Gibbons gives the community a first look at the new Sealed Campaign and deck editor in the upcoming Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers, which you can enjoy here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEQVZf8qxYo

Finally, some good news for those of you who are looking forward to the new Thief game. You won’t have to buy a next generation console for the game. Eidios Montreal has confirmed that the game will also be coming to Xbox360 and PS3. No word yet on a WiiU release. Senior Producer Stephane Roy acknowledges that the developers “have to be smart” in transferring the demands of the software to consoles at the end of their life cycle – suggesting that the breadth of the world may be scaled down to accommodate present-day hardware.