Los Angeles? You can keep it. For Europeans, the beaches of Brighton are much closer to hearts as well as home, and one of the reasons we’ve always treasured the Develop conference. Taking place on July 11–13, just long enough for us to have shaken off the jetlag of Summer Game Fest, it’s our annual opportunity to catch up with the great and good (and, indeed, all the rest) of the UK videogame industry in more relaxed environs, with considerably fewer taxis between appointments required.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/czaSK1Zx31686825024300/8818986986.jpg]
In the case of a couple of this year’s keynote speakers, it’ll be a case of catching back up – we’re fascinated to see how Jon Ingold’s thinking has coalesced since our conversation in E384, as the Inkle co-founder presents his manifesto for replayable videogame narratives. Likewise ID@Xbox head Chris Charla, who’ll be expanding on his thoughts from E385 in a fireside chat with journalist Will Freeman that kicks off the entire conference programme.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/czaSK1Zx31686825024300/6298611117.jpg]
In between, there are plenty of other highlights worth keeping an eye out for. Immortality lead programmer Connor Carson will be explaining how she got the game’s unique ‘match-cut’ mechanic up and running, while Ustwo Games lead designer Joel Beardshaw will unpack the challenges the London studio faced making an approachable tactics game for the Netflix audience in Desta: The Memories Between. Also on a speaking roster featuring a profusion of notable indies are Ember Lab (Kena: Bridge Of Spirits), Interior/Night (As Dusk Falls), Jumpship (Somerville), and the Rollerdrome team at Roll7.
Elsewhere, Housemarque artist Veera Hokkanen is giving a talk on the development of Returnal’s gorgeous visual style, a presentation that should be worth attending for the concept art alone. For some slightly less wholesome visual thrills, you may also want to check out the deep dive on Dambusters’ Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids (FLESH), aka the tech that makes Dead Island 2 so impressively gory. For those who prefer to treat their ears, meanwhile, the developers of God Of War Ragnarök are out in force, with two separate sessions on its audio on July 13.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/czaSK1Zx31686825024300/6298611117.jpg]
Away from developer post mortems, Feminist Frequency founder Anita Sarkeesian will be hosting a session on the DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives launched by many studios in recent years – specifically, whether or not they’re actually working, and what else can be done to build healthier cultures across the industry.
In addition to the conference programme is the traditional lineup of further attractions and activities. The Develop Expo, running upstairs at the Hilton Metropole on Wednesday and Thursday, is the headline attraction, with exhibitors including Hangar 13, Rebellion and nDreams (see p70 for more on the latte...
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/czaSK1Zx31686825024300/8818986986.jpg]
In the case of a couple of this year’s keynote speakers, it’ll be a case of catching back up – we’re fascinated to see how Jon Ingold’s thinking has coalesced since our conversation in E384, as the Inkle co-founder presents his manifesto for replayable videogame narratives. Likewise ID@Xbox head Chris Charla, who’ll be expanding on his thoughts from E385 in a fireside chat with journalist Will Freeman that kicks off the entire conference programme.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/czaSK1Zx31686825024300/6298611117.jpg]
In between, there are plenty of other highlights worth keeping an eye out for. Immortality lead programmer Connor Carson will be explaining how she got the game’s unique ‘match-cut’ mechanic up and running, while Ustwo Games lead designer Joel Beardshaw will unpack the challenges the London studio faced making an approachable tactics game for the Netflix audience in Desta: The Memories Between. Also on a speaking roster featuring a profusion of notable indies are Ember Lab (Kena: Bridge Of Spirits), Interior/Night (As Dusk Falls), Jumpship (Somerville), and the Rollerdrome team at Roll7.
Elsewhere, Housemarque artist Veera Hokkanen is giving a talk on the development of Returnal’s gorgeous visual style, a presentation that should be worth attending for the concept art alone. For some slightly less wholesome visual thrills, you may also want to check out the deep dive on Dambusters’ Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids (FLESH), aka the tech that makes Dead Island 2 so impressively gory. For those who prefer to treat their ears, meanwhile, the developers of God Of War Ragnarök are out in force, with two separate sessions on its audio on July 13.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/czaSK1Zx31686825024300/6298611117.jpg]
Away from developer post mortems, Feminist Frequency founder Anita Sarkeesian will be hosting a session on the DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives launched by many studios in recent years – specifically, whether or not they’re actually working, and what else can be done to build healthier cultures across the industry.
In addition to the conference programme is the traditional lineup of further attractions and activities. The Develop Expo, running upstairs at the Hilton Metropole on Wednesday and Thursday, is the headline attraction, with exhibitors including Hangar 13, Rebellion and nDreams (see p70 for more on the latte...
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Edge Uk (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2023