Develop:Brighton organisers Tandem Events have announced the conference’s latest keynote session will see Shuhei Yoshida from Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and Greg Rice share insights from their extensive work with indie video game developers around the world.
Tandem has also announced this year’s full conference programme, with more than 100 sessions happening across the three-day conference which takes place from Tuesday 9 July until Thursday 11 July at the Hilton Brighton Metropole.
Speakers include representatives from EA, Ubisoft, Roll7, ustwo games, Rocksteady Studios, Rebellion, Unreal, Team17, and Square Enix. Sessions fall across eight tracks covering every discipline, as well as the free Indie BootCamp and Roundtables.
Titled “Supporting Indies and Creativity in Game Development” Yoshida and Rice’s keynote will see the pair discuss what makes a good game, the challenges facing indie developers today, their favourite indie success stories, and lessons learned from common mistakes.
They will also talk about the support PlayStation offers indie game makers.
Shuhei Yoshida is Head of PlayStation Indies at Sony Interactive Entertainment and a beloved industry veteran with over 30-years of experience.
Greg Rice is currently the Lead Curator for Day of the Devs as well as consulting at SIE, having previously been SIE’s Head of PlayStation Creators. In this role, Greg was responsible for PlayStation’s relationship with the global Indie and F2P gaming segment.
“Develop:Brighton has been my go-to industry event in the UK,” said Yoshida. “A gathering of great indie devs in Europe, and it's so easy to meet people you want to. Very excited to be back this year and looking forward to seeing you there.”
The pair join fellow headline speaker Caroline Marchal, Founder and Creative Director of INTERIOR/NIGHT, who will deliver a keynote about her and her studio’s experience developing multiplayer story-centric experiences like 2022’s As Dusk Falls.
“Shuhei and Greg’s wealth of experience and expertise really speaks for itself,” said Tandem Events Managing Director Andy Lane. “Their storied history of championing indie developers and the insights they’ve gathered over the years makes this keynote one not to miss and we look forward to welcoming them to Brighton this summer.”
Develop:Brighton 2024 takes place this July, with a range of passes available now for the conference and expo. Passes are available at the discounted Early Bird rate until Wednesday 5 June and can be booked at www.developconference.com.
The Develop:Brighton 2024 expo will run from Wednesday 10 July, including the Indie Showcase competition and stands from exhibitors spanning the industry. That Wednesday evening will also see the best and brightest of the game developer community celebrated at The Develop:Star Awards.
For the latest information on speaker announcements, the Develop:Star Awards, and all things Develop:Brighton visit www.developconference.com and follow @DevelopConf on Twitter.
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About Develop:Brighton conference & expo
Develop:Brighton brings together the entire UK game dev industry to learn from each other, share ideas and experiences, network, and do business in a friendly and inclusive environment. The event also offers high quality conference sessions - from the industries brightest minds and talents - with practical takeaways that allow delegates to ‘skill-up’ and be inspired to make better games.
With a programme shaped to reflect attendees’ feedback this year’s conference will cover all the hot topics for game makers in 2024. The Expo brings together some of the most innovative companies from every sector of games development. Guests can also keep up-to date with the latest dev tools/tech and get hands on with all the games on display.
Develop:Brighton offers three days of insight, inspiration, networking and fun on England’s south coast.
Twitter: @developconf
LinkedIn: Develop:Brighton
Instagram: developbrighton
About The Develop:Star Awards
Taking place alongside the conference, the Develop:Star Awards recognise the very best of the game development community. The achievements of developers and success of great games and creativity will be celebrated across 22 categories, plus one ‘Develop Star’ honouring an extraordinary game developer or studio for outstanding achievements and contributions to the industry.
