Develop Conference 2009

Tandem Events today unveiled the speaker line-up for the premiere of Evolve - a brand new one day conference that will open Develop in Brighton this summer.

Games pioneers including David Perry (Acclaim Games), Kristian Segerstrale (Playfish), Dave Thomas (Denki) and Martyn Brown (Team 17) will join internet gurus Limvirak Chea (Google) and Chris Thorpe (MySpace) plus key mobile player Mark Ollila (Nokia) – to name a few – on the podium.

Evolve focuses on games development for new platforms – including mobile, iPhone and XBLA – new technologies and new markets like social and casual gaming. It opens as a one-day programme with two keynotes and eighteen sessions on Tuesday 14 July then continues as individual sessions within the main Develop Conference programme on Wednesday 15 July.

Evolve has been designed to provide practical and inspirational knowledge, skills and tips to producers tasked with integrating connected features into their games, games designers exploring how to create compelling games with user-generated and social networking content, and managers and entrepreneurs set on exploiting the expanding crossover potential of casual games, social networking, mobile phones and today's connected games consoles.

“We have created Evolve to recognise and reflect the huge changes happening in games development, which have led to an influx of new platforms and emerging markets creating exciting new business opportunities but also throwing up a new set of challenges for games developers,” explained Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events.

“You only have to look at the quality and diversity of our speakers to see how the Evolve programme will help developers to make the most of the potential business opportunities emerging from growth of these new technologies and markets, as well as guide them through the thorny issues related to developing in these areas.”

An Evolve pass for Tuesday 14 July is available at a discounted rate of £250 before 10 June, or £300 after.

Evolve Programme Tuesday 14 July

• KEYNOTE: Resetting the Game

David Perry, Creative Director of Acclaim Games

• KEYNOTE: The Long Tail and Games: How digital distribution changes everything. Maybe.

David Edery, Independent Consultant

• MOBILE KEYNOTE: Moving Games to a New Beat: The Development of Nokia’s Dance Fabulous

Mark Ollila, Nokia

• Infectious: How Viral Games Capture an Audience of Millions

Jeff Coghlan, Matmi

• A Game is a Game is a Game

Dave Thomas, Denki

• Whose quiz is it, anyway?: Bringing user-generated content to the Buzz! franchise

Dan Croucher and Caspar Field, Relentless Software

• Panel: Is Digital Distribution Truly the Saviour of the PC Game?

Dorian Bloch, Chart Track/GfK

• How Today's Social Networks Will Change How You Make, Play and Sell Games Tomorrow

Kristian Segerstrale, Playfish

• Panel: The Fight for Playtime: What Do Social Networking Sites Have to Offer the Games Industry?

Chair: Tom Armitage; Limvirak Chea, Google; Chris Thorpe, MySpace

• Case Study: A Browser-Based MMORG on Every Desktop

Jim McNiven, Kerb

• 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Digital Distribution and Self-publishing That You Must Understand to Succeed

Martyn Brown, Team 17

• 20 Great Innovations in Casual, Social and Mobile Games That You Should Steal

Stuart Dredge, Pocket Gamer

• Browser Based Games The Past, the Present, the Future

Gustaf Stechmann, Splitscreen Studios

• Panel: Crossing Over in a World Gone Casual

Chair: Matt Spall, Playora; Nils-Holger Henning, Bigpoint

• Panel: Opportunities and Hurdles for Mobile Gaming

Chair: Tim Green, Mobile Entertainment; Mark Fletcher, Nokia

• Panel: After the iPhone Honeymoon: Where Next for Apple's Mobile

Chair: Mathew Kumar, Freelance Journalist; Alan Yu, ngmoco; Michael Schade, Fishlabs; James Brooksby, doublesix; Chris Byatte, Chillingo

• The European Free to Play Market

Thomas Bidaux, Ico Partnership

• Practical Applications of Online Convergence

Paul Croft, Mediatonic

• Taking Your Game to iPhone and Android, Without Killing Your Team

Chris White, Glu

The Evolve theme continues on Wednesday 15 July as part of the main Develop Conference programme – visit: www.developconference.com

Notes to editors:

About the Develop Conference: The fourth Develop Conference will take place at the Hilton Metropole in Brighton, UK, from 14-16 July 2009. It attracts around 1200 game developers from over 30 different territories and has become firmly established as the leading conference for European games developers. Delegates can apply for conference passes at: www.developconference.com Discounts are available on all passes purchased before 10 June 2009. The Expo pass is free of charge.

Evolve - a new addition to the programme for 2009 - will focus on how to develop games for new platforms including mobile, iPhone and XBLA, new technologies and new markets like social and casual gaming. It opens on the Tuesday then continues with individual sessions within the main conference programme on the Wednesday, which are cross-discipline and have a more general appeal.

Running alongside Evolve will be GAMES:EDU, a one-day conference, which brings together the UK's foremost educators from across all disciplines to connect directly with developers and games producers, to exchange ideas and perspectives.

About Tandem Events: Tandem Events has over 20 years of experience in organising market-leading exhibitions, conferences and events across a number of industry sectors, including the Develop Conference, Develop Evolve, GAMES:EDU, Games Marketing Forum, Casual Games Forum and Games Grads.