Eutechnyx
COO Darren Jobling "There are lots of 'old dogs' in the audience who are ready to learn new tricks."
Monday 5th July 2010 - Gateshead, UK - Eutechnyx, one of the world's leading independent videogame developers, played a key role in this year's GameHorizon conference with COO Darren Jobling warning that if companies don't go back to basics and learn from staff, fans and consumers, they will miss out on opportunities to grow and drive the business forward.
"There are lots of 'old dogs' in the audience who are ready to learn new tricks," Jobling said. "This industry isn't just about technology, its more about the people; this is a people industry." Along with talking to members of staff, he also advised that communities should be utilised for their knowledge and expertise too, while customers should be listened to, to find out exactly what they want from a game.
Eutechnyx is also set to fully adopt digital distribution with the release of its microtransaction model-based game Auto Club Revolution. "We're really excited about embracing digital distribution in all its forms," said Jobling. "The most interesting is the free to play model - this provides the biggest opportunity, but only if developers can offer a console quality free to play game experience."
Jobling's presentation was entitled: 'Six New Tricks to Teach Old Dogs'. Brands, social networking sites, free to play games and digital distribution all played a part in his vision for the future, backed up by invaluable knowledge on his experience in how to run a successful company, financial advice, and finding and nurturing talent.
"The games industry is evolving incredibly quickly with new technologies and platforms to embrace on a regular basis," added Jobling. "Having been in the games industry for 23 years, it was interesting to present Eutechnyx' views on how developers can take advantage of the new opportunities within our industry."
Todd Eckert, director of Eutechnyx North America chaired the thought-provoking panel: 'Modern Technology Will Kill Us All' where he was joined by Steve Mayall, MD MusicAlly and Duncan Smith, music supervisor SCEE. The panel focused on what games can learn from music and that industry's experience in adapting to digital technologies.
"It was an honour to be hosting the panel 'Modern Technology Will Kill Us All'," said Todd Eckert, director Eutechnyx North America. "I'm proud to be part of the video games industry and excited to share my experiences, having worked in both music and film industries; GameHorizon is one of the best games conferences the industry has and it offered the perfect platform for these views to be discussed."
The GameHorizon 2010 Conference is backed by the GameHorizon Advisory Board as well as a steering committee featuring some of the games industry's leading names. A two-day event, the conference featured a host of speakers from the worlds of gaming, entertainment and business.
For more information on Eutechnyx visit http://press.eutechnyx.com/ or follow the company on Twitter @Eutechnyx.
About Eutechnyx
Eutechnyx is the world's leading independent driving game developer. With a history spanning over 23 years, the studio has won numerous awards for its million-plus selling titles and garnered exceptional acclaim in the business sector. As well as its headquarters in the UK, the company has studios in Hong Kong, Chengdu, Charlotte and Pittsburgh, USA. For more information, please visit www.eutechnyx.com.
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Ali Wood
Premier PR
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