Everything you need to know about the content at PC Connects London 2019

• 1 State of Play

  

  Kicking off PC Connects London 2019 on January 21st is our State of Play track, where we have called upon some of the biggest and brightest names in the sector to share their insight into the PC games market as it is right now.

  This is out zeitgeist track to give attendees an idea of what the landscape is right now in the PC games space, sponsored by Jagex Partners. 

  9:40
  Pixels & Pounds - Investing in Video Games
  Ian Livingstone

  Industry legend Ian Livingstone discusses what investors are looking for, what games companies should do to attract investors, and what they should action to protect their interests.

  10:00
  Crowdfunding Opportunities For Video Games
  Thomas Bidaux, Ico Partners

  In his third appearance at PC Connects, Ico Partners boss Thoma Bidaux will once again be looking at the state of crowdfunding, current trends and best practices for this sector. 

  10:20
  How To Avoid Publishing Agreement Pitfalls – A Guide For Devs And Publishers
  Peter Lewin, Purewal and Partners

  A publishing deal can be one of the most crucial relationships that a studio ever enters into, so it’s worth getting it right. In this session, video games lawyer Pete Lewin shares tips based on real-world examples of how to avoid common publishing agreement pitfalls. While primarily aimed at developers, there’s also plenty in here for publishers, licensors and more to help streamline their negotiation processes.

  10:40
  Building IPs That Last
  Christian Fonnesbech

  Freelance strategic consultant and Nordisk Film Games' head of IP Christian Fonnesbech shares the importance of thinking big and long-term when making a game.

  11:00
  My Business Model Is Wrong! What Does Right Look Like?
  Nick Beliaeff, Jagex

  For over 20 years, Nick has been on a quest to find the magic business model in online gaming. Today, Nick is SVP of Game Development, at Jagex, creators and operators of RuneScape, the $1bn living game franchise, and his quest has previously taken him through leadership roles at Trion, Sony Online Entertainment, and Spin Master. In this session, Nick explores online business models and the sanctity of social contracts with players to yield high levels of player engagement, advocacy for your game and satisfaction with its business model.

  Tickets for just PC Connects London 2019 are available right here, with tickets for the entire show on sale here  - buy now to save big. 

  More info about the event can be found right here. 

  
  

• 2 Digital Discovery

  

  Following the State of Play track on January 21st, the first day of PC Connects London 2019, is Digital Discovery.

  The former track will give attendees an indication as to the current zeitgeist in the PC games market, while Digital Discovery will be assisting developers in overcoming one of the biggest issues facing this sector right now; simply getting noticed in a saturated marketplace.

  This track is sponsored by Jagex 
  

  11:20
  Steam Survival Guide
  Tomas Rawlings, Auroch Digital

  Having spoken last year about The Steampocalypse, the idea that it's harder for developers to see success on Steam, Dr Tomas Rawlings from indie firm Auroch Digital is going to be sharing his tips to surviving on Valve's platform as we go into 2019.

  11:40
  A Marketing Overview
  Simon Byron, Curve Digital and Alex Calvin

  We are going to be sitting down with Simon Byron, the publishing director of indie label Curve Digital to discuss how to get noticed in the current PC games market - both when your project is launching and further into its lifecycle.

  12:00
  Beyond The Trailer
  Chris Hassell, Ralph Creative

  Consumers don't want to be marketed to; they want to be entertained. Top tips for marketing your game beyond the promo trailer

  12:20
  The Store Discussion

  In the final session of Digital Discovery, we will be looking at the landscape for buying and selling games in 2019. Steam is clearly not working for everyone and there are a variety of other platforms that are popping up such as Epic Games' new platform, Kartridge from Kongregate as well as the blockchain-powered Robot Cache. We will be looking at these changes and seeing how developers need to adapt to this brave new world.

  Tickets for just PC Connects London 2019 are available right here, with tickets for the entire show on sale here  - buy now to save big. 

  More info about the event can be found right here. 

  
  

• 3 Codeshop: Design and Development

  

  Codeshop: Design and Development is the third track taking place on Monday, January 21st following State of Play and Digital Discovery. 

  This series of talks will be looking at games development, replacing the PC Games University track from last year's PC Connects London 2019. 

  This track is sponsored by RuneScape firm Jagex. 

  Here is what you can expect from the track: 

  14:00
  Understanding Your Level – Mental Mapping
  Max Pears, CD Projekt Red

  CD Projekt RED level designer Max Pears will be discussing the ways that developers can build levels to achieve certain outcomes.

  14:40
  How Workers Are Treated Will Inform The Future Of The Market
  Kevin Agwaze, Game Workers Unite

  At the end of 2018, Game Workers Unite became an official union with the backing of gig economy organisation Independent Workers of Great Britain. The game union's Kevin Agwaze will be talking about why workers in this industry need to be unionised and what impact this will have on the market.

  15:00
  Advanced UX Prototyping – Finding The Fun, Minus The Code!
  Om Tandon, DIGIT Gaming Studio

  How and why to build hi-fidelity near game prototypes to gather qualitative data using a combination of cross-discipline teamwork involving, product, game design, UX, UI and art teams, without any code to validate feature design in pre-production to gather user insights. Benefits of setting up a design sprint to achieve rapid iteration before even writing a single line of code.

  15:20
  Next-Gen Multiplayer Games
  Mundi Vondi, Klang Games

  The co-founder of Berlin-based Klang Mundi Vondi will be sharing what the next step in multiplayer video games will look like.

  15:40
  Using AI On Football Manager Development
  Joshua Crompton, Sports Interactive

  Machine learning and AI are buzzwords that pop up a fair amount at the moment, but Sega-owned Sports Interactive has been using this tech when making its Football Manager franchise. Programmer Joshua Crompton will be telling us more.

  16:00
  Taking Game Audio To New Heights
  Andy Vaughan, Dolby

  Game developers are now able to deliver Dolby Atmos audio in Xbox One and PC games, bringing three-dimensional audio, including height and depth (with headphones), to the gaming experience. In this talk Andy will provide an overview of Dolby Atmos technology, and how the Microsoft Spatial Audio Platform supports Dolby Atmos over HDMI and headphones. This talk will examine the general capabilities of spatial audio and how developers can integrate Dolby Atmos using the Microsoft Spatial Audio Platform or Unity & Unreal plug-ins into existing audio workflows.

  16:20
  Challenges Of Modernising A Classic PC Game, From Sensible Soccer 1992 To Sociable Soccer 2019
  Jon Hare, Tower Studios

  Maintaining the market relevance of games through design & art. Jon Hare has made hit soccer games in each of the last 4 decades. Here he discusses the necessity to constantly adapt the game content and presentation to resonate with the technology & audience of the time. 

  Tickets for just PC Connects London 2019 are available right here, with tickets for the entire show on sale here  - buy now to save big. 

  More info about the event can be found right here. 

  
  

• 4 The Long Game

  

  The final track on day one of PC Connects London 2019 is The Long Game.

  One of our new tracks for this year's show, this series of talks will be looking at live games and community, with our speakers sharing insight into developing, managing and even marketing a game well after launch.

  This track is sponsored by RuneScape firm Jagex, who certainly know a thing or two about running games over time.

  Here is the full schedule for these sessions:

  16:40
  Panel: Managing Your Community Across Platforms

  In many ways, the video games market has been siloed but now with the increased power of mobile devices, experiences previously restricted to PC or console are suddenly available on the go - often at the same time. This panel will look at the practical realities of managing the different communities distinct platforms have with dos, donts and insight from some of the biggest players in this sector.

  17:20
  Nine Years Of WOT
  Sean Lee, Wargaming

  PCGamesinsider.biz editor Alex Calvin will be sitting down with Wargaming chief strategy officer Sean Lee to discuss the firm's approach to live operations, seeing what the World of Tanks giant has learnt from nine years of running that title.

  17:40
  Indie Vs COD
  Joe Brammer, Bulkhead

  In February 2018, indie studio Bulkhead Interactive launched its World War Two shooter Battalion 1944 into Steam's Early Access scheme. This came just months after Activision released Call of Duty: WWII, with many positioning Battalion as the indie COD. Studio founder Joe Brammer will be talking about what the company has learnt launching and running this project

  18:00
  The Art Of Player Retention Through Live Ops
  Tanguy Dewavrin, Atom Universe

  How to keep players engaged by updating the game regularly and nurturing your online community. This will cover community management, seasonal content, drip-feeding the community with regularly unlocking hidden content, organising exclusive in-game events, limited edition items, looking after clubs and communities, time-limited content, hiring volunteer moderators and in-game guides as well as relaying info on social media channels

  Tickets for just PC Connects London 2019 are available right here, with tickets for the entire show on sale here  - buy now to save big. 

  More info about the event can be found right here. 

  
  

• 5 The PC Revolution

  

  The final track at PC Connects London 2019 is The PC Revolution, which is taking place on the morning of January 22nd, 2019.

  This is the headline event for the show and will be taking a look at the future of the PC games space, examining the impact of new technologies, markets and trends that will shape the sector in the coming years.

  This is something we have already been covering via our PC Revolution editorial content, but you can hear more about these themes live at PC Connects London 2019 on January 21st and 22nd.

  10:00
  PC Has Historically Been At The Forefront Of Innovation In Gaming – What’s Next?
  Jelle Kooistra, Newzoo

  PC has always been one of the most innovative game platforms, pushing the medium forward time and time again. Due to PC’s open nature, its large pool of developers, and its sheer abundance of development tools, the platform has been a catalyst for countless innovations: mods, indie games, and even entire genres. In 2018, PC’s innovative nature was taken to a whole new level, thanks to the meteoric rise of the battle royale genre. What began as a spin-off of the popular shooter genre has now taken center stage in the gaming ecosystem. And thanks to Fortnite—now a household name—the genre has broken through into mainstream conversation. What’s more, esports is attracting enormous new audiences and is constantly experimenting with new monetisation models, especially in the wake of its now-abundant investments. But one thing’s for sure: there’s plenty more innovation to come for both esports and gaming. So, what’s next? And what does this mean for you?

  10:20
  Eats Shoots And Leaves – The Future Of Online Community Management Means Context Is King
  Simon Usiskin, SpiritAI

  With the ever-changing nature and increasing subtlety of online abuse, how can progressive games developers and community managers keep pace with the trolls, fraudsters and bots? As traditional methods of moderation struggle to stay on top of the challenge, what can AI bring to the table? And, can new technologies like AI really help us ensure our online communities are fit, profitable and future-ready?

  10:40
  What’s Next For The Gaming Industry – The Era Of Cross-Platform Gameplay And Esports
  Taewon Yun, Super Evil Megacorp

  New cross-platform strategy encompassing mobile, PC and console and how we plan to bring about platform agnostic esports, which we believe will pioneer new era for esports future.

  11:00
  Robot Cache Business Overview
  Philippe Erwin, Robot Cache

  Robot Cache is the world’s first videogame marketplace for PC gamers built on the blockchain. For game creators, we share in only five per cent of the transactions so you can keep more profit to reinvest in making more great games. For gamers, it’s the first time ever that digital games can be resold. In addition, you have the opportunity to earn free games when you turn on mining with one click of a button. We are committed to changing distribution to be more fair, transparent and secure.

  11:20
  Endless Frontiers – Building A Future In The Cloud
  Michael Gunadi, HadeanThe London-based cloud tech start-up will be discussing the impact of this new technology on the PC games market. 

  11:40:00
  The Future of PC Marketing
  James Binns, Network N

  Media veteran James Binns will be sharing his thoughts on what is how marketing in the PC games sector has changed and how developers and publishers can push their wares in the future.

  12:00
  PANEL - What's Next For PC Gaming?
  Bruce Grove, Polystream
  Michael Gunadi, Hadean
  James Hursthouse, Greenstone Partners

  Right now there is a plethora of technology that is set to change the PC games market forever. We will be speaking to some of the players on the event horizon to see what the future of PC is going to look like.

  12:20
  PANEL The China Opportunity
  Daniel Ahmad, Niko Partners
  Cassia Curran, Jagex
  Jim Ying, CV Capital
  Mo Fadl, Riot games

  For much of its lifetime, the global games market has largely been centered on the Western European and American markets but there are a variety of regions that are going to become increasingly important in the near future. In particular, China has become an absolute powerhouse and massive opportunity for Western companies.

  This panel will be looking at how companies can best take advantage of this massively important market.

  Tickets for just PC Connects London 2019 are available right here, with tickets for the entire show on sale here  - buy now to save big. 

  More info about the event can be found right here. 

  
  

• 6 Editor's Choice: What must-see talks of PC Connects London 2019

  This year's Pocket Gamer Connects London is the largest that Steel Media has ever put on, rammed full of the biggest and brightest names from not just the mobile games space, but PC and blockchain, too.

  With such variety of speakers across the six tracks at the conference, you're probably scratching your head wondering what the must-see talks at The Brewery are. Well PCGamesInsider.biz has put together its list of the six sessions you have to attend as part of PC Connects London 2019.

  1. Max Pears, CD Projekt RED
  Understanding Your Level
  January 21st, 14:00

  Having flown in fresh from Poland's Krakow, the CD Projekt RED level designer will be sharing what he has learnt in his time at the Cyberpunk and Witcher studio, as well as working on The Division, about how to make players more aware of the space they are exploring

  2. Nick Beliaeff, Jagex
  My Business Model Is Wrong! What Does Right Look Like?
  January 21st, 11:00

  Jagex's recently-hired SVP of Game Development Nick Beliaeff will be discussing different business models for online games and how best to work with a title's community.

  3. Ian Livingstone
  Pixels & Pounds – Investing in Video Games
  January 21st, 9:40

  Industry legend Ian Livingstone discusses what investors are looking for, What games companies should do to attract investors, and what they should action to protect their interests.

  4. Simon Usiskin, SpiritAI
  Eats Shoots And Leaves – The Future Of Online Community Management Means Context Is King
  January 22nd, 10:20

  With the ever-changing nature and increasing subtlety of online abuse, how can progressive games developers and community managers keep pace with the trolls, fraudsters and bots? As traditional methods of moderation struggle to stay on top of the challenge, what can AI bring to the table? And, can new technologies like AI really help us ensure our online communities are fit, profitable and future-ready?

  5. PANEL - The Store Discussion
  January 21st, 12:20

  This panel will be looking at the landscape for buying and selling games in 2019. Steam is clearly not working for everyone and there are a variety of other platforms that are popping up such as Epic Games' new platform, Kartridge from Kartridge and the blockchain-powered Robot Cache and so on. Essentially, keeping developers and publishers aware of their options in this changing scenery.

  Tickets for just PC Connects London 2019 are available right here, with tickets for the entire show on sale here  - buy now to save big. 

  More info about the event can be found right here.