Ahead of PC Connects London on January 22nd and 23rd, we have been speaking to some of the wonderful speakers who are going to be sharing their insight at the show.

Team17's Matt Benson will be at the conference as part of our State of Play track

Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do
I’m a business development manager, working across many areas of the business internally (Development / Marketing / Commercial Planning) as well as external partners (Distributors / First Parties and importantly Indie Developers)

What are you going to be talking about at PC Connects London 2018?
I’m going to be imparting some wisdom from Team17 and giving practical tips on pitching your game to Publishers

What was your favourite PC game from 2017 and why?
What Remains of Edith Finch – the strong, rich narrative and the way it brought the stories of the various members of the family to life. It was bursting with imagination and emotion; great to see that there is an appetite for narrative, linear stories, despite how cluttered the market is.

What do you think are going to be the biggest trends and releases of 2018 for PC?
More game releases, but conversely I think we’ll see more innovation as a result of this in terms of developers trying to stand out in the marketplace. More developments in middleware which will continue to aid independent development (saw some awesome experiments in ARKIT + Unity) which may signal the early beginning of accessible motion capture?) More Battle Royale games. With releases, there are lots to choose from but here’s a few picks which I think which will ascend to heady heights: Cyberpunk 2077 (really interested to see what form it will take), WarGroove, Into the Breach (if it makes 2018)

What are you most excited for in the PC games market right now?
I’m not a big RTS player but I love what Numantian Games have done with They are Billions. Steampunk + Zombie hordes. Great fun to watch on Twitch!