GDC Europe News and Information Blog

GDC Europe 2013 organizers have announced new talks for its August event, with Steven Masters on Assassin's Creed III's design, luminary Don Daglow on the 'treasures and traps' of next-gen, and Epic's James Brown on empowering the player in storytelling.

These talks are part of the design and business tracks in GDC Europe 2013, which will take place Monday through Wednesday, August 19th-21st at the Cologne Congress-Centrum Ost in Cologne, Germany - just ahead of (and co-located with) the massive 275,000 person Gamescom event.

For the Design Track Keynote, Ubisoft Montreal's Steven Masters will discuss how he organized the work of 600 people across 3 years in 'Designing Assassins Creed 3.'

Ubisoft's GDC 2013 production panel, 'Three Years of Collaboration on Assassin's Creed III' focused on handling the large-scale collaboration for the massive hit franchise. However, Masters' talk at GDC Europe 2013 will detail how Ubisoft reinvigorated the core gameplay, including the use of frequent playtesting to refine the multi-million selling title.

Continue reading "GDC Europe adds Assassin's Creed III, Daglow, Epic level design talks " »

Posted by Staff at 9:00 AM | Permalink

Die Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe) 2013, die wichtigste Messe für Spiele-Entwickler in Europa, wächst weiter. In diesem Jahr wurden so viele Themen wie noch nie zuvor für die Konferenz eingereicht - mehr als 275 Vorträge, was einem Plus von 25% zum Vorjahr entspricht. Die Veranstalter freuen sich außerdem zwei neue Mitglieder im Advisory Board bekannt zu geben: Nick Button-Brown von Crytek und Bartlomiej Gawel von CD Projekt Red.

Die GDC Europe thematisiert die wichtigsten Trends bei Free-to-Play und neuer Gaming-Hardware und bietet die besten Vorträge aus den Bereichen Design, Business, Programming und Art. Über die vergangenen Wochen gingen zahlreiche Themenvorschläge für die diesjährige Konferenz beim Veranstalter ein, viele von renommierten Spiele-Firmen aus Europa und der ganzen Welt. Bewertet wurden die eingereichten Vorträge von den Mitgliedern des Advisory Boards, das sich aus den einflussreichsten und wichtigsten Experten der Spieleindustrie zusammensetzt.

Das Advisory Board unterstützt die Veranstalter dabei, die Inhalte der GDC Europe einschließlich der drei Summits und der wichtigsten Konferenz-Tracks zusammenzustellen. Industrie-Größen wie Matias Myllyrinne (Remedy), David Hego (Rocksteady), Lars Gustavsson (DICE), Christopher Schmitz (Ubisoft Blue Byte) oder Sven Liebich (Bigpoint) sind auch in diesem Jahr wieder Teil des Advisory Boards. Neue Mitglieder sind Nick Button-Brown, General Manager für Games bei Crytek, und Lead Concept Artist bei CD Projekt Red Bartlomiej Gawel.

Die Experten bewerteten jede Eingabe mittels des von GDC eigens entwickelten Systems mehrmals. Schliesslich wurden die eingereichten Vorträge im Rahmen einer gemeinsamen Sitzung in den Niederlanden abermals diskutiert und bewertet. In den nächsten zwei Wochen wird das Auswahlverfahren weiterlaufen. Ebenso wie die Auswahl der Gastreferenten. Die ersten ausgewählten Referate der diesjährigen Veranstaltung sollen gegen Ende der Woche auf der GDC Europe Website veröffentlich werden.

Continue reading "[German-language] Game Developers Conference Europe 2013 mit mehr themen und neuen advisory board-mitgliedern" »

Posted by Staff at 2:22 PM | Permalink

Organizers of GDC Europe have announced their first set of selected talks, which include lectures on Capcom & Dontnod's Remember Me (pictured), scalability for Double Fine's upcoming Broken Age, and insight from streaming game video provider Twitch.tv.

These talks are part of the programming and business tracks in GDC Europe 2013, which will take place Monday through Wednesday, August 19th-21st at the Cologne Congress-Centrum Ost in Cologne, Germany - just ahead of (and co-located with) the massive 275,000 person Gamescom event.

First revealed is Oliver Franzke of Double Fine Productions' talk, 'Broken Age's Approach to Scalability.' It will focus on authoring and rendering techniques for characters and environments used to target five platforms simultaneously, including PC and mobile.

The talk about the much-anticipated, multi-million dollar funded Kickstarter project will also cover run-time techniques such as rendering tricks and fast deployment for rapid iteration and debugging.

Continue reading "GDC Europe 2013's first talks feature Broken Age, Remember Me" »

Posted by Staff at 3:20 PM | Permalink

Organizers of this August's GDC Europe, the leading and largest European game development conference, have announced a record number of talk submissions for the 2013 show, with more than 275 talks, up 25% on last year's total.

GDC Europe continues to expands, covering vital trends in free to play, new game hardware and the very best design, business, programming and art talks - many of them debuting for the first time at the show.

The submissions, from many of Europe and the world's leading companies, were evaluated over the past few weeks by the GDC Europe advisory board.

This active board is filled with practitioners and influencers from Europe's top game firms. Using GDC's custom-created submission system, each talk was rated multiple times by the advisory board and ranked.

Following this, a special in-person Advisory Board meeting took place in The Netherlands last week, talks were discussed and approved in person, and tens of submitted talks are in the process of being approved, with approvals and declines going out over the next couple of weeks.

Continue reading "GDC Europe sees 25% submission boost, adds Crytek, CD Projekt board members" »

Posted by Staff at 10:00 AM | Permalink

GDC Europe organizers are reminding that the call for submissions deadline is rapidly approaching, with all entries needed by Monday, April 22 at 11:59 PM PDT.

Those selected will present at the 2013 Game Developers Conference Europe, which will run Monday through Wednesday, August 19-21 at the Cologne Congress-Centrum Ost in Cologne, Germany.

Taking place ahead of Europe's leading 250,000-person gamescom trade fair, GDC Europe 2013 will again provide the essential pan-European perspective on what's hot - and not - in today's video game market, with in-depth talks packed with takeaway on the latest learning and trends.

Submissions are still being accepted for Main Conference tracks in Business, Marketing & Management, Design, Production, Programming, and Visual Arts.

Content submissions are also being accepted for the three Summits taking place during GDC Europe 2013: the Free to Play Design & Business Summit, the Smartphone & Tablet Games Summit and the Independent Games Summit.

Continue reading "Call for GDC Europe 2013 talks closes on Monday - submit now!" »

Posted by Staff at 11:03 AM | Permalink

The call for submissions to present lectures, roundtables, panels and poster sessions at the 2013 Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe) is now open through Monday, April 22.

Organized by UBM Tech Game Network, the event, now in its fifth year, will run Monday through Wednesday, August 19-21 at the Cologne Congress-Centrum Ost in Cologne, Germany.

Co-located and taking place alongside Europe's leading gamescom trade fair, GDC Europe 2013 will again provide the essential pan-European perspective of game development and business trends currently happening throughout the continent.

Submissions are being accepted for Main Conference tracks in Business, Marketing & Management, Design, Production, Programming, and Visual Arts. Organizers are looking for leading industry practitioners to propose lectures and panels with significant, applicable takeaways for today's video game community.

Content submissions are also being accepted for the three Summits taking place during GDC Europe 2013: the Free to Play Design & Business Summit, the Smartphone & Tablet Games Summit and the Independent Games Summit.

GDC Europe will continue to serve the pan-European game industry by gathering the world's leading game development professionals to discuss timely and relevant topics pertaining to current trends across platforms and industry disciplines.

Highlights from the 2012 event, which hosted more than 2,200 attendees, include the GDC Europe Classic Game Postmortem debut featuring the Nintendo 64's Golden Eye 007 creator Martin Hollis, a rich and detailed keynote talk given by Assassin's Creed III creative director Alexander Hutchinson and Dear Esther's Dan Pinchbeck offering valuable insights from lessons learned during the game's development.

Continue reading "GDC Europe 2013's call for talks now open until April 22" »

Posted by Staff at 7:51 AM | Permalink

[In her Bosslady Blog update for the 2013 cycle, Game Developers Conference events GM Meggan Scavio details the official code of conduct for GDC and all of its related events.]

As the General Manager of all GDC events, I've been looking closely at how we explain to attendees what is -- and is not -- allowed at our shows. So I would like to take a moment to remind you that offensive behavior of any kind will not be tolerated.

As GDC enters its 27th iteration, I want nothing more than for it to remain a place where everyone is welcome, treated equally, and leaves feeling as if it was a week well spent.

I also want people to enjoy themselves -- whether waiting in line for a session, visiting the expo floor, or partaking in drinks at a hotel bar or after-event party. I don't know about you, but I enjoy myself most when I am not being threatened, discriminated against, or fending off unwelcome advances. So don't do that.

And more importantly, if someone tells you that they are bothered by your behavior, stop doing it. As has been the case in the past -- but as we are making absolutely explicit now -- any Game Developers Conference attendee, speaker, press member, or exhibitor behaving offensively or found to be harassing others will have their GDC badge confiscated and be asked to leave. Depending on the severity of the offense, we may consider a multi-year ban from our shows.

All of this only works, of course if you report harassment immediately. Every GDC has a Show Office where you will always find a staff member willing to help. And I can always be reached by email at Meggan.Scavio@ubm.com, if you don't feel comfortable initiating a report face to face. But it's important that you tell us at the time of the incident while we are onsite and can do something about it.

Our GDC official code of conduct is modeled on Open Source Bridge's original. Let's work together to keep GDC an open and safe place for all.

Here is the official Game Developers Conference Code of Conduct.

Posted by Staff at 12:18 PM | Permalink

The 2012 Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe) saw more than 2,100 game industry professionals through its doors last week, breaking the event's previous attendance record.

Running from August 13-15, GDC Europe saw keynotes from industry leaders like Ubisoft Montreal's creative director Alex Hutchinson, CEO of Wargaming.net Victor Kislyi, and Epic Games senior engine programmer Niklas Smedberg.

In total, the event welcomed over 100 speakers, 65+ exhibitors and sponsors, and nearly 300 media representatives to Cologne, Germany.

Gamasutra was in Cologne last week covering everything GDC Europe had to offer, and all of our coverage can be found over on the GDC Europe dedicated page.

GDC organizer, UBM Technology's Game Network also announced the dates for next year's GDC Europe event. The conference will return to Cologne, Germany on August 19-21, 2013, and is once again co-located with 2013's Gamescom trade event (August 21-25.)

For more information on GDC Europe, visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS. GDC Europe is owned and operated by Gamasutra parent company UBM Technology.

Posted by Staff at 11:29 AM | Permalink

It's been many months in the making, but GDC Europe 2012 is starting this coming Monday in Cologne, Germany, and will feature a slew of exciting, must-see sessions for the European game development community.

Over the past several months, GDC organizers have announced major keynotes, panels, and presentations from the best and brightest in the game industry, and with so many talks lined up, this year's GDC Europe promises to be the most robust and varied yet.

And even though we're just days away from the event, GDC organizers are highlighting two recent additions to the show's lineup:

- The first talk comes from independent developers Martin Jonasson (Jesus vs. Dinosaurs) and Petri Purho (Crayon Physics), who will demonstrate some tricks that can help make your games more interesting to play. During the Independent Games Summit session closing out the show on Wednesday, the pair will spruce up a game live on stage, showing attendees exactly how these tips can benefit or enhance game design.

- In addition, Harald Riegler, CEO of the Australian studio Sproing (Silent Hunter Online, Panzer Tactics DS) will discuss the importance of company culture in his Business Track talk, offering tips on handling leadership, managing team dynamics, and creating a studio that works effectively as a single unit.

Of course, these new sessions are just two of the more recent additions to GDC Europe's extensive lineup. Here are some of the other notable talks to be held at next week's show:

Business, Marketing and Management Track

- Track Keynote: World of Free-to-Play - AAA by Wargaming.net (Victor Kislyi, Wargaming.net)
- Leveling Up Your AAA Game - BioWare's Post Release Content Insights (Fernando Melo, Bioware)
- Financing Options for Smaller Games (Nicholas Lovell, GAMESbrief; Patrick O'Luanaiagh, nDreams; Ciaran O'Leary, Earlybird; Jonathan Newth, Tenshi Ventures)

Production Track

- Passion for Entertainment: 10 years of Battlefield/20 Years of DICE (Karl Magnus Troedsson, DICE)
- Mafia II Postmortem (Jarek Kolar, 2K Czech)
- The Long Journey (Robin Hunicke, formerly of thatgamecompany)

Game Design Track

- Track Keynote: Assassin's Creed: Maintaining Momentum on a Blockbuster Franchise (Alex Hutchinson, Ubisoft Montreal)
- Ambiguity and Abstraction in Game Writing: Lessons from Dear Esther (Dan Pinchbeck, thechineseroom)
- Classic Postmortem: GoldenEye 007 (Martin Hollis, Zoomani)

Continue reading "GDC Europe 2012 details the top sessions for next week's show" »

Posted by Staff at 3:07 PM | Permalink

With just one day to go before online registration closes for GDC Europe, show organizers have revealed new details on a trio of upcoming sessions, featuring a behind the scenes look at Madfinger's Dead Trigger (pictured), a postmortem on Gree's Animal Days, and a panel covering the ins and outs of critical writing and reporting in the game industry.

These talks all fall within GDC Europe's Main Conference, which takes place Monday through Wednesday, August 13-15, 2012 at the Congress-Centrum Ost Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany.

Those looking to attend the show should act soon, as lower-cost online registration will close tomorrow, August 7 -- after that date, passes will only be available for purchase on-site.

And without further ado, here are the full details on the latest sessions to be announced for GDC Europe:

- As part of the Programming track, Madfinger Games CEO Marek Rabas and senior programmer Petr Benysek will host "Bringing Dead Trigger into Life," offering an inside look at how the team created its visually stunning mobile shooter. The pair will provide a step-by-step look at the game's production, detailing everything from AI behaviors, design decisions, performance optimization, and much more.

- Over in the Game Design track, Gree development manager Hiroyuki Haga will discuss some key mobile development lessons in "Animal Days Post-Mortem: Developing a City-Building Game That's Ready for Quick Content-Iteration." Using the just-released city-building mobile game as a reference, Haga will explain how Gree quickly generates game content, and maximizes the performance of all of its new releases.

- Also in the Game Design track is "How Gaming News Works: A Guided Tour," giving attendees a chance to learn about the past, present and future of critical writing and reporting in the game industry. While the session was first revealed earlier this year, the panel is now confirmed to consist of news writers including Alexander Sliwinski (Joystiq), Ben Gilbert (Joystiq), Pat Garratt (VG247), and Oliver Menne (Eurogamer).

Continue reading "GDC Europe details Dead Trigger, Gree talks, reminds on online registration" »

Posted by Staff at 3:37 PM | Permalink