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9:45am
Alan McDermott Wushu StudiosJo Daly Wushu StudiosNigel Kershaw Wushu StudiosLeanne Bayley Atomhawk Advance9:45am - 10:30amSpace 2KEYNOTE: Come Together: Building a Positive and People-first Future for Game Development in the North West
Thursday 14th November9:45am - 10:30amSpace 2This session will explore how Wushu Studios strives to shape the future of development through a people-first approach, and a positive company culture. We’ll discuss how leadership is being reimagined in the studio, the value and challenges of collaboration post-COVID, and the benefits and pitfalls of co-development. Wushu Studios and the North West of England are fast becoming a beacon for forward-thinking game development in the UK, setting new standards for the industry.
Host: Leanne Bayley, Atomhawk
10:45am
Dr Jackie Mulligan Game RepublicNina Roussakoff LovewishAndrew Crawshaw ThunkdStuart Dinsey CurveDes Gayle Altered Gene10:45am - 11:30amSpace 1Panel: Running a Studio in Turbulent Times
Thursday 14th November10:45am - 11:30amSpace 1Hosted by Game Republic's Jackie Mulligan, a panel of experienced games studio leaders discuss running a games company in a difficult market and how you can overcome those challenges. Attendees will learn ways to navigate through difficult market situations, communicate with staff in uncertain times, adapt to quickly changing circumstances, work on different strategies to maximise your studio's profitability and not only survive but thrive as a games studio.
Claire Bromley Criterion Studios10:45am - 11:30amSpace 8When and How Best to Lean into External Partners
Thursday 14th November10:45am - 11:30amSpace 8In this session I will share my experience of being an internal/external Producer and working Co-Dev navigating through the common pitfalls when working with external partners. I'll share some successes too. So don’t learn the hard way, this talk will help you avoid mistakes and give you tips on how to form long lasting partner relationships.
Session Takeaway
- Sharing my learnings from over a decades experience
- Common pitfalls
- Best processes
- The most important things to get right
12:45pm
Daniel Susser Embodied Agility12:45pm - 1:30pmSpace 7Build Better Games, Faster, Cheaper and Easier with Scrum
Thursday 14th November12:45pm - 1:30pmSpace 7Building a game relies on a high performing team. Bringing people from different disciplines together to create a great player experience whilst keeping costs and frustrations low is challenging. Agile and Scrum can be a guide to success, but many in the gaming industry have never seen them used effectively, leading to more command and control, micromanagement and ultimately less delivery of value.
In this session Daniel will cover the essentials of Agile and Scrum, giving you the practical and theoretical grounding to build a better team to develop better games faster, cheaper, and more easily.
By the end of this talk you’ll be able to ditch the painful one hour standup, the micromanaging status updates, the burdensome project management spreadsheets and the exhausting running around checking up on everyone.
Instead you’ll be on the path to having an aligned team who understand the product vision and the delivery plan, trusting the team to get on with what they do best, removing blockers and obstacles and feeling like you’re all in it together whilst building a fantastic player experience.
Session Takeaway
• Why self-organising, empowered and aligned teams create better products
• How to use Scrum to manage the team and the project more easily
• Ideas for small changes to your ways of working that could make a big difference2:15pm
Ben Board Epic Games2:15pm - 3:00pmSpace 7EULA and Moolah: Unreal Royalties Explained
Thursday 14th November2:15pm - 3:00pmSpace 7If you build your business on Unreal it's vital to understand how the EULA affects you. In this talk Epic Games Business Development Director Ben Board will explain Unreal's royalties and licensing, our new seat-based subscription for non-game industries, and how they fit in the greater Epic Games ecosystem of software and services. Did you know you can save fifty thousand bucks just by filling in a form?
Session Takeaway
- How to calculate the royalties on an Unreal game
- The steps to take before you ship a UE game
- What to discuss with a publisher before signing a deal
- How to pay a lower royalty, or remove it completely
3:15pm
Alison Lacy Liverpool Games BoardPhil Owen d3tClemens Wangerin Digital AdvisorsCaroline White Creative Industries SpecialistTom Owens University of Liverpool3:15pm - 4:00pmSpace 1Panel: Thrive in ‘35
Thursday 14th November3:15pm - 4:00pmSpace 1The industry is still in survival mode. But this panel attempts to look beyond the current state of the industry, and imagine the North's game development community in ten years.
What could we start to put in place - right now - if we wanted to be a true global development superpower?
What skills do the schools and universities need to start teaching? What have we learned post-Covid that we can apply strategically? What might co-dev look like? What are the next steps for DE&I? What would we like to see from Government? etc.
Not an exercise in 'prediction', but a group discussion of long-term planning and strategy, largely agnostic to specific trends, business models, game types etc.
Members of the LCR Games Board convene to discuss in a 45 minute session, hosted by Alison Lacy.4:15pm
Andy Coley Game Studio Training4:15pm - 5:00pmSpace 8Leadership is a Skill, NOT a Position
Thursday 14th November4:15pm - 5:00pmSpace 8"Leadership is a Skill, NOT a Position" is an engaging session designed by Andy Coley. This talk challenges traditional notions of leadership, emphasising that true leadership is defined by skills and mindset and not just hierarchical status. Whether you are new to a leadership role or who have been in a senior positions for a long time, the session delves into the essential qualities that constitute effective leadership.
Andy explores the concept that everyone, regardless of their job title, has the potential to be a leader. He focuses on the importance of developing core leadership skills like communication, empathy, resilience, and the ability to inspire and motivate teams. These skills are crucial in adapting to and thriving in today's fast-paced work environments.
Participants will gain insight into how leadership is not confined to those at the top of an organisational chart. Instead, it's about influencing and guiding others, making strategic decisions, and fostering a positive, productive workplace culture. Andy's talk promises to be interactive and thought-provoking, providing attendees with practical strategies to enhance their leadership capabilities.
This session is not just a lecture but a transformative experience. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how to cultivate their leadership abilities, apply them effectively in their roles, and drive meaningful change in their Studios. "Leadership is a Skill, NOT a Position" is ideal for anyone looking to elevate their leadership skills, regardless of their current role or level of experience.
Andy will be sharing case studies and insights from the work he’s been doing with Wushu Studios, Supermassive Games and many more.
Session Takeaway
- Techniques to develop essential leadership qualities through key leadership skills such as empathy, effective communication, and resilience, crucial for any role in the Studio.
- Strategies for fostering a positive work culture by learning how to apply leadership skills to create a motivating and productive environment, enhancing team performance and studio output.
- Adapting leadership skills effectively by applying the appropriate leadership qualities in the right way, for the relevant person at the appropriate stage of the project.
