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Wargaming, FunPlus, NCSOFT, Bandai Namco and Niantic confirmed to speak at Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle 2020

Second outing’s speaker roster already shaping up for something special

Wargaming, FunPlus, NCSOFT, Bandai Namco and Niantic confirmed to speak at Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle 2020

Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle returns for its second edition this May 11th and 12th - and the speaker lineup is already shaping up for something special.

Joining us in the States are some of the very best speakers in the games industry, covering all aspects of gaming, plus a new addition to our conference series for 2020 - Big Screen Gaming!

We’re excited to reveal more details about the show in the coming months, so make sure you stay tuned.

But for now, here are your first speakers for Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle!

L-R: Joe Santos, Lidi Giroux, Konstantin Ramenskii, Yan Perng

Industry Visions and Values

Our panel of experts show how budding companies can attract and keep the right talent with awesome company culture

Company culture is an important factor in running a successful company, as it helps recruit the finest talent in the industry. BOSi USA’s Director of Sales Joe Santos, East Side Games’ Communications Manager Lidi Giroux, LBC Studios’ CEO Solon Bucholtz and Cat&Cat Games’ Founder Konstantin Ramenskii feature on a panel which shows budding companies how to attract and keep the right talent through awesome company culture. Nathan Blair, CEO of Games For Love talks about giving back to the community.

East Side Games’ Community Manager Lucas Cochran, with a panel of other experts, discuss the power of community management.

NCSOFT’s Senior Corporate Counsel Yan Perng, Big Fish Games’ Director Karin Hansen and kidSAFE Seal Program’s Founder & President Shai Samet look at digital media for children, with a focus on privacy, advertising and developer guidelines on a panel.

L-R: Tayber Voyer, Jim Ying, Ed Fries, Shanti Bergel

Trends and Monetisation

A Thinking Ape’s Director of Product Tayber Voyer features on a panel of experts looking at designing for the best monetisation according to the latest trends. Rogue Games’ Business Development Director Scott Prather looks at which monetisation method is best for your game.

Scott Prather looks at which monetisation method is best for your game

CV Capital’s Managing Director; Digital Entertainment Jim Ying discusses with a panel the growth of mergers & acquisitions, while looking at both Western and Eastern giants.

General Partner of 1UP Ventures Ed Fries discusses Venture funds and the state of the games industry. NBC Universal’s EVP, Games and Digital Platforms Chris Heatherly also looks at the state of the games market in his own session, while FTX Games CEO Casey Dickinson talks about how what happened in the last 12 months in the industry isn’t going to last on a panel.

Wargaming’s Chief Corporate Development Officer Sean Lee and FunPlus’ Executive Vice President Shanti Bergel unite for a panel which will look at preparing your company for investment.

L-R: William Simmons, Kaley Hurst, Karim Farghaly, Laura Warner

Esports and XR

Patrick Barthe focuses on the role of influencers in breaking new esports

Esports is a rapidly growing market in the games industry, and there is still so much to come. Estars Studios’ Vice President of Operations David Lee, Raise Your Game Esports’ Head of Development William Simmons, Orange Rock Studios’ Marketing and Public Relations Manager Kaley Hurst and Bandai Namco’s Director of Business Development Karim Farghaly discuss how to unlock the full potential of esports on a panel.

Atomic’s Patrick Barthe, Director of Esports Partnerships, looks at the role of influencers in breaking new esports, while eFuse’s Director of Operations Tom Newton discusses working with brands in the esports sphere.

Evangelist of The Incubator NC Thomas Lee and LookIt’s President Spencer Hunt co-host a session on immersive technology, while Niantic’s Game Designer Laura Warner gives a lesson in AR game design.

L-R: Daniel McLaren, Amy Dallas, Kate Edwards, Michael Chang

More wonderful talking heads

Pocket Gamer Connects hosts a huge variety of panels and seminars offering amazing insight and exchange of views from every angle. These topics can range from company culture, live ops discussion, thoughts on indies and much more.

Below is a list of more speakers taking part in such panels - and we’re adding more names daily:

  • ArenaNet, Daniel McLaren, Senior Manager of Live Operations
  • CluctchPlay Games, Amy Dallas, CEO
  • Geogrify/The Global Game Jam, Kate Edwards, CEO/Executive Director
  • NCSOFT, Michael Chang, SVP, Corporate Development
  • Paranoid Productions, Richard Rouse III, Owner, Creative Director

Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle is set to make an incredible return

Save up to $375 with our Super Early Bird Prices!

After the success of last year’s Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle, we decided to make the wonderful city our Northern American home. The event in May will attract 750 industry professionals from all around the world for two days of conference talks, seminars, panels, pitches, networking, showcases and more.

And with our free online meeting scheduler, you can connect and organise meetings with any one of them - including our speakers - without paying any extra fees!

Alongside the 17 tracks where our speakers will share their expert insight, we run a host of fringe events that are great networking opportunities, so make sure you don’t miss out:

Book now and save up to $375

Make sure you grab your ticket now to save up to $375 with our Super Early Bird prices for Pocket Gamer Connects and Big Screen Gaming Seattle. Book now!

Events Writer

Charlie is the Events Writer at PocketGamer.biz

You can catch him on Twitter @CharlieScowen_ talking about anything gaming, TV or football related whilst also sharing too many memes.