Interview

Speaker Spotlight: PlayEveryWare’s Zak Whaley on why Seattle is a hotbed of innovation

Why is Seattle the perfect place for games innovation? Find out when PG Connects visits the city next week

Speaker Spotlight: PlayEveryWare’s Zak Whaley on why Seattle is a hotbed of innovation

Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle is less than one week away. Are you ready to hear from a stellar lineup of expert speakers?

On May 9th to 10th, the leading games industry conference returns to the US for the first time since 2019 for two days of insight sharing, debate making and thought provoking panels, seminars, keynotes and more. Alongside the fantastic schedule, there are plenty of networking opportunities each attendee can take advantage of to meet our expert speakers or other industry professionals.

In the build up to the conference and to give you a sneak preview of what to expect, we are spotlighting some of the leading authorities in the games industry that are sharing their wisdom next week.

We spoke with Zak Whaley in today’s spotlight. Whaley is the director of engineering at PlayEveryWare, a c-development studio which works on titles like Among Us and with partners like Epic Games and Riot Games.

Join us at PG Connects Seattle on May 9th to 10th to hear Whaley discuss how Seattle is a fantastic area of innovation, while exploring the future of games technology.

PocketGamer.biz: Please give us a summary of what you’re speaking about and why it’s important

Zak Whaley: I am speaking on panels about the future of game technology and why Seattle is a hotbed of innovation. These topics reflect on and describe the shape of our industry both globally and locally.

What is the most overhyped trend from the last 12 months - and why?

NFTs, but not for the reason you may think. I think that NFTs are one of the simplest forms of smart contracts and have situationally obscured the true potential of what machinery is possible in the crypto space.

Tell us your thoughts on the metaverse

I believe the metaverse has been with us all along. It is not a thing anyone can own; it is a set of protocols and a network of participants leveraging them. It is a view on the Internet which may include new methods of interacting with it such as mixed reality.

When not making/selling/playing games, what do you do to relax?

I like to Lindy Hop to live Swing and Jazz at Swing-It Seattle!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received that you can pass on to others?

Be the dumbest person you know. As you are the average of those who you surround yourself with, keep building your network with better and smarter people.

What sessions/speakers (apart from your own) are you planning to attend?

Renee Gittins' talk on sharpening your toolset.

Meet the experts in-person

There’s no place like Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle to connect with incredible industry leaders like Zak Whaley. Don’t miss out on attending our West Coast conference next week – you can secure your spot now and get ready to network with the games industry as the meeting platform is live.