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Unity, Microsoft, Crazy Labs and Bidstack confirmed to speak at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #2

With our second online-only conference only two weeks away, the speaker roster is nearing its final form. Read on to see who you’ll be learning from next month

Unity, Microsoft, Crazy Labs and Bidstack confirmed to speak at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #2

Wow, it’s come around so quick! In just two weeks, Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #2 goes live during the week of Monday, June 8 to Friday, June 12 and we’re close to finalising the full speaker lineup.

Following the success of our first online conference, over 1,000 industry professionals from around the world will log onto their computers to hear from more than 200 of the world’s leading authorities in the games industry on 10 themed conference tracks.

Each track will be streamed live, recorded and be made available on demand, so you can interact with our speakers during their talks through our Q&As or catch up at a later time if you can’t quite make the stream.

We've already announced some incredible companies that will appear at the event, from Wargaming, Square Enix and THQ Nordic, to Tencent, King, Sega Europe, NCSOFT and more.

But for now, you can enjoy this next amazing list of expert speakers who will be sharing their insight with you. Read on to find out who you will be hearing from at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #2 this June:

L-R: Rotem Eldor, Louise Shorthouse, Petri Hyökyranta, Charlotte Cook

The Art of Publishing, plus Industry Visions & Values

Emory Irpan takes a look at the impact of COVID-19 in the games industry, while Louise Shorthouse looks at the games business during and after this global crisis

As publishing is a key topic at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #2, we’ve invited some of the industry’s top speakers in the publishing sphere to our lineup, including Crazy Labs’ Publishing Manager Rotem Eldor, as he presents his case study on publishing as well as appearing on a round-table discussion which aims to give advice to developers looking to approach publishers. Skystone Games’ CEO Bill Wang points out putting the developer first, from veterans to indie publisher.

The current global situation has most certainly affected our normal way of life. Unity’s Head of Publisher Operations’ Emory Irpan takes a look at the impact of COVID-19 in the games industry. Omdia’s Games Industry Analyst Louise Shorthouse looks at the games business during and after the COVID-19 crisis.

Kukouri Mobile Entertainment’s CEO Kim Soares, Bidstack’s VP Gaming Charlotte Cook, Rovio’s CTO Petri Hyökyranta and Kunlun Korea’s General Manager Sean Lim come together for a panel discussion on how lockdown has unlocked the games industry.

Space Ape Games’ Content Marketing Deborah Mensah-Bonsu delivers a keynote speech on how the games industry is signing up to play its part for the planet. Rebellion’s Talent Acquisition Manager Eamonn Vann-Harris also hosts a keynote on building the right team, as well as appearing on a round-table discussion looking at the best practices for world-class recruitment. Unicorn Pirates Studio’s CEO Nikolina Zidar appears on a panel which talks through maintaining your culture while working remotely.

L-R: Deborah Mensah-Bonsu, Eamonn Vann-Harris, Crystin Cox, Patrick McGrath

Live Ops, Esports and new platforms

At Pocket Gamer Connects, we aim to deliver an incredible lineup of industry experts for you to learn from. We are delighted to announce that Microsoft’s Director of Live Operations at Xbox Game Studios Publishing Crystin Cox will be sharing her thoughts on when is the right time to start thinking, testing and delivering live ops with Wooga’s Product Lead Patrick McGrath and a panel. Cox also appears on another panel with GamePoint’s Live Ops Manager Wouter Schrijvershof and Fundamentally Games’ Chief of Curiosity Oscar Clark where they discuss how to plan a recurring series of activities indefinitely in live ops. Oscar Clark also features on several fireside chats, demystifying live ops and discussing workflow tricks for growing teams.

James ‘JinHo’ Yang delivers his superstar session on how mobile esports is driving diversity

We're excited to hear from Tencent’s Director of PUBG Mobile Global Esports’ James ‘JinHo’ Yang as he delivers his superstar session on how mobile esports is driving diversity. Esportz Entertainment Corp’s Jay ‘Luna’ Hunter and Esports Nigeria’s President Emmanuel Oyelakin, with a panel, look at how esports is filling the gap of the Olympics.

Superba AR’s CEO Raffael Dickreuter looks at how films, games and social media are merging using AR technology. Tadhg Kelly leads his session on designing engaging VR & AR games. As the games industry evolves, new platforms emerge. Abylight Studios’ Communications Manager Orchidee Stachelig showcases their 3D puzzle adventure game for Apple Watch, while showing you how you can do it too.

Robot Cache’s EVP Business Development Philippe Erwin and Dimoso’s CEO Jacki Vause, with a panel, highlight some of the best practices for keeping your PC game relevant.

Kast’s Country Manager Max Sjöblom focuses his session on getting the best out of your influencer relationships. Splash Damage’s PR and Events Manager Leanne Peppiatt, Aquiris Game Studio’s Partner Business Director Sandro Mandredini and Big Pixel Studios’ Studio Operations Manager Georgina Felce discuss how to inspire the next generation of talents.

L-R: James 'JinHo' Yang, Orchidee Stachelig, Emmanuel Oyelakin, Jacki Vause

Monetisation and tools for your games

FRAG Games’ Business Director Zaair Hussain and GamesGroup’s Product Manager Jan Spaeth discuss how monetisation can make your game more fun with a panel. RocketRide Games’ Business Development Manager Michelle Brandstetter features on a panel which looks at what you can do in the inevitable decline of ad revenue. Mediatel’s SMS Manager Daniela Ganick highlights alternative billing solutions and how to monetise SMS traffic in her session.

James Draper talks through a new era of advertising for your game

Toplitz Productions’ CEO Matthias Wuensche walks through the evolution of dynasty games. Mediatonic Games’ Senior Game Designer Arran Topalian demystifies the development of games we play together.

Red Hill Games’ Senior UA Manager Gus Viegas appears on a panel where they discuss what success looks like in user acquisition. Dovetail Games’ VP Publishing Lizzie Wilding looks at the latest techniques for innovating in user acquisition and retention with a panel.

Leading his own superstar session, Bidstack’s CEO James Draper talks through a new era of advertising for your game, while also appearing on a panel alongside Doppio Games’ CEO Jeferson Valadares where they will discuss what will inspire the next big thing in games. Bidstacks’ CRO Lewis Sherlock will also feature at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #2, as he looks at why brands are getting into gaming.

Funday Factory’s Product Manager & Partner Emil Kjaehr discusses with a panel some of the best ways to use tools to bring data into design, while Freelance Game UX Consultant Celia Hodent shows you how you can build your games’ UX strategy using a scientific approach.

L-R: Zaair Hussain, Michelle Brandstetter, James Draper, Celia Hodent

Book now

Discounts: Book your virtual place at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #2 now and save up to $125 with our Mid-Term prices. But be quick, these discounts end at midnight TOMORROW, May 27. Hurry and book now!

Indies: Because we know that indie developers have been hardest hit by the current global situation, we've reserved a selection of free tickets for small studios. If you think you qualify, please apply now.

Jobseekers: To support jobseekers during the COVID-19 crisis, we’re launching the first ever Pocket Gamer Connects Careers Week. As part of this initiative, we're making a number of jobseeker tickets available free to people currently out of work and looking for a new role. Are you out of work and looking for the next step in your career? Then sign up now using this form.

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.