With Pocket Gamer Connects x Game Connection America San Francisco coming up in a couple of weeks, we thought it was time to explore the 10-track conference schedule. This March 18th and 19th, more than 70 world-class expert speakers will bring you the hottest trends and latest innovations in the global games industry.
You’ll have access to two days of cutting-edge talks, seminars and panel discussions with some of the world’s leading authorities covering everything from monetization and growth strategies, to Web3, blockchain and the metaverse.
Don’t miss out on this unparalleled opportunity to meet and learn from some of the most exciting companies, brands and individuals in the games industry – tickets are available now.
Between now and when the venue doors open, we’ll share what each track is about, as well as the talented individuals that will lead the sessions.
The Global Trends track sponsored by Scuti
Monday, March 18th
Embark on a journey that spans across continents, as we present you with an expansive view of the games industry’s latest trends, facts, figures, and insights from around the world. Delve into the dynamic landscapes of both the East and the West, gaining a comprehensive understanding of regional nuances, market dynamics, and emerging opportunities.
Stay informed and inspired by the diverse and ever-evolving global games industry, ensuring you remain at the forefront of this thrilling and vibrant ecosystem.
09:30 Copyrights, Trademarks & Mobile Gaming
- Ethan Vodde, Attorney at Lee & Hayes, PC
Ethan Vodde is an intellectual property attorney who focuses on trademark, brand protection, copyright, and licensing. In addition to trademark and copyright prosecution, he represents clients in trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), as well as copyright litigation, privacy matters, and arbitration.
He consistently presents on trademark and copyright issues, both as a continuing legal education presenter and a panelist at ‘geek’ conventions, where he educates and informs authors, gamers, and devoted fans about intellectual property rights, infringement, and enforcement.
Ethan currently serves on the Washington State Bar Association Intellectual Property section executive committee. He is an active member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and is a subcommittee chair for INTA’s Young Practitioners Committee. Ethan is also proud to serve as an adjunct professor at Gonzaga University School of Law.
10:10 Zero Tax + Incentives: Turkiye’s Bold Leap Into Game Development
- Tugbek Olek, Co-Founder at Turkey Convoy Delegation
As Turkiye unfolds groundbreaking incentives and tempting deals, it’s clearly setting its sights on becoming Europe’s ultimate game development powerhouse. But the question remains: Will these lucrative offers be compelling to the global network of developers, publishers, and investors?
10:30 Bringing Discovery Back to Mobile Games
- Jong Woo, VP & Head of Game Services at Samsung Electronics
Organic business to app stores has decreased with smart save updating our phones automatically when we upgrade to a new device. Taking a quick scroll through an app store to find new games and experiences is outdated and overwhelming.
Today most mobile game discovery comes in the form of paid ads and that model doesn’t work for all game makers and publishers, especially not indies. And paid ads don’t guarantee the quality of a game. This makes it hard for people to find the games they want, with even more frustration when they download an app that doesn’t fit their needs.
Join Samsung’s VP and head of game services, Jong Woo, to learn how Gaming Hub for mobile uses game streaming to tailor content recommendations and put the powerful experience of discovery back into the hands of players and developers.
10:50 The UGC Gaming Takeover: Where are Roblox & Other UGC Platforms Headed?
- Joe Ferencz, CEO & Founder at Gamefam
Joe will delve into the complicated realm of User-Generated Content (UGC) in games, exploring how it empowers players to create gaming experiences that they enjoy and how brands can embrace player creations to push creative boundaries.
Join Joe Ferencz, CEO & Founder of Gamefam in conversation as they discuss the critical aspects of UGC game development, what works and what doesn’t on these platforms, the importance of player expression and representation within games, lessons learned from past building Gamefam into one of the gaming industry’s top startups, and which UGC gaming platforms he thinks will win in the end.
11:10 Great User Experiences vs. Successful Monetization: Perspectives From Industry Vets
- Eric Futoran, CEO & Co-Founder at Embrace
- Tyler Nation, VP of Product & BD at Backbone
- Eric Kress, Principal at Deconstructor of Fun
We all struggle with how to balance making a successfully monetizing game and improving what we as game lovers think of as great experiences.
After all, it’s not just enough to build a fun game. The constant state of building and rebuilding (new features, optimizations, characters, environments, and economies) and trading off features and stability (ANRs, SDKs, bugs, freezes) has its way of creating chaos within the code of the game. Throw in the additional complexity of successfully monetizing the game, and before you know it, engineers spend more time fixing things than they do being creative and shipping new features.
Eric Kress of Deconstructor of Fun will lead a discussion with Eric Futoran, who co-founded and built Scopely and now leads Embrace, alongside Tyler Nation, VP Product at Backbone who brings experience from 2K and more. They’ll have a frank discussion around learnings from a decade of building mobile games and helping mobile game leaders address make-or-break performance issues.’
Fringe events, parties and networking
As well as two full days of unmissable conference content, whether you’re a publisher, developer, investor or indie, we have seminars, roundtables, networking, fringe events and parties designed to give you a conference experience you won’t forget.
And in addition to all those amazing live opportunities, every one of our 750+ attendees gets full access to the event’s online meeting scheduler, MeetToMatch. As well as connecting you with decision makers from more than 350 companies, you can organise your appointments at the event itself.
