Glen Schofield
Sledgehammer Games
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Glen Schofield","company":"Sledgehammer Games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/20E61A03-1E68-11E6-37A2-3D5BF826F357.jpg","titles":"Dead Space, CoD:MW3, CoD::WW2","TalkName":"Inspiring Creativity by Glen Schofield","TalkDescription":"Glen is an extremely passionate developer whose enthusiastic energy can inspire those around him. He\u2019ll discuss new ideas mixed in with entertaining stories from his career. He\u2019ll talk about inspirations for creating exciting new worlds and then filling those worlds with interesting characters and mechanics. Glen will enthusiastically talk about some of his big ideas, creating ideas on a deadline. Join Glen as he encourages and inspires the next generation of game makers & creative leaders","description":"Glen Schofield is an American Video Game Director, GM, Designer Artist. He has shipped over 30 titles and Directed 10 games. He founded two studios- Sledgehammer Games and Striking Distance Studios. He has created many new IP\u2019s including Dead Space, The Callisto Protocol, CoD: Advanced Warfare, Mad Dash Racing , Akuji the Heartless and DisneyWorld Racing . He\u2019s created, written and Directed completely new sequels such as CoD: MW3, CoD:WW2, Blood Omen 2, Godfather 2 and James Bond.","jobTitle":"Game Director, Founder, Entrepreneur","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"10:45 - 11:35","AllSpeakers":"","CompanyLogo":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/E08DD143-56CA-ABC0-B394-217853293997.png"}
Mike Morasky
Valve Software
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Mike Morasky","company":"Valve Software","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/7563AC0D-28A0-E521-9D2B-DCC157DC1A5C.jpg","titles":"Left 4 Dead Series, Portal Series, Counter-Strike","TalkName":"The Power of Music Design","TalkDescription":"A discussion of the many uses and value of using music as a design tool in video game design and branding.","description":"Mike Morasky has been a composer, audio artist and game developer at Valve Software for 20 years. He has worked on every game Valve has released in that time period including Team Fortress 2, the Left 4 Dead series, the Portal series, DotA 2, the Counter-Strike series and Half-Life: Alyx. His contributions have included acting as audio lead, creating Source 2's next gen audio systems, introducing music packs to Counter-Strike economy and of course composing many iconic game soundtracks.","jobTitle":"Senior Audio Artist","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":"","CompanyLogo":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/91CAF68F-7338-07E4-44A0-D5D048BB3427.png"}
Kate Edwards
Geogrify / SetJetters
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Kate Edwards","company":"Geogrify \/ SetJetters","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/A3EA6FE3-083A-7E12-AF6A-00E7895D0A87.jpg","titles":"Age of Empires, Dragon Age, Halo","TalkName":"Allegorical Distance: The Challenge Of Creating Cultures In Games","TalkDescription":"We've all experienced great game worlds that display a rich in-game culture or present a real-world culture, past or present. Game creators use their inspiration from real-world experiences, but this often leads to unintentional mistakes - such as cultural appropriation. The key to managing this challenge is understanding to concept of \u201callegorical distance\u201d - the degree to which your in-game implementation of culture is different from real-world inspirations.","description":"Kate Edwards is an award-winning 30+ year veteran of the game industry, and the CEO and principal consultant of Geogrify, a consultancy which innovated game culturalization, as well as the CXO and Co-Founder of SetJetters, a film tourism app. She is also the former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and the Global Game Jam. In addition to serving in several board and advisory roles, she is a geographer, writer, and corporate strategist.","jobTitle":"CEO \/ CXO & Cofounder","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"12:00 - 12:50","AllSpeakers":"","CompanyLogo":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/D0A6B556-355B-B8B4-859A-638F471C0C33.png"}
Ilya Voulis
Larian Studios
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Ilya Voulis","company":"Larian Studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/A83F2D63-F194-CA91-DFC0-3F227D1F0B56.jpg","titles":"Divinity: Original Sin 2; Baldur's Gate 3","TalkName":"Baldur's Gate 3 Origins: The Art and Science of \"What if?\"","TalkDescription":"This talk describes the development of two Baldur's Gate 3 Origins from the scripter's perspective. It focuses, in particular, on how defensive design allows us to support the many options the game offers the players.","description":"Across two 9 years and two projects as a scripter at Larian Studios, Ilya Voulis has been on the intersection of many disciplines as he has worked on various Origin stories, quest lines, and puzzles.","jobTitle":"Senior Scripter","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"12:00 - 12:50","AllSpeakers":"","CompanyLogo":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/E1E90B24-68CF-8FF3-6173-2622C9E22655.png"}
Mathieu Muller
Unity Technologies
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Mathieu Muller","company":"Unity Technologies","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/B080E705-DD73-46DC-8AB2-E6ED51AD56F6.jpg","titles":"Unity HDRP\/URP\/VFX","TalkName":"The Power Of Unity 6's Graphics Engine","TalkDescription":"Discover what can be achieved with the latest evolution of Unity\u2019s graphics engine in Unity 6!","description":"Leading Unity\u2019s Graphics Engine product strategy, a specialist in real-time technologies and graphics, with over 23 years of experience as a developer and product manager in the gaming, VFX, animation, simulation, and manufacturing industries. After spending the first 12 years working on aircraft simulators, artificial intelligence for games, and game middleware, spent the past 10 years both driving the Unity roadmap and helping studios of all industries across the world to use real-time 3D.","jobTitle":"Lead Graphics Product Manager","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"13:30 - 14:20","AllSpeakers":"","CompanyLogo":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/A70E950A-F55A-194D-0957-E1D3C762D73A.png"}
Simon Vanhauwaert
Unity Technologies
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Simon Vanhauwaert","company":"Unity Technologies","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/E5820E8E-12D3-1CAF-3D7A-B5679902F3EF.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Performance Tips & Tricks with Unity","TalkDescription":"Join Simon in this session where he will cover some best practices and tools that can be used to investigate frequently seen performance issues in Unity projects, and how to potentially avoid or resolve them.","description":"As a Senior Partner Engineer at Unity, Simon brings over a decade of experience in the gaming and gambling industry to help studios succeed. His diverse skillset ranges from crafting engaging gameplay and UI to architecting efficient Unity frameworks and editor tools. Today, Simon focuses on understanding the unique technical challenges faced by studios and delivering tailored solutions that leverage the full potential of the Unity engine.","jobTitle":"Senior Partner Engineer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Daniel Vávra
Warhorse Studios
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Daniel V\u00e1vra","company":"Warhorse Studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/4183959D-E4A7-8D19-D5FE-1BFA86D445F5.jpg","titles":"Mafia, Kingdom Come","TalkName":"Mona Lisa Of User Interfaces","TalkDescription":"Kingdom Come 2 has a completely redesigned user interface that took us several years to develop, is almost entirely in 3D, and is so complex that it took as long to develop as a small game. Let's take a look at how it went from first design to final implementation.","description":"Daniel V\u00e1vra is a Czech video game writer, director, designer and co-founder of Warhorse Studios. He is best known as the lead writer of the video games Mafia (2002), Mafia II (2010) and Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018) and upcoming Kingdom Come 2.","jobTitle":"Creative Director","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":"","CompanyLogo":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/2A07EDF7-D2E3-74B5-A4CE-D84DC05CC37B.png"}
Paweł Miechowski
11 bit studios
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Pawe\u0142 Miechowski","company":"11 bit studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/9C1740F0-BE89-F7CA-A5FF-BD5633B777D5.jpg","titles":"This War of Mine, Frostpunk Series","TalkName":"The Phenomenon Of Emotions (In Games, But Not Only)","TalkDescription":"Emotions are with people since thousands of years. We \"utilize\" them naturally or watch how others percept them. For a reason, it's hard to live without them and very hard when one overdoses them. Let me talk about this phenomenon from a perspective of a person that is working on and selling pop-culture. After all, games are largely about emotions. This talk aims at - hopefully - better understanding of what emotions are, how to process them and use in games and ideally - in life.","description":"Pawel Miechowski - he's been working on games since late 90s (The Prince and The Coward) at Metropolis Software until 2007. From 2007 to 2009 at CD Projekt and then from 2010 at 11 bit studios. In early years a tester, later a writer, eventually working on the PR and marketing side, yet with much love for the creative work for games. Some beloved projects from the career include: The Prince and The Coward, Gorky 17, Infernal, Anomaly series, This War of Mine, Frostpunk series, Children of Morta.","jobTitle":"Communications & brand partnerships expert","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"13:30 - 14:20","AllSpeakers":"","CompanyLogo":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/FEF980D7-9C9B-8F0C-8D7F-7DFD90E0A05F.png"}
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Andr\u00e9 Bragason","company":"CCP Games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/530BFAFF-EA2C-5F09-7974-079E085C11B9.jpg","titles":"EVE Online","TalkName":"Reigniting Stars: A Decade Of Vfx In 'Eve Online'","TalkDescription":"Come learn (what we've learned) during a decade of work on EVE Online's real-time VFX, creating Missile Impacts, Stars, Volumetric Clouds, FX State Machines, Huge Explosions, Volumetric Caustics, and much much more. How the problems we faced shaped tool improvements on the long road to making modern dynamic, reactive, and viscerally pleasing visual effects & game experiences for an MMORPG that's now in its third decade of live operations. Plus, see some neat tips and tricks for VFX","description":"Andr\u00e9 Bragason is the Lead VFX Artist for EVE Online, with 17 years experience working on massively multiplayer games, and a decade of experience in crafting real-time visual effects. He is known for his work on EVE's explosions, volumetric clouds, and for pushing dynamic, reactive and impactful visuals in the pursuit of a more modern and immersive gameplay experience.","jobTitle":"Lead VFX Artist","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":"","CompanyLogo":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/885C6E32-E8F7-E557-A1C1-ECBFD288D73D.png"}
Maria Burns Ortiz
Global Game Jam
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Maria Burns Ortiz","company":"Global Game Jam","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/19C8C13E-C289-2325-D890-94E833283398.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Making Games For Good","TalkDescription":"Think about how many times a person will play a video game level over again just to see incremental improvement. Imagine leveraging that persistence, resilience, and desire to excel and applying it to other areas of daily lives, from learning math and language preservation to quitting smoking and debunking propaganda. This session will explore how serious games are being used to transform industries, how games professionals can use their skills to create them, and how studios are funding them.","description":"Maria Burns Ortiz is the executive director of Global Game Jam, which organizes the world's largest game-creation event. Previous to GGJ, she was co-founder and CEO of 7 Generation Games, an educational video game company, where she led 30+ games from concept to commercialization.","jobTitle":"Executive Director","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Marek Rosa
Keen Software House, GoodAI
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Marek Rosa","company":"Keen Software House, GoodAI","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/08C81DD2-8CB1-2C37-669A-A45D6E604FFA.jpg","titles":"Space Engineers, VRAGE3 engine, AI People","TalkName":"VRAGE3: The Next-Gen Voxel Engine for Space Engineers","TalkDescription":"VRAGE3 builds on VRAGE2's success (5M+ Space Engineers copies sold), redefining voxel game engines. Written in C# and .NET with DirectX 12, it uniquely supports massive dynamic, destructible environments with planet-to-space transitions. Features include a 25cm grid, 100km planets, volumetric water, and raytraced global illumination. With Havok 2023 and advanced multi-threading, it excels in performance. The presentation ends with a sneak peek at Keen Software House's new game.","description":"Marek Rosa is the founder and CEO of GoodAI and Keen Software House, started in 2010, and best known for its best-seller Space Engineers with over 5 million copies sold and 4th largest Workshop on Steam.\r\nBoth companies now have over 100 engineers, researchers, artists, and game developers.\r\nMarek's primary focus includes Space Engineers, the VRAGE3 engine, the AI People game, long-term memory systems (LTM), an LLM-powered personal assistant with LTM named Charlie Mnemonic, and the Groundstation","jobTitle":"Founder\/CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"11:00 - 11:50","AllSpeakers":"","CompanyLogo":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/1EB78AFB-DEE9-F518-B278-DE06C9539894.png"}
Jarek Kolář
INGAME STUDIOS
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Jarek Kol\u00e1\u0159","company":"INGAME STUDIOS","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/ED2187D4-5ACF-1E66-D04A-B81E465043F0.jpg","titles":"Crime Boss, Vietcong, Mafia 2","TalkName":"From Concept to Comeback: The Evolution of Crime Boss","TalkDescription":"The talk covers the process of transforming a video game concept into a successful product, from idea inception and iterating the vision to creating prototypes and overcoming development challenges like missed deadlines and a buggy release. Despite poor initial reviews, regular updates over 18 months ultimately turned the Crime Boss: Rockay City into a well-reviewed success.","description":"Jarek Kol\u00e1\u0159 is a veteran game producer and designer with over 30 years of experience, specializing in leadership and management. Jarek is skilled in guiding creative teams and optimizing the development process to achieve clear goals. With a diverse background working on various games (such as Vietcong or Mafia 2), Jarek leads INGAME STUDIOS, the team behind Crime Boss: Rockay City.","jobTitle":"CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"14:30 - 15:20","AllSpeakers":"","CompanyLogo":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/0BC0757D-CD0F-7448-BEC9-D7B9C8ED1139.png"}
Viktor Bocan
Warhorse Studios
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Viktor Bocan","company":"Warhorse Studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/9E9FDDA6-36D5-DF37-3791-904304C2134E.jpg","titles":"Operation Flashpoint, Kingdom Come: Deliverance","TalkName":"Invisible Design","TalkDescription":"When designing a large open-world RPG, you face the challenge of creating inherently complex systems in a way that doesn\u2019t overwhelm or intimidate players. Behind straightforward mechanics \u2014 such as an NPC kicking the player out of their room \u2014 lies a fascinating web of interconnected elements. Let\u2019s take a look at how we approached these aspects in Kingdom Come 2.","description":"Game designer with over 30 years of experience \u2014 from small adventure games to groundbreaking titles like Operation Flashpoint, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and KCD 2, with smaller platforms like the Nintendo DS and mobile phones explored along the way. Passionate gamer, avid reader, and occasional writer.","jobTitle":"Design Director","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Petr Poláček
INGAME STUDIOS
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Petr Pol\u00e1\u010dek","company":"INGAME STUDIOS","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/321588FA-CD0A-C5BF-36EE-A1E5A3D1EBC6.jpg","titles":"DayZ, Way of the Hunter, Arma, Crime Boss","TalkName":"Your Grandma Is Marketing","TalkDescription":"This talk\/workshop is intended for anyone interested in understanding what marketing is really about. It\u2019s for marketers, publishers, community managers, and all developers (both small and large) who are rethinking their processes. They will likely be surprised by what is necessary to properly market and publish their games\u2014what needs to be done, why it matters, and when to do it.","description":"A video game nomad based in Prague, with my mind all over the world and my heart and hands in Bratislava and Brno (Ingame Studios). I've been writing about games for magazines and websites for a quarter of a century, helping to build platforms for Seznam, Burda, and Tiscali. Together with my colleagues, we create LEVEL magazine. For nearly two decades, I've also been involved in game development in various roles\u2014from community management to marketing, publishing, bizdev, design, and QA.","jobTitle":"Publishing coordinator","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 2","TalkTime":"14:30 - 15:20","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Johanna Pirker","company":"TU Graz","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/E878A51F-FFA1-528C-6AC6-BA729BD11C7C.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Twitch for Game Developers","TalkDescription":"In this talk, we discuss the role of Twitch for game develoeprs. She provides insights into how developers can use the platform to engage with audiences, showcase gameplay, and integrate feedback to enhance game design. She presents strategies about collaborating with streamers and leveraging interactive features to maximize player involvement and community growth.","description":"Dr. Johanna Pirker is a professor of games engineering at TU Graz in Austria, leading the research group Game Lab Graz, and researches games focusing on AI, HCI, data analysis, and VR technologies. She has lengthy experience designing, developing, and evaluating games and VR experiences and believes in them as tools to support learning, collaboration, and solving real problems.","jobTitle":"Professor","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"14:00 - 14:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Adam Sporka
Warhorse Studios
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Adam Sporka","company":"Warhorse Studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/8B1A891D-F236-9408-29EF-807DC02B1873.jpg","titles":"KCD I, KCD II","TalkName":"Music in Kingdom Come Deliverance II \u2013 The Tech Talk","TalkDescription":"A game-side music logic module in the game code was implemented to receive and process and respond to the game\u2019s real-time input. The Sequence Music Engine middleware was used to schedule the individual scenes and their transitions. Sibelius has been equipped with custom macros to enable the scoring of non-linear music. Custom macros have been written also for REAPER, to enable the transfer of timing data from Sibelius, as well as the recording the non-linear music in near-real-time.","description":"Adam Sporka is a creative technologist in-game audio. He designs and develops software for interactive (adaptive) music and sound. He supervised the music technology of Kingdom Come: Deliverance I and II and as a composer he contributed to these two soundtracks. Adam recently joined Embody, a California-based developer of software technology for personalized spatial audio in AAA titles. He is a guest lecturer at the University of California, Santa Cruz.","jobTitle":"Technical Music Director","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"12:00 - 12:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Nils Heine
GIANTS Software
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Nils Heine","company":"GIANTS Software","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/5901F3D8-540E-3F43-7F01-AF347E599EAA.jpg","titles":"FS22, FS23, FS25","TalkName":"Elevating Development: Embracing Esports for Small to Medium-Sized Studios","TalkDescription":"This Talk explores how small to medium-sized game studios can leverage the booming esports industry to elevate their development and marketing strategies. Highlighting the success of GIANTS Software with \"Farming Simulator 22,\" which boasts over 6 million units sold and a robust daily active user base, it demonstrates the potential reach and engagement esports can provide. The talk delves into the current state of esports, emphasizing its youthful demographic and significant marketing power.","description":"Nils is the Lead Audio Designer at Giants Software, where he and his team are crafting the sonic experience around the Farming Simulator franchise. In addition to his primary role, Nils is an integral member of the event team, handling audio engineering responsibilities for events and fairs. His expertise ensures that all audio aspects, from game sound design to live event production, are executed with precision and high quality.","jobTitle":"Lead Audio Designer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"12:30 - 12:55","AllSpeakers":""}
André Sousa
GIANTS Software
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Andr\u00e9 Sousa","company":"GIANTS Software","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/16680C54-A914-7F80-7CDD-650F6A511DA2.jpg","titles":"Farming Simulator 25","TalkName":"Creating Authentic Sound For Farming Simulator","TalkDescription":"Andr\u00e9 presents a sound design strategy for Farming Simulator, covering dynamic ambient sounds, engaging effects for farming tools, and realistic vehicle audio. He\u2019ll discuss challenges in ambient audio, techniques for realism in simulation games, and capturing authentic tractor sounds, sharing insights on audio editing and processing.","description":"Andr\u00e9 is an audio designer at Giants Software, currently living in Germany but originally from Portugal. He plays a crucial role in enhancing the sonic experience for the Farming Simulator franchise. Andr\u00e9's academic background is rooted in the study of spatial audio and flow state in games. Outside of his professional endeavors, Andr\u00e9 is an avid fan of board games, exploring new video games, and watching animation shows, constantly seeking new forms of creative inspiration and enjoyment.","jobTitle":"Audio Designer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"13:30 - 14:20","AllSpeakers":""}
Jiri Folta
Hangar 13 / 2K CZ
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Jiri Folta","company":"Hangar 13 \/ 2K CZ","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/47F81BA3-599C-1524-6949-542C61345AA7.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Navigating the AAA Game Studio Interview: What to Expect and How to Prepare","TalkDescription":"This talk provides an overview of the interview process at a AAA game studio, covering the stages candidates can expect and key skills they\u2019ll be evaluated on. Attendees will gain practical tips on how to effectively prepare, showcase their talents, and stand out in a competitive hiring landscape.","description":"20 years of experience in recruiting in various organizations including recruiting agency, Hi-tech IT and most recently 18 months with Hangar 13 based in Brno I manage the end-to-end recruitment with a relationship-focused approach\u2014identifying and engaging talent through applicants, referrals, and headhunting across all functions in the studio and supporting wider 2K ecosystem.","jobTitle":"Principal Recruiter","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"14:00 - 14:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Maksym Maltsev
GSC Game World
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Maksym Maltsev","company":"GSC Game World","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/BF1D0C02-596C-D9CF-7032-2E15E609D8D9.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"How We Plant The Seeds Of Wind: Growing A Scalable Pipeline For Foliage Assets","TalkDescription":"I\u2019ll share the journey of developing vegetation animation for a modern open-world game. Starting with analyzing existing solutions, we moved from popular ideas to creating a new solution from scratch to meet creative and technical needs. I'll cover the synchronization of content creation, processing, and import, as well as the assets\u2019 interaction with materials and in-game weather. We focused on achieving flexibility in animation and building an efficient pipeline for vegetation processing.","description":"Throughout my career, I have worked in television, an advertising agency, an ad production studio, and a post-production studio, leading the Layout and Lighting department on film projects of various complexities. I value a systematic approach, pipeline, and teamwork. Over three years ago, I joined the GSC team, where I focus on different aspects of the open world, striving to make it more engaging and lively.","jobTitle":"Technical artist, Lighting artist","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"14:30 - 15:20","AllSpeakers":""}
Aleksander Kauch
11 bit studios
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Aleksander Kauch","company":"11 bit studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/A14F0FC2-369B-6F2B-7FF4-966C18E7FDA6.jpg","titles":"Anomaly series, This War of Mine, Frostpunk series","TalkName":"Changing The Engine And Keeping Sanity. Story Of Frostpunk2","TalkDescription":"How to change the engine, grow the team, change production methods, and still be able to release the game (almost) on time? How to deal with all that and not lose your sanity in the process? I'll go over technical challenges, team management issues, and personal struggles during the development. We came a long way to release Frostpunk 2, and it was not an easy one. No silver bullets, no magical solutions, just a story of overcoming troubled development from the technical and production perspective.","description":"With 13 years of experience at the company, he has worked on almost every production to date: the Anomaly series, This War of Mine, and Frostpunk. Currently leading the technology team on Frostpunk 2, he is highly skilled in programming, game architecture, and the production process. Academic tutor, project mentor, collector of old games, and a lover of their history.","jobTitle":"Senior Technology Lead","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"15:00 - 15:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Tomasz Gadomski
11 bit studios
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Tomasz Gadomski","company":"11 bit studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/B9C464A1-0479-8C51-3E45-6BFDA02CAE5F.jpg","titles":"Frostpunk 2, Invincible, Witcher (TV Series)","TalkName":"Finders Keepers. How To Navigate Free Tools And IP","TalkDescription":"Are free Internet tools really free? Can we truly use free textures, images or other IP in our game? Do you use Adobe Creative Cloud, Chat GPT, or Midjourney while creating your game or marketing content? Have you read terms & conditions or just clicked 'agree'. If the latter - this speech is for you. We will review the legal risks hidden in terms of AI tools as well as we will talk about how to use free IP (Creative Commons licenses, public domain etc.) to our benefit or demise.","description":"Legal Expert at 11 bit studio and lecturer of MBA class on Management of IP at PJATK Academy in Warsaw. Being both games and TV addict combines hands-on experience in intellectual property law with passion for media and pop-culture. What brings him the most joy is the ever growing list of movies on IMDB.com he was legal advisor for.","jobTitle":"Legal expert","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"11:35 - 12:00","AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Law","hall":"Summit Hall","start":"13:00 - 13:50","name":"Panel Discussion - Movie Adaptations Of Video Games"}]}
Andrej Denysko
Škoda design
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Andrej Denysko","company":"\u0160koda design","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/D6B4C1B2-6952-370A-AC4B-642DFF7CA10C.jpg","titles":"Skoda vision gt concept","TalkName":"How The \u0160koda Vision GT For Gran Turismo Was Made","TalkDescription":"The \u0160koda Vision Gran Turismo stands out as one of the most unique, innovative, and challenging projects ever undertaken by the \u0160koda Design team. We invite you to join us on a journey through the creative process behind this masterpiece, exploring the artistry, passion, and cutting-edge technology that brought it to life.","description":"Andrej Denysko \u2013 I started my career as a constructor before transitioning into automotive design. I am a digital designer and conceptual modeller at \u0160koda Auto, specialising in using advanced tools and AI to shape innovative vehicle concepts. One of my key projects includes the Vision GT racing concept, showcasing the fusion of cutting-edge technology and creative design. My journey combines technical expertise with a passion for aesthetics, driving my work in modern automotive design.","jobTitle":"Design\u00e9r, digital design - concept","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"12:00 - 12:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Andrii Bahriichuk
Škoda design
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Andrii Bahriichuk","company":"\u0160koda design","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/2EA24B65-5D32-4B66-D23A-65E4DB2601B1.jpg","titles":"Skoda Vision Gran Turismo","TalkName":"How The \u0160koda Vision GT For Gran Turismo Was Made","TalkDescription":"The \u0160koda Vision Gran Turismo stands out as one of the most unique, innovative, and challenging projects ever undertaken by the \u0160koda Design team. We invite you to join us on a journey through the creative process behind this masterpiece, exploring the artistry, passion, and cutting-edge technology that brought it to life.","description":"Andrii Bahriichuk is a CGI specialist at the Design Department of \u0160koda Auto, driven by a profound passion for visual storytelling. With a background in automotive design, he transforms the visual narrative of moving sculptures on the road into cutting-edge stories, blending technical expertise with artistic vision to redefine the way we experience cars.","jobTitle":"Senior CGI specialist","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"12:00 - 12:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"AI","FilterValue":"AI Summit","Name":"Johny Darkwah","company":"Kapnetix","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/B85339F6-4C1E-2CBB-64DC-DEF25CDCFC15.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Lessons From Integrating AI Into AAA Game Development","TalkDescription":"Over the past two years, our collaboration with a leading gaming publisher and AAA studio has focused on automating post-production processes in motion capture using AI. This journey has provided valuable insights into integrating AI within the gaming industry. In this keynote, we will explore the challenges and successes encountered, emphasizing the importance of understanding industry-specific needs, building trust with creative professionals, and ensuring AI solutions meet quality standards.","description":"Johny Darkwah is the co-founder and CEO of early-stage startup Kapnetix. His journey to the industry started as an AI research collaboration with 2K Games, discovering the possibilities and potential of AI for gamedev. Before Kapnetix, he was the CEO of Gauss Algorithmic, an AI research and development company with 10 years experience and over 50 successfully implemented AI solutions in 12 industries.","jobTitle":"Co-founder & CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"13:00 - 13:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Martin Boháč
Allodium Games
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Martin Boh\u00e1\u010d","company":"Allodium Games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/CB5D42C1-DE5F-B031-6588-26489D0A0479.jpg","titles":"Infinitum, Fantasy Sport, Sazka Scratchcards","TalkName":"Addiction By Design: How To Hook Players For Life","TalkDescription":"Do you know what keeps players hooked on your game? Could you master the techniques that drive hours of play and spending? Join Martin Boh\u00e1\u010d, CEO of Allodium Games, as he reveals the casino tactics woven into beloved games. Are video games and gambling so different, or just two sides of the same coin? We\u2019ll uncover the tactics designed to hijack attention and explore the hidden strategies shaping our behaviors. Afterward, you\u2019ll know how these techniques work\u2014yet even armed with this knowledge,","description":"Martin Boh\u00e1\u010d is a game designer and developer with 25+ years of experience. After a start at Ogilvy, he founded Allodium Games, creating MMOs like Infinitum 1 & 2 and a Fantasy Sport game that ran in Czechia for 12 years. He also launched GameDevHub, Czechia\u2019s first online game dev school with over 400 grads. Now CEO of Allodium, he crafts online scratchcards for the eGaming market and leads Ionic, a new studio working on an unannounced mobile strategy game. Martin also practices Buddhism, m","jobTitle":"CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"13:00 - 13:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Michal Roch
Honestly Games
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Michal Roch","company":"Honestly Games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/BFE64E79-6187-B9D0-0049-B9BA96C4E580.jpg","titles":"Lords & Villeins","TalkName":"Introduction to Gamebadges - Game Industry Skill Certification","TalkDescription":"","description":"Michal has 10+ years of experience in the game industry, including funding his own indie studio Honestly Games and developing a successful city builder Lords and Villeins. He's been closely working with the Czech Gamedeveloper Association, and is also a core part of the organizers team of GDS Prague. As a motivated creative problem solver, his independent career led him through many roles from production, design, and programming, to bizdev, community management and marketing, executing projects ","jobTitle":"CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 2","TalkTime":"15:30 - 15:55","AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Edu","hall":"GIANTS Hall","start":"13:00 - 13:50","name":"Panel Discussion - Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles"},{"Filter":"Design","hall":"IT Trendy Hall","start":"17:00 - 17:50","name":"Panel Discussion - Designing Complex Games"}]}
Martin Ostrolucky
Cassagi
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Martin Ostrolucky","company":"Cassagi","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/B1AC495B-D805-BFE2-5D71-97C266192BDF.jpg","titles":"Hell Let Loose, Dead Island 2, Scorn","TalkName":"From Vision To Profit: The Importance Of Business Mindset For Indie Developers","TalkDescription":"It is common for indie game developers to possess strong technical skills and creativity in design and art, yet many view the business side of game development as a burden to be avoided. This often results in unrealistic expectations, poor sales, and disappointment. In my talk, I will outline the business mindset that indie developers can adopt to create successful games and achieve commercial success.","description":"I am a driven leader with over 15 years of experience in business development and game production. As the Founder and CEO of Cassagi, I have led the development of three indie PC games and collaborated with leading AAA studios such as Dambuster Studios, EbbSoftware, and Dovetail Games to deliver high-quality game development services. I also mentor aspiring indie game developers, helping them succeed with their game projects.","jobTitle":"CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:25","AllSpeakers":""}
Guy Davidson
Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Guy Davidson","company":"Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/D0EC76BD-4C1B-D4FC-F5D5-7F018536AC13.jpg","titles":"The Total War franchise (all titles)","TalkName":"Towards Cross-platform Floating-point Determinism","TalkDescription":"Non-integral arithmetic is a tricky subject that becomes very complicated when trying to replicate results on different platforms. This talk will explain why this is the case, review the existing standards from IEEE and ISO, and outline a solution currently being proposed to the C++ standards committee. Attendees will take away a greater understanding of the process of floating-point arithmetic and knowledge of how to participate in the standardization process","description":"Guy Davidson has been writing games for over 40 years. In that time he has worked on the Total War Franchise for nearly 25 years, managing the low level libraries. He is the author of Beautiful C++ and a member of the ISO C++ standards committee and an ISO C++ Global Expert. He has spoken internationally at C++ conferences for over a decade, and is the chair of the ACCU conference. He sits on the advisory board of IGGI, a doctoral research programme looking at AI in games.","jobTitle":"Head of Engineering","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"12:30 - 13:20","AllSpeakers":""}
Kiryl Kudrautsau
Wargaming
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Kiryl Kudrautsau","company":"Wargaming","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/8F2B174E-6F49-8B48-811E-7FF75938545D.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Houdini - How To Rock","TalkDescription":"During the production of the Frontline 2023 map, one of the biggest challenges for Environment Art was to create rocks that set a new quality bar in World of Tanks. We\u2019ll guide you through the whole process starting from preproduction to the final result. We\u2019ll reveal new exclusive methods and pipelines developed during production. Let there be rock!","description":"I\u2019m a creative problem-solver with an artistic soul and an engineering mind. As Environment Art Lead at Wargaming Prague, I build and guide our talented team to create stunning environments. My goal is to boos our art standards, refining production pipelines, and collaborating closely with our Art Director to keep everything cohesive. Appreciate smart decisions.","jobTitle":"Environment Art Lead, WoT Development","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Pavol Buday
PixelAnt Games
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Pavol Buday","company":"PixelAnt Games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/3D9EED81-F711-C07B-DCB3-2079BABCCD26.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Making Meaningful Connections That Last","TalkDescription":"We are making connections all our life; meeting new colleagues, strangers, and neighbors. You will never know who you\u2019re going to meet next. I want to show you how important connections are, how they open doors, how they help you grow, and how they lead to opportunities. Through personal stories I want to demonstrate how big (small) the industry is, explain the biz dev process, and leave you with some tools to make new friends, professionally.","description":"After more than a decade of playing games as a journalist, Pavol started paying attention to individuals and teams helping them to connect and find the correct audience and partners by organizing meetups, public events, and conferences in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, and Canada (Reboot Develop, Fest Anca and Game Days to name a few). Pavol co-founded the Slovak Game Developers Association, is the creator and curator for Game Conference Guide, and develops business at PixelAnt Games \/ S","jobTitle":"Business Development Manager","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"15:00 - 15:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Tom\u00e1\u0161 Duchek","company":"Freelancer","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/3AB0797F-F906-D5FE-23BD-BDDB91931047.jpg","titles":"Kingdom Come: Deliverance,","TalkName":"Digital Painting In Gaming Industry","TalkDescription":"Discover the role digital painting plays in the gaming industry in the live demonstration session. Attendees will get an inside look at the techniques concept artists use to quickly create realistic form and light to communicate ideas. This talk will showcase, how digital painting brings imagination to life.","description":"I worked 5 years in Warhorse on KCD, then transitioned to freelancing and teaching digital painting in Pilsen on Faculty of Art and Design. Since then I worked for Disney, Wizards of the Coast, Blizzard, CD project Red, Games Workshop and many other companies.","jobTitle":"Concept artist\/Illustrator","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"12:00 - 12:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Václav Krbůšek
ALL ANIMAL
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"V\u00e1clav Krb\u016f\u0161ek","company":"ALL ANIMAL","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/B403B2AA-B8AA-01CD-17DE-AC678468680D.jpg","titles":"Official Trailer - Shadow and Fury | The War Withi","TalkName":"World of Warcraft in 4D: Behind the Magic","TalkDescription":"Join us for an exclusive deep dive into the creation of our thrilling 4D ride, Escape from Dalaran. This talk will reveal the intricate art development and technical challenges we faced while bringing this Warcraft experience to life using Unreal Engine. But that\u2019s not all\u2014we'll also give you an insider's look at what it's really like to work with one of the world\u2019s biggest and most iconic gaming studios: Blizzard Entertainment","description":"V\u00e1clav Krb\u016f\u0161ek is a director with a background in graphics and game development, boasting 20 years of experience in multimedia creation and advertising. He is currently collaborating with Blizzard Entertainment as a trailer director.\"","jobTitle":"Director","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Yarr Rash","company":"Mad Crusader","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/C13D380A-6E57-275E-F0C4-1AE2F78BCAF1.jpg","titles":"Mad Crusader, Wargaming, Sony","TalkName":"Do's and Don'ts of IP Development","TalkDescription":"Do\r\nConsider what you'll do if your IP is successful. \r\nStart with franchise architecture: define the core mechanics and conflicts before details.\r\nChoose a setting strategically.\r\nDesign a product (e.g., game) that delivers the core experience.\r\nThink big: Larger-scale conflicts with wider impact are more commercially viable.\r\nDon't\r\nFocus on short-term success\r\nNeglect planning\r\nMake characters for niche markets \r\nNeglect the setting and depth\r\nFocus on small-scale conflicts","description":"Founder & CEO of Mad Crusader. He has extensive expertise in the game development industry, IP Development (Wargaming), and entertainment. Yarr founded Mad Crusader as a solution to the biggest paradox in today's global entertainment industry: everyone wants new IPs, but no one wants to invest, because it is a risk.","jobTitle":"CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Tom Barsweik","company":"ALL ANIMAL","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/6AC6699A-FAB2-4768-7E7C-7F0B5B0E4E36.jpg","titles":"VELVETIST, WOW Darkride VR, Korek Telecom VR","TalkName":"World of Warcraft in 4D: Behind the Magic","TalkDescription":"Join us for an exclusive deep dive into the creation of our thrilling 4D ride, Escape from Dalaran. This talk will reveal the intricate art development and technical challenges we faced while bringing this Warcraft experience to life using Unreal Engine. But that\u2019s not all\u2014we'll also give you an insider's look at what it's really like to work with one of the world\u2019s biggest and most iconic gaming studios: Blizzard Entertainment","description":"I specialize in Tech Art for Unreal Engine,\r\nworking on projects like Darkride VR and Korek Telecom VR\r\nand collaborating with companies such as NICE!, Yord, UPP, PFX, and Dazzle to create high-quality visual experiences.\r\n\r\nOn the personal side, I bring my generalist and producer skills to freelance work and projects like VELVETIST and other.","jobTitle":"Unreal Engine Developer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Petr Šimůnek
Engine Evolution, MFF UK
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Petr \u0160im\u016fnek","company":"Engine Evolution, MFF UK","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/F7B16F5F-58A6-519D-CA71-9B933E11C26C.jpg","titles":"Engine Evolution","TalkName":"Using The Cloud To Manage 2,8 Million Users As An Indie","TalkDescription":"Five years ago, I was about to release Engine Evolution. I was a little indie developer with little previous experience, and I \"released\" my game using Google Drive. Then I released my first game on Steam, and during the next 5 years, my game Engine Evolution and later installments gained more than 2,8 million users. But with great player numbers come great challenges like keeping the game reasonably safe and fair. Not only that, but I also didn't understand much about player behavior in the game. Come to see my talk where I walk you through the most memorable moments of my journey.","description":"I am the developer of the Engine Evolution franchise, which managed to get 2,8 M downloads in the past five years. In my free time, I am studying Ph.D. at MFF UK. I also created \"Battle of Ho\u0159ice 1423\" and published \"Carsic Carventure\".","jobTitle":"Owner","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Tadeáš Anděl
Flying Rat Studio
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Tade\u00e1\u0161 And\u011bl","company":"Flying Rat Studio","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/75334286-4A91-C6C4-D827-9D5ECC42733C.jpg","titles":"Beat Saber, Creaks, The Last Oricru","TalkName":"Unleash Your Tooling In Unreal!","TalkDescription":"Missing reference crashes? Repetitive manual labor? Difficult debugging? While you can never fully avoid these issues, you can definitely reduce them even in the smallest of teams. Unreal Engine provides extensive built-in tools that support automation, data generation, gameplay visualization, and unexpected outcomes detection. In this talk, you'll learn how to use these techniques effectively, with real world examples and tips and tricks from my experience.","description":"I'm a big enthusiast for games with a deep passion for learning new skills. I've ported titles to consoles, mobile, and other platforms, and created automation tools in Unity and Unreal. Currently, I\u2019m joyfully working on an unannounced project at Flying Rat. On top of that, I\u2019ve been developing my own game, Convergence, for over 3 years. My focus is on working hard to build top skills, so I can create, share, and help deliver amazing games\u2014and one day launch a great game of my own.","jobTitle":"Software Developer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"12:30 - 13:20","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"AI","FilterValue":"AI Summit","Name":"Tsahi Liberman","company":"GammaGem","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/A3B21F53-CA5F-F7C2-0CB5-25CD622A60DA.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"The Double-edged Sword: AI, Games, And The Evolution Of Propaganda","TalkDescription":"In this talk, we explore the dual nature of AI as both a powerful tool and a potential source of bias in our understanding of visual content. We examine the historical role of propaganda in shaping perceptions and how modern gaming serves as a platform for information and social interaction. Emphasizing the need for critical thinking, we discuss ethical considerations for game designers and how to leverage AI responsibly to create truthful and impactful messages in an increasingly digital world.","description":"Tsahi Liberman is a veteran with over 20 years as a game designer, business developer, and social impact innovator. Tsahi is currently the Founder and CEO of GammaGem, a transmedia company, aiming to change the world using AI, Storytelling, and games across various platforms and topics (Mental health, Conflict management, Finance education, Misinformation & Fake news). Tsahi is also a fantasy author currently working on a new world and book influenced by Aztec Mythology.","jobTitle":"CEO and Founder","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"11:00 - 11:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Adéla Hrabáková
Infilope Games
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Ad\u00e9la Hrab\u00e1kov\u00e1","company":"Infilope Games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/6334CB79-FBE5-A001-F21B-8C9D98452200.jpg","titles":"Kingdom Come: Deliverance, VBS3, Robinson Crusoe","TalkName":"Game Developer\u2019s Guide to Creating a Kickass Design Document","TalkDescription":"This talk will equip game developers with essential strategies for crafting a powerful design document. Attendees will learn to define unique selling points, outline gameplay mechanics, and structure narrative and character development to align with the game\u2019s vision. By the end, you\u2019ll know how to make a document that clearly communicates the game\u2019s concept and guides the team.","description":"Ad\u00e9la is an experienced game designer with a background in design, concept development, and project management. She has contributed to notable projects like Kingdom Come: Deliverance at Warhorse Studios and VBS 3 at Bohemia Interactive. She is currently leading the narrative design for a Robinson Crusoe-inspired survival game, focusing on creating immersive gameplay experiences and rich storytelling.","jobTitle":"Narrative designer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"16:30 - 16:55","AllSpeakers":""}
Dominik Bican
Bohemia Interactive
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Dominik Bican","company":"Bohemia Interactive","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/12332CA8-8F0C-1907-CABE-4B55713299AD.jpg","titles":"Arma Reforger","TalkName":"From Multiple Platforms to Superior Games: Utilizing Diverse Releases to Elevate Game Quality","TalkDescription":"In this talk, learn how multi-platform oriented development and releases can improve your game's overall quality, can broaden your market reach, help you attract developers with differing skill sets, and finally, help you foster a positive relationship with various platform holders.\r\nWe'll explore how development for various platforms provides critical look into game design, controls, potential technical issues which are otherwise hidden - leading to improvements to the game on all platforms.","description":"With gaming being my passion since childhood, I was lucky to join Bohemia Interactive two and a half years ago as a Junior Audio Producer, working on all of our projects. Since 2024, I took on the role of Producer and Release Manager for Arma Reforger, focusing on ensuring smooth production and release processes after its 1.0 release.","jobTitle":"Producer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Tim Pulsmeier
Bohemia Interactive
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Tim Pulsmeier","company":"Bohemia Interactive","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/697EC154-F328-1E66-EAE0-2E110AFA279A.jpg","titles":"DayZ","TalkName":"Making Frostline - Delivering Quality On Time In DLC Production","TalkDescription":"What happens when your boss suddenly knocks on your door and asks you for a large DLC to be released in just 11 months? Better get to work! \n\nThis talk will present the production cycle and learnings of the DayZ Frostline Expansion from initial inception to the release from a game production perspective. We will discuss real challenges the development team faced and overcame to deliver the largest expansion created in DayZ's 11 years of public support.","description":"Tim Pulsmeier is senior producer on the open-world survival phenomenon DayZ. With a background in graphic design, journalism and community management, he now manages the fires of post-release support at Czech developer\/publisher Bohemia Interactive for more than 6 years. He knows the intricacies of maintaining a stable work environment, as well as driving a product from existential crisis towards one of the top titles in its genre.","jobTitle":"Senior Producer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"14:30 - 15:20","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Dzmitry Sychou","company":"Wargaming","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/297DFE10-5F6B-F6CA-07FC-243C7BB35193.jpg","titles":"World of Tanks Blitz","TalkName":"Shift Left In World Of Tanks Blitz: How To Merge Before Manual Test","TalkDescription":"Discover how to accelerate game development by implementing shift left testing strategies in Unreal Engine projects. Learn about managing merge-before-test workflow, ensuring robust infrastructure to handle continuous integration for every pull request, and overcoming the complexities of performance testing.","description":"I am a Technical Product Manager at Wargaming, boasting over six years of experience on the WOT Blitz project. Specializing in the development of a versatile Python framework for game testing across mobile and desktop platforms, internal web service designed to provide comprehensive reports for automated tests and tools aimed at enhancing user efficiency. My expertise extends to the automation and optimization of the development cycle, ensuring higher efficiency and quality in game production.","jobTitle":"Technical Product Manager","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"11:00 - 11:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Adam Franců
Bohemia Interactive
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Adam Franc\u016f","company":"Bohemia Interactive","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/72644CEB-9473-9FA8-88D5-C287F544B703.jpg","titles":"DayZ, Namalsk, Arma 3","TalkName":"Turning A Tropical Paradise Into A Frozen Wasteland, A Story Of Dayz Frostline's Sakhal","TalkDescription":"A story of DayZ Frostline's Sakhal, a jungle archipelago Tanoa from the Arma 3 Apex expansion, transformed into a frozen wasteland in the far east. How did we come up with it? What it takes to create an environment for an open world survival that is DayZ? And most importantly, how did it go?\n\nA deep dive into how we approach making environments in Bohemia Interactive and DayZ, from both environment art and design points of view.","description":"I have been working in Bohemia Interactive for over 13 years now. Started as an environment designer working on Arma and DayZ projects. Over past 4 years, I am responsible for the creative direction of DayZ as well as managing design, art and environment teams. I have also an extensive knowledge of modding games (have been doing that for 20 years now). My biggest achievement here is without a doubt the release of Namalsk mod for DayZ, which has been played by millions of players over the years.","jobTitle":"Creative Lead","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"11:00 - 11:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Aleksandar Markovic
Wargaming
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Aleksandar Markovic","company":"Wargaming","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/11D8E9BC-B4A9-7E57-64F6-2401D6C1B5B5.jpg","titles":"Top Eleven, World of Tanks","TalkName":"Mentoring And Design Processes: Building The Next Gen Of Game Designers","TalkDescription":"Learn how to effectively mentor and support the next generation of game designers, ensuring they contribute to your product vision efficiently and avoid burnout. We will cover how to identify and leverage the strengths and weaknesses of your mentees, use familiar games for hands-on learning, and incorporate crucial design processes into their toolkit. Discover strategies for preparing newcomers for the realities of the game development industry and fostering a healthy, creative work environment.","description":"I'm a Senior Game Designer from Serbia with extensive experience in mobile and PC free-to-play games, with a focus on monetization and Live Ops, as well as various indie projects ranging from edutainment to classic RPGs. Currently, I work on World of Tanks at Wargaming Vilnius, focusing on creating new features for the WoT audience. One particular passion of mine is mentoring, and I am happy to have taken several junior GDs through this process, being able to constantly improve together with the","jobTitle":"Senior Game Designer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"13:30 - 13:55","AllSpeakers":""}
Artur Sychov
Somnium Space
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Artur Sychov","company":"Somnium Space","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/DA4FB323-8CC2-BCC2-5CD6-1FC181FE8E1A.jpg","titles":"Somnium Space, Somnium VR1, Authencity.io","TalkName":"Building an Immersive Metaverse Eco-System","TalkDescription":"In this talk, Somnium Space's CEO will explore the journey of building an immersive metaverse ecosystem. Drawing on Somnium Space's expertise in VR platforms, proprietary VR headset hardware, and investment in cutting-edge technologies like the TeslaSuit, the presentation will cover the essential components of creating a fully immersive digital universe. The discussion will highlight the importance of VR technology, tactile feedback, and decentralized platforms in shaping the future of metaverse","description":"Artur is Founder and CEO of Somnium Space. He has been navigating virtual worlds for more than two decades starting with Ultima Online in 1999, then Second Life and many more. Artur strongly believes in the ultimate future of Virtual Reality worlds with open and decentralized economy based on blockchain, amazing creation tools where imagination is the only limit. Artur is husband and a father of two wonderful children.","jobTitle":"Founder & CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Ji\u0159\u00ed Star\u00fd","company":"Photon Engine","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/8B786AA5-D8FB-9485-446A-053A67FCF53C.jpg","titles":"Photon Samples, Atomic Picnic, Shadowgun Legends","TalkName":"Your First Multiplayer Game","TalkDescription":"Ready to make your first multiplayer game? Join us to learn the basics\u2014from choosing the best networking model to testing in real-world conditions. We\u2019ll cover strategies for different types of games, with tips to keep costs low, make gameplay smooth, and prevent cheating. You\u2019ll also get insights on managing bandwidth and performance. Finally, we\u2019ll do a brief case study using Photon Engine to see these ideas in action. This is your guide to launching a multiplayer game!","description":"Hi, I'm Ji\u0159\u00ed Star\u00fd, a senior engineer at Photon Engine\u2014a leading multiplayer solution for Unity and other game engines. I develop multiplayer sample games in various genres ranging from racing to real-time strategy to help other developers. But shooter games are where my heart and expertise truly lie. Recently, I worked on Atomic Picnic, a bullet-hell co-op game. Before that, I was part of Madfinger Games, working on successful mobile shooters.","jobTitle":"Senior Engineer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"11:30 - 12:20","AllSpeakers":""}
Ali Farha
Star Stable Entertainment
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Ali Farha","company":"Star Stable Entertainment","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/9C3917DC-F187-2C37-8418-A1367095327B.jpg","titles":"Star Stable Online","TalkName":"The Magic of Play","TalkDescription":"Games go beyond entertainment, they\u2019re powerful mediums that touch our lives deeply. In this talk, I\u2019ll explore why we love games and how they reshape our reality, bringing joy, connection, and healing. For many, like myself, games like Star Stable Online become sanctuary places where we find freedom and emotional refuge. Through real stories, we\u2019ll journey into the emotions, memories, and meaningful connections that games create.","description":"Senior Game Producer at Star Stable Entertainment AB, Keynote speaker, and Head of Game Producer Education at Future Games Warsaw.","jobTitle":"Senior Producer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"15:30 - 15:55","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"AI","FilterValue":"AI Summit","Name":"Adam Filandr","company":"NeoFables","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/E8C55DC2-ABF4-D1F0-90C2-ADFC362AF41C.jpg","titles":"NeoFables","TalkName":"Pioneering AI in VR","TalkDescription":"Pioneering AI in VR: Building the First Dynamically AI-Generated VR Storytelling Experience. In this talk, I'll reveal the tech and design behind NeoFables, the first fully AI-generated VR storytelling experience. Imagine users crafting their own storylines, characters, and immersive worlds - each adventure unique. From AI-driven immersive world-building to generated narratives, I'll show how it all comes together and how you can apply these ideas to your projects. This talk offers insights into using AI in VR for unique interactive experiences and shares user feedback and reception.","description":"Adam Filandr is an experienced software engineer and the founder of NeoFables, the first fully AI-generated VR (WebXR) storytelling experience, merging art with the latest advancements in AI and VR technology. Previously, he worked on diverse projects in bioinformatics, academic cloud engineering research, and agritech. His alma mater is Charles University, where he studied Software Engineering at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics.","jobTitle":"Founder","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"12:00 - 12:25","AllSpeakers":""}
Szymon Żak
The Chronicles of Myrtana Team
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Szymon \u017bak","company":"The Chronicles of Myrtana Team","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/DEBCE242-E667-170D-3C4A-AB60598DF9C5.jpg","titles":"Cyberpunk 2077, The Chronicles of Myrtana","TalkName":"Continuous Integration in The Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos","TalkDescription":"This talk is a walkthrough of automated build and validation system used during production of The Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos. It will show an internally developed solution that was used for continuous integration of changes to game content. It will focus on the impact of automated pipelines in a game project and show how CI\/CD pipelines can work in a small team and what the daily benefits are for the development team.","description":"Szymon \u017bak is a game developer by the day, and a game modder at night. He is a Senior Automation Engineer at Alkimia Interactive where he works on Gothic Remake. Before that he worked at CD PROJEKT RED on Cyberpunk 2077 as Technical QA Analyst and Generalist Programmer. In modding world he is a Technical Lead of Gothic II: The Chronicles of Myrtana.","jobTitle":"Technical Lead","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"14:00 - 14:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Mat\u011bj Hlo\u017e\u00e1nek","company":"Herdek","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/6E11614D-2099-B63B-F6E7-1C4C35428282.jpg","titles":"Pr\u0161\u00ed, Fotr, Rent","TalkName":"Metaphorical Growth: How Metaphors Shape Video Games And Us","TalkDescription":"I'll explore how we can understand and use metaphors in video games, with a particular focus on the metaphor of growth. I'll discuss the interpretation of metaphors, focusing on embodied cognition, procedural rhetoric and agency. I'll then examine the metaphor of growth in Inside, Little Nightmares and Far: Lone Sails and their unconventional handling of growth.\n\nThis work is based on my Master's thesis, which was supported by a student grant competition at FAMU, Prague.","description":"I'm a co-creator of Herdek kolektiv, a former intern at Amanita Design, and currently finishing my master's in game design at FAMU. I'm making small games with a meaningful impact. I also fix and restore bicycles.\r\n\r\nWith Herdek we made Pr\u0161\u00ed, a game set in a Czech pub that delves into the hidden layers of our cultural heritage, and Fotr, a game about parenthood set in a phone booth from 2002. Both games won the Jury Prize at the independent games festival FinalFinal.","jobTitle":"Game Designer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"15:00 - 15:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Vitalii Dernovyi
Wargaming
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Vitalii Dernovyi","company":"Wargaming","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/0749C1BF-64D5-B825-2946-89BD59DFCBD9.jpg","titles":"World of Tanks","TalkName":"World Of Tanks Pc: Audio Construction Kit For Random Events","TalkDescription":"Player interaction with the game environment has always been a fundamental aspect of World of Tanks PC gameplay. Naturally, all interactions are supported by game audio. World of Tanks PC has entered a new phase in its evolution with the introduction of Random Events on the maps. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of the universal audio construction kit in WWISE, explain its implementation in the game engine, discuss the challenges encountered, and share the solutions we devised.","description":"Vitalii Dernovyi was born in Mariupol, Ukraine, and has been passionate about sound and music since childhood. This passion drove him to the electronic music production and in 2016 Vitalii started his sound designer career.\r\nHis initial attraction to sound design stemmed from a desire to express his creativity through audiovisual effects. He quickly realized that his true passion lay in creating soundscapes that captivate and bring various media projects to life.\r\nThroughout his career, Vitalii ","jobTitle":"Audio designer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"13:00 - 13:25","AllSpeakers":""}
Tommy Thompson
AI and Games
{"Filter":"AI","FilterValue":"AI Summit","Name":"Tommy Thompson","company":"AI and Games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/FF0CD40D-32D8-E0C4-2222-DC74D0BB0BBA.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"A Slow But Steady Evolution In AI For Game Development","TalkDescription":"The games industry has spent the last few years caught in the crosshairs of Generative AI. This has led to an aggressive pursuit of automating creative aspects in games, at a time when the industry is experiencing tremendous upheaval. But is this technology of any real use in production? In this talk, we combat some myths about generative AI, highlight interesting innovations from across the industry, and give a grounded and hype-free assessment of what value, if any, it can bring to production.","description":"Dr Tommy Thompson is the founder of AI and Games, a company that provides consultancy, training, and development support for artificial intelligence in the video games industry. He is largely known as a content creator, producing the AI and Games YouTube channel for over 10 years, now with a weekly Substack newsletter and international conference alongside it. Before his work in industry, Tommy was a university lecturer and researcher for 10 years in AI, computer science, and game development.","jobTitle":"Founder and Director","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"15:00 - 15:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Yaraslau Kot","company":"Playcus","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/E8EB908D-60FE-3E0E-D829-D66CBDCE7E1F.jpg","titles":"Replaced, Chernobylite 1-2, St. Louis by Night","TalkName":"Games Of War: Video Games Born From Flames Of War In Ukraine","TalkDescription":"The speaker researched games developed after 2022 about russian invasion. We all know that Games have many functions besides entertainment and reaction of Ukranian game development industry at ruthless invasion demonstrates many more faces of Games. You will learn about how games were used and why. What those games about. How reality of war reflected creative reaction of game developers. Around 200 games have been analyzed.","description":"Game designer and narrative designer since 1996. Is PhD, LLM, MPsych. Works now as Head of Business Development at Playcus, a Canadian game publisher, cofounder\/partner of ComBat.Vision, EduHaven and BelGameDev. Former Regional Coordinator for Eastern Europe and Asia for IGDA. He worked on many games (It Lurks Below, RhyDin, Lands of Evermore, Vampires the Masquerade: St. Louis by Night online, Chernobylite 2, Proze, Replaced, Happy Home, Magic Mineral, Raccoon Mania, etc.)","jobTitle":"Head of Business Development","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"15:30 - 16:20","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Tomas Oliva","company":"4Boars","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/A7EB81B8-AE2B-FA6C-CCD3-5BF2EC291639.jpg","titles":"Starfield, Outcast 2, Halo","TalkName":"Behind the Trailer: How to Tell Your Game\u2019s Story in Minutes","TalkDescription":"Game trailers are essential for attracting players and investors, capturing a game's essence, generating excitement, and setting expectations. As a powerful first impression, they drive interest and influence decisions. This discussion explores how trailers boost marketing, enhance visibility, and appeal to both gamers and investors. Through examples and case studies, we'll highlight the key elements of successful trailers and share best practices for creating impactful, engaging content.","description":"Co-founder at 4Boars, an acclaimed collective of trailer and advertising industry professionals. Recognized for successful advertising campaigns for Starfield, Star Wars: Andor, Jurassic World: Dominion, Tekken, and numerous other high-profile projects.","jobTitle":"Trailer Music Composer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Jaroslav Vyhni\u010dka","company":"4Boars","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/B7AF428E-0E44-1651-CC86-B4EA1E9A984C.jpg","titles":"Die By The Blade, AneeMate, L\u00f3ve 2","TalkName":"Behind the Trailer: How to Tell Your Game\u2019s Story in Minutes","TalkDescription":"Game trailers are essential for attracting players and investors, capturing a game's essence, generating excitement, and setting expectations. As a powerful first impression, they drive interest and influence decisions. This discussion explores how trailers boost marketing, enhance visibility, and appeal to both gamers and investors. Through examples and case studies, we'll highlight the key elements of successful trailers and share best practices for creating impactful, engaging content.","description":"As a producer and business specialist at 4Boars, I ensure that creativity has a clear direction and that ideas transform into unforgettable campaigns. From planning and managing projects to ensuring client satisfaction, my goal is to turn visions into reality \u2013 all with a smile and a touch of humor.","jobTitle":"Producer and Sales Specialist","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Andres Ibanez de Aldecoa
Virtuos
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Andres Ibanez de Aldecoa","company":"Virtuos","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/5FA167BD-1DC9-2FE7-A8A7-259E21122566.jpg","titles":"Dead Island 2, Saints Row 5, The Chant","TalkName":"Improve UI Performance With Generic Materials","TalkDescription":"The presentation will showcase simple and more complex, reusable Unreal Engine materials that allow developers enhance traditional layout methods in UI, without leveraging panels and render transforms in the UI, so as to manage UI performance between the CPU and the GPU, depending on the use case. This session is a logical successor of similar talk at Unreal Fest Prague 2024, sharing and expanding further the topic of achieving better performance using well designed materials.","description":"Originally from Venezuela, Andr\u00e9s has built a strong reputation in the games industry over the past four years, specializing in Unreal and Unity. With expertise as an Engine Generalist and Technical Analyst, he has contributed to major titles such as Dead Island 2, Saints Row 5, The Chant, and other unreleased AAA games. Currently a Senior Technical Artist at Virtuos Labs Prague, Andr\u00e9s leverages his deep technical knowledge & creative problem-solving skills to push the boundaries of game de","jobTitle":"Senior Technical Artist","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Jozef Pavelka","company":"Indie","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/456DC993-B99A-0CF3-305F-B881DF7FE66A.jpg","titles":"Felvidek","TalkName":"Felvidek Post Mortem","TalkDescription":"Jozef Pavelka will present the concept of his authorial game Felvidek and the various stages of its creation. He will also talk about his experiences as an independent game developer, possible approaches to working on projects of this type, and the perception of games as an art form. He will introduce the design pillars (a set of criteria determining all elements of the game \u2013 from the storyline, through the visuals, to the game mechanics) of Felvidek.","description":"Jozef Pavelka (*1997) is a recent graduate from the Media Illustration studio at SUTNARKA. The artist, originally from Pre\u0161ov, gained recognition in both local and international markets with the game Felvidek, which he developed in collaboration with Vlado Ganaj. The game has enjoyed success due to its compelling story set in medieval Slovakia and its atmospheric visuals, showcasing Jozef's creativity as a designer and artist. He is currently working at Warhorse Studio.","jobTitle":"Indie game dev","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"13:00 - 13:25","AllSpeakers":""}
Vratislav Medřický
SPŠ Resslova, Ústí nad Labem
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Vratislav Med\u0159ick\u00fd","company":"SP\u0160 Resslova, \u00dast\u00ed nad Labem","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/E665DD25-A638-2970-9C27-ABFC8E4E861C.jpg","titles":"EduVR, ZNK, Education","TalkName":"When Education Becomes A Game","TalkDescription":"\"When Education Becomes A Game: How To Introduce Gamedev In Schools\". On one side, discover how integrating GameDev into school curricula can empower students to develop both technical and creative skills, bridging art and technology. On the other, explore how gamification can transform everyday learning by using RPG elements and engaging mechanics to motivate students. Practical steps and tips will show you how to enrich education from both perspectives.","description":"I originally started as a programmer... and also a passionate gamer. Later, I discovered my enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and became a teacher at the high school I graduated from. I focus on teaching programming and game development, and I successfully established a school program dedicated to game development and other supporting subjects. I combine my passion for software and game development with modern educational methods. I have worked on several projects, particularly EduVR.","jobTitle":"Teacher \/ Game and software developer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"14:00 - 14:25","AllSpeakers":""}
Blaise Van Dyck
Limbic Entertainment
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Blaise Van Dyck","company":"Limbic Entertainment","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/804CEEDA-39E2-E6F4-25CC-F3AC23EF0416.jpg","titles":"Park Beyond","TalkName":"The Road To Hell - Tech To Design Communication","TalkDescription":"Are you paving your way to development hell? Easy wins to help tech and design teams work better with each other. I will pull from my experience flying around different departments and go over situations and patterns you can identify and act on, as well as explain perspectives from each side and my personal solutions to leverage skills and smoothen workflows.","description":"Blaise Van Dyck is a Technical Level Designer from Limbic Entertainment. With multi-disciplinary background, he quickly evolved from programming to his current role and is now flying across different teams and bridging departments, with a focus on narrative, mission and world design. Very much fond of tactical and card games and always iterating on prototypes!","jobTitle":"Technical Level Designer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"12:00 - 12:25","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Jakub Doucek","company":"Veska Games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/7495AE31-F768-73E7-91CD-5B434430B71C.jpg","titles":"Through the Ages, Codenames App","TalkName":"How to Make a Successful Indie Game - And Why I'm Trying to Make One","TalkDescription":"The game industry is changing faster than ever. How can indie developers find their place in such a complex and oversaturated market? In this talk, I\u2019ll share lessons from my journey, including the unpredictable nature of success and the valuable insights that often come from failure. Finally, I\u2019ll discuss how to find the passion and determination needed to see even the most challenging projects through to the end.","description":"Games have always been my passion, and I\u2019m pursuing my goals with a clear purpose. While still in school, I joined CGE, where I played a significant role in all of their digital projects. I gained experience across many areas of game development, from programming to broader responsibilities as the team grew from a small group to several dozen. Now, I\u2019m starting an exciting new chapter by founding my own studio, Veska Games.","jobTitle":"Game Developer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Martina Kotykov\u00e1","company":"IPO CZ","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/00EEBA0D-F13E-2B62-FB29-EB0C65AD740F.jpg","titles":"IP Scan, IP mediation Centre, Pr\u00e1vn\u00ed ochrana GUI","TalkName":"How To Use IP Scan To Manage IP","TalkDescription":"This lecture will introduce the IP scan service that will help businesses identify their intellectual property assets and help them integrate an IP strategy into their business plan. The aim of the IP Scan service is to provide guidance on how to register and use your IP now and in the future.","description":"Martina Kotykov\u00e1\r\nShe works as head of the Innovation Protection Support Unit at the Industrial Property Office and is a member of the College of the President of the IPO. \r\nShe has created an effective network of IP scan service providers. She is a promoter of ADR services in Intellectual Property. Her publication Legal Protection of GUI is also available from the US Library of Congress.","jobTitle":"Head of Innovation Support Department","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 2","TalkTime":"16:30 - 16:55","AllSpeakers":""}
Oleksii Sytianov
KOAN games
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Oleksii Sytianov","company":"KOAN games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/EB2C63F7-B906-89B2-4AB0-7AF1AC851EF3.jpg","titles":"S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl, Sketch Crawler","TalkName":"Building The World of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl","TalkDescription":"The story of how the world of the game was created. What challenges we met and what we got in the end.","description":"23+ years, dedicated time to game design and gaming worlds. Tries numerous game genres. First of all known as a lead game designer, scriptwriter and worldbuilder of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. Also SURVARIUM, Chernobylite, Metro series, Warface, Sketch Tales, Sketch Crawler etc.","jobTitle":"Game director","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Warhorse Hall","TalkTime":"14:30 - 15:20","AllSpeakers":""}
Patrik Kučavík
Grip Studios
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Patrik Ku\u010dav\u00edk","company":"Grip Studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/A0C9AB1D-2304-4D1D-B746-D9E790309454.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Navigate the Spaghetti: Building Complex Tools with Geometry Nodes","TalkDescription":"Node based systems are a double edged sword. They allow unmatched prototyping speed and rapid development, however they always come with the penalty of hard readability. To navigate and maintain a complex node graph is a task of it's own. During my career I had the opportunity to build several complex tools which led me to develop a set of best practices and habits that make my daily work easier. During my presentation, I will share these tips so you can navigate your graphs with confidence.","description":"Patrik is a technical artist that found love for proceduralism during studies of Architecture, where he focused on experimental approaches to design, fascinated by the potential of digital tools. He started his 3D career building tools in the Archviz Industry. After joining Pixel Federation, he was developing world-building tools in Geometry Nodes for stylized mobile games. His current work in Grip Studios is focusing on proceduralism and building pipelines around Blender and Unreal Engine.","jobTitle":"Technical Artist","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"11:30 - 11:55","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Ji\u0159\u00ed Bury","company":"Photon Engine","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/BAD0104B-AA3D-33B7-4880-598EFABAB3C1.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Your First Multiplayer Game","TalkDescription":"Ready to make your first multiplayer game? Join us to learn the basics\u2014from choosing the best networking model to testing in real-world conditions. We\u2019ll cover strategies for different types of games, with tips to keep costs low, make gameplay smooth, and prevent cheating. You\u2019ll also get insights on managing bandwidth and performance. Finally, we\u2019ll do a brief case study using Photon Engine to see these ideas in action. This is your guide to launching a multiplayer game!","description":"I\u2019m Ji\u0159\u00ed Bury, a Senior Engineer at Photon Engine - a leading multiplayer solution provider. I began my game development career as an indie developer, creating small mobile games. Over time, I gained experience and eventually became Lead Networking Programmer for major studio mobile titles with 100M+ downloads. Currently, I develop multiplayer-focused add-ons and game samples for Photon Fusion and Photon Quantum, showcasing their potential to make multiplayer game development faster and easier.","jobTitle":"Senior Engineer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":null,"AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Technical","hall":"Workshop Room 1","start":"11:30 - 12:20","name":"Your First Multiplayer Game"}]}
Leene Künnap
Placeholder Gameworks
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Leene K\u00fcnnap","company":"Placeholder Gameworks","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/C1059CA4-123E-6488-7550-4A6DE31A10FC.jpg","titles":"Death and Taxes, CraftCraft, Broken Alliance","TalkName":"How to Survive and Thrive as an Indie Developer","TalkDescription":"Indie Game Developers have a lot of struggles and a lot of games never see the light of day. And even if they do, they might not get the visibility they deserve. There is a lot of information out there how to make games or market them but this talk will take a step back and take a look on the mindset and mental state that can be useful for being a fully independent self publishing game team. Expect a (hopefully inspiring) personal game dev journey story and nifty tricks to survive and thrive.","description":"Leene is the CEO of Placeholder Gameworks (a studio with 25 people making 2 games at the same time currently). She is mostly known for her work on Death and Taxes and CraftCraft as Creative and Art Director. She studied Multimedia and Marketing and loves everything aesthetic. She also loves to hang around other indie game developers to get inspired, collaborate and share experiences\/knowledge.","jobTitle":"CEO\/Indie\/Creative Director","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"11:30 - 12:20","AllSpeakers":""}
Ria Gynther
Gamebadges / Metropolia UAS
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Ria Gynther","company":"Gamebadges \/ Metropolia UAS","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/8556F192-9684-1056-9AB0-930C1041166D.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles","TalkDescription":"Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles. This year we started EU-funded project called Gamebadges to create a European system of micro-credentials for the game industry.","description":"I am a game industry professional and RDI project worker at Metropolia, Finland\u2019s largest University of Applied Sciences. We\u2019re developing a competence-based Open Badge ecosystem with nine European partners to aimed for Game Industry. Over the past 7+ years, I\u2019ve worked in projects connecting game companies and education, contributed to game industry organizations, and gained a deep understanding of the Finnish game ecosystem, always driven to learn and make an impact.","jobTitle":"Project Coordinator","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"13:00 - 13:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Saija Heinonen
Gamebadges / Metropolia UAS
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Saija Heinonen","company":"Gamebadges \/ Metropolia UAS","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/D0A61653-CEAD-CF89-9D5B-82CCBED6061C.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles","TalkDescription":"Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles. This year we started EU-funded project called Gamebadges to create a European system of micro-credentials for the game industry.","description":"Project manager of the Gamebadges-project in Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. Gamebadges aims to create a competence-based open badge ecosystem for the European Game Industry. I've been piloting projects for over a decade, including the Chips for Game Skills -project, where the previous version of the Game Industry Competence Map was created in 2020. More information https:\/\/gamebadges.eu","jobTitle":"Project manager","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"13:00 - 13:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Jakub H\u00e1jek","company":"Warezio","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/9EF6FE1F-D765-DBCB-BBBD-021704D7963C.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Your Game Will Be Stolen: Not If, But When. What Can You Do?","TalkDescription":"In this talk, we will dive into the world of game piracy. We'll explore how piracy operates today, how it evolved in the past, and why no game is truly safe. From understanding the mindset of pirates to examining the tools they use, we'll provide an insightful journey through the mechanisms of piracy. As a highlight, we'll demonstrate a simple example of how a game can be cracked. Additionally, we'll briefly touch on the legal aspects surrounding piracy and intellectual property protection.","description":"Founder and CEO of company Warezio focused on anti-piracy activities, included technical and law aspects. As ex software developer and anti-piracy consultant has huge experience in knowledge transfer between these two aspects.","jobTitle":"CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Michal Mančař
CzechCrunch
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Michal Man\u010da\u0159","company":"CzechCrunch","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/AD1D8B14-FE62-28AC-854B-F2287D835B03.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - Public Funding For Videogames Industry","TalkDescription":"Panel discussion on public support for gaming. Issues around the transformation of the Audiovisual Fund and the amendment to the Audiovisual Act, plus a general discussion on state support for the sector.","description":"Video games reporter @ CzechCrunch.","jobTitle":"Video Games Reporter","TalkLanguage":"Czech","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"11:30 - 12:20","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Yang Hong","company":"Eventide Birds","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/87C4A859-8FCB-40B8-F4A2-DA4DD8736F1D.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Make Narrative Designers Great Again! \u2014 Why Game Storytellers Should Learn Basic Programming","TalkDescription":"Traditional storytelling often shows continuity and linearity, but for games, it is fragmentation and interaction. Moreover, narratives must integrate with elements like game mechanics and art. This talk discusses how programming knowledge provides a foundational logic for narrative design and interactive writing, enabling designers to collaborate effectively with developers, align narratives with gameplay systems, and innovate new methods for storytelling.","description":"Yang, co-founder and studio head at indie game studio Eventide Birds, oversees game development with a focus on narrative direction with experience leading award-winning indie games and contributing to billion-dollar commercial game projects. Before diving into the industry of games, Yang built a background as a writer and editor with degrees or academic experiences in art history, theology and anthropology.","jobTitle":"Studio Head","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"14:00 - 14:25","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"AI","FilterValue":"AI Summit","Name":"Tom\u00e1\u0161 PLCH","company":"Freelance","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/11\/64DD0BB5-4ABB-63E6-41C2-47D3F420CB0C.png","titles":"KCD, CP77, Star Citizen, Modern Warfare 2 & 3...","TalkName":"AI Technologies Used To Build Big Worlds","TalkDescription":"TBD","description":"Entered gamedev in 2012 to craft the AI for KCD. Worked as the main AI Architect and AI Team Lead for 5 years and got my PhD at MFF UK about KCD's AI. Continued as team lead on CP77 AI. Than moved to work on Star Citizen's ambient NPC and ship combat AI. Continued to work for Infinity Ward to lead an R&D team to make next gen AI for the MW universe. Now working as tech director at a US tech company, being an investor and co-conspirator at Filuta AI and being the AI Director at an indie gamedev.","jobTitle":"AI","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Roman Hladík
Hangar 13 / 2K Czech
{"Name":"Roman Hlad\u00edk","company":"Hangar 13 \/ 2K Czech","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/D2D45F65-53FD-DD74-E834-5E83FAA40FEC.jpg","titles":"Mafia, Mafia II, Mafia III, Mafia DE, TopSpin 2k25","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - Public Support","TalkDescription":"News in Czech law related to game devs.","description":"Roman has over 20 years of experience in game development. He began his career at Illusion Softworks (later 2K Czech \/ Hangar 13), working as a graphic artist, art director, and now serves as the general manager of Hangar 13 studios in Prague and Brno. The studio is known for the Mafia series and TopSpin. He is also the co-author of the successful board game Karak. Roman actively participates in the Brno game development community and serves as the chairman of the Game Cluster.","jobTitle":"General Manager","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":null,"AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Edu","hall":"IT Trendy Hall","start":"11:30 - 12:20","name":"Panel Discussion - Public Funding For Videogames Industry"}]}
Prokop Jirsa
Warhorse studios
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Prokop Jirsa","company":"Warhorse studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/FEDA9348-2631-E626-7CDB-67BE90B1261F.jpg","titles":"Kingdom Come: Deliverance","TalkName":"The Hidden Layers of RPG Storytelling","TalkDescription":"Storytelling in RPGs is far more complex than just plot and writing. This talk explores the surprising number of elements that shape a narrative in games and how these unseen factors are key to creating an immersive player experience.","description":"Prokop Jirsa is the Lead Designer at Warhorse Studios, where he has been shaping Kingdom Come: Deliverance and its sequel since 2014. Starting as a designer, he worked on crafting quests and directed the game\u2019s voice overs. Now overseeing both narrative and gameplay design, Prokop ensures a seamless blend of story and mechanics as Warhorse prepares for the release of Kingdom Come 2.","jobTitle":"Lead Designer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"13:30 - 14:20","AllSpeakers":""}
Petr Nohejl
Warhorse Studios
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Petr Nohejl","company":"Warhorse Studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/2DFF9BD0-7033-FD86-DAD8-23312541BA8E.jpg","titles":"Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Kingdom Come Deliveran","TalkName":"How (Not) To Do Continuous Integration In The Video Game Industry","TalkDescription":"The lesson will show the path we took from KCD to KCD2 regarding CI (continuous integration) and the tools connected to it, challenges we needed to overcome including the CryEngine-specific struggles connected to it, how we overcame challenges and give some tips what needs to be considered when developing such a robust system. We will talk about how our build pipeline works and explain the technologies used, such as Teamcity, ansible, cloud services, and our custom tools built on top of it.","description":"I graduated from CTU FIT and started working at Warhorse Studios after release of KCD in 2019. Originally my expretise is cyber security, but I was always drawn to games.","jobTitle":"Programmer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"13:00 - 13:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Martin Ziegler
Warhorse Studios
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Martin Ziegler","company":"Warhorse Studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/9B34488C-1A25-740A-5AC8-DEB7E0AF531C.jpg","titles":"Kingdom Come: Deliverance","TalkName":"Kingdom Come: Redemption","TalkDescription":"A few lessons that we at Warhorse Studios have learned from making the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance and then applied to making the sequel, mostly from the technical and organisational perspective.","description":"Martin has worked in Warhorse Studios as an AI scripter on Kingdom Come: Deliverance and as the lead scripter on Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.","jobTitle":"Lead Scripter","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Anna Bartošková
Kancelář Kreativní Evropa MEDIA
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Anna Barto\u0161kov\u00e1","company":"Kancel\u00e1\u0159 Kreativn\u00ed Evropa MEDIA","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/BD1A39A5-680C-281E-E12A-78121B3486EE.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Creative Europe MEDIA programme","TalkDescription":"\"Funding opportunities for video games developers from the Creative Europe MEDIA programme\". Creative Europe is the European Union\u2018s programme to support the culture and audiovisual sectors. Its MEDIA strand supports the development of new films, video games, TV productions and online formats, distribution, film festivals and markets, training programmes for audiovisual professionals, cinemas and VOD platforms. What are the funding opportunities available to developers and professionals from from gaming industry? What projects are eligible to receive support and under which conditions?","description":"Anna Barto\u0161kov\u00e1 graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University with major in cultural studies. Before joining the Creative Europe MEDIA Desk I worked for the Forum of Independents of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. I also collaborated with the festival Days of European Films and regularly organized the Prague Quadrennial (2007, 2011, 2015, 2019).","jobTitle":"coordinator","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"14:30 - 14:55","AllSpeakers":""}
Martin Klíma
Warhorse Studios
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Martin Kl\u00edma","company":"Warhorse Studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/EE635DA1-2446-8407-D341-9FB58C0B4BFE.jpg","titles":"Original War, Kingdom Come: Deliverance","TalkName":"Localization and Voiceovers recording for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II","TalkDescription":"KCD II contains over 250 thousand lines of voice overs, totaling over 240 hour of recording. There were 2.6 million words of translate. In order to manage this extraordinary volume of text and audio, we had to develop robust pipelines and our own tools. This talk will start with the data model we use in our dialogue system, branch into description of translation and recording pipeline and showcase the tools that we use.","description":"Created Dra\u010d\u00ed doup\u011b, Czech fantasy pen-and-paper RPG, had been developing videogames since 1997, founded Warhorse Studios in 2011, worked i.a. on Original War, UFO: After* series, ArmA, OF: Dragon Rising and most recently on Kingdom Come: Deliverance.","jobTitle":"Executive Producer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"15:00 - 15:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Martin Pernica
Flying Rat Studio
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Martin Pernica","company":"Flying Rat Studio","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/E7B20B0A-EAA1-8473-DB88-2A778A1595B4.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Looking Beyond C++ in Game Development","TalkDescription":"C++ has long been the go-to choice for game development, especially when working on engines. But is it always the best option? In this talk, we'll uncover the challenges of working with C++ and dive into the world of emerging programming languages that might just become your next favorite tool for crafting games like Zig, Odin, and others.","description":"CTO by day, developer by night. He has been working in the game industry for quite some time and has a passion for anything technology related that helps his teams make their dreams come true.","jobTitle":"CTO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"13:30 - 14:20","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Jon Shafer","company":"Conifer Games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/226B11E5-E8C9-E044-8E1A-F02923249AC5.jpg","titles":"Civilization 5, Civilization 4, At the Gates","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - Designing Complex Games","TalkDescription":"Join a panel of masterful designers, producers and artists exploring the challenges of complex system-driven video games. Diving into a genre of games that strive for a rich gameplay, nearly endless replayability, high immersion, responsiveness to player's actions, a real sense of consequences and a complexity that is difficult to master but easy to learn. Qualities commonly seen in city builders, strategy games, simulators and RPGs, that are getting increasingly more complex over the years. We will explore real stories, examples and applied solutions for reaching these ambitious goals, and look into the future potential of these games. ","description":"Jon Shafer was the lead designer and principal gameplay programmer for Sid Meier's Civilization 5. Jon has worked on strategy games since 2005 and run his independent game studio, Conifer Games, since 2012. Jon is especially excited about the potential for procedural generation to enhance gameplay depth and variety.","jobTitle":"Designer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Jaroslav Menčík
MAVERICKS
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Jaroslav Men\u010d\u00edk","company":"MAVERICKS","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/782C69C9-E7B4-4BD3-36DD-92D289C4AD15.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"GameDev Legal Clinic","TalkDescription":"Are you developing the best video game of all times but fear the legal challenges that lie ahead? You don\u2019t have to anymore! GDS is organizing a legal clinic with a video game lawyer who will happily answer all your questions, whether you are a small indie studio working on your first game or an experienced team developing a AAA title.","description":"Jaroslav is the head of video game practice at MAVERICKS law firm based in Prague. He regularly advises game studios, indie developers, publishers and investors on publishing & investment deals, intellectual property issues, licensing and protection of brand. Jaroslav regularly lectures on video game law at conferences and universities.","jobTitle":"Partner","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 2","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"AI","FilterValue":"AI Summit","Name":"Filip Dvorak","company":"Filuta AI","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/45901056-11A3-1FE5-DFE3-B400F5B9BD5B.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Effortless Game Testing with Planning Agents","TalkDescription":"Decades of research in Planning Agents for autonomous control in space is now benefiting industries on Earth, from healthcare to automated gameplaying. This talk explores how Planning Agents drastically reduce test script maintenance, cut game testing time by an order of magnitude, assess gameplay complexity, and leverage automated domain synthesis and large language models to streamline integration into games at any development stage.","description":"Filip Dvorak, a leading AI expert from the Czech Republic, has worked with major companies like Google and Microsoft and contributed to AI startups in Silicon Valley, some achieving successful acquisitions. Holding two doctorates from Charles University in Prague, he has also taught and conducted research at the University of Toronto and Palo Alto Research Center. He founded Filuta AI, a startup specializing in composite artificial intelligence and advanced AI planning for game testing.","jobTitle":"CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"14:00 - 14:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Tereza Roller
Plan A Collective
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Tereza Roller","company":"Plan A Collective","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/1E04C841-DDF9-8AB6-E78C-693E6346DA74.jpg","titles":"Warhammer Vermintide II","TalkName":"Trends in External Development","TalkDescription":"The Embracer crash and mass layoffs over the past two years have shaken the industry, forcing studios to rethink how they work. External development, once viewed as a necessary evil or a last resort, is now a key part of project planning for more and more teams. This talk dives into how the market has shifted, why external pipelines are becoming essential, and what this means for how we\u2019ll plan and execute projects in 2024 and beyond.","description":"A creative leader with experience across video games, TV, and radio, with game credits including Warhammer: Vermintide II, Devil May Cry V and Dragon's Dogma II. She has worked across AAA and indie as a part of Plan A's external development projects and is currently leading the development of a debut studio title. Her expertise spans narrative design, production management, and navigating the complexities of cross-disciplinary collaboration.","jobTitle":"Creative Director","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"15:30 - 15:55","AllSpeakers":""}
David Šosvald
Charles University
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"David \u0160osvald","company":"Charles University","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/C4E7B2ED-D2FA-8113-33AD-F5703F09073D.jpg","titles":"Gamebadges","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles","TalkDescription":"Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles. This year we started EU-funded project called Gamebadges to create a European system of micro-credentials for the game industry.","description":"David \u0160osvald graduated from Charles University in 2023 with a degree in Visual Computing and Game Development. Now pursuing a PhD, he focuses his research on the impact of adaptive game elements on players' attitudes in video games. He also takes part in the Erasmus+ grant Gamebadges, developing a badge ecosystem for the European game industry.","jobTitle":"PhD student","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"13:00 - 13:50","AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Edu","hall":"Workshop Room 2","start":"14:30 - 15:20","name":"Gamebadges - Educator Stakeholder Meeting"}]}
Martin Labuť
Warhorse Studios
{"Filter":"Technical","FilterValue":"Technical","Name":"Martin Labu\u0165","company":"Warhorse Studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/CA5D2D9F-4DE0-A92E-36DF-7E01E41E1B3B.jpg","titles":"Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Kingdom Come Deliveran","TalkName":"NPC Daycycles In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2","TalkDescription":"Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 features a vast simulated open world, where nearly 2400 persistent NPCs follow their daily schedules at all times. Since the game aims to be realistic and historical, NPC daycycles can be quite complex. This not only challenges the game's performance but also requires a nontrivial amount of manual labor to place all these NPCs in the game. Furthermore, many NPCs are featured in various quests, which interact with their daycycles. Using our experience from developing","description":"Martin Labu\u0165 has worked as scripter on Kingdom Come: Deliverance and later as AI programmer on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.","jobTitle":"Programmer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"15:00 - 15:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Petr Bratsk\u00fd","company":"Legal","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/D0C3207D-7F3F-DDC5-7928-2A9B97E44995.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - Movie Adaptations Of Video Games","TalkDescription":"For many years, we have enjoyed TV series and movies based on video games. Take, for instance The Last of Us, Assassin's Creed, Fallout or soon to be released A Minecraft Movie. Contract drafts presented to developers by studios often contain legal pitfalls for the developer. How to prepare for them and what to pay attention to? In this panel we will discuss whether it is possible to negotiate a reasonable deal between a studio and a video game developer and how to prepare for negotiations.","description":"Petr Bratsk\u00fd is a Managing Associate at the international law firm Kinstellar and an expert in Data Protection, IP and Interactive Entertainment Law. He focuses on providing comprehensive advice to both international and local clients on all legal aspects of video games. Petr also has significant experience in the field of media and film law, representing major production companies in all stages of film production and in regulatory matters. He is a member of the Video Game Bar Association.","jobTitle":"Managing Associate","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"13:00 - 13:50","AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Law","hall":"Summit Hall","start":"11:30 - 11:35","name":"Legal Summit - Opening"},{"Filter":"Law","hall":"Summit Hall","start":"14:00 - 14:50","name":"Panel Discussion - Dark Patterns in Video Games"}]}
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Nav Sunner","company":"Navatron","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/E88AD2A3-ABB6-8B10-B7AF-912EA352D27B.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - How To Approach Video Game M&A From The Sell-side?","TalkDescription":"M&A in the video game industry present unique challenges for companies on the sell-side. Navigating a successful M&A transaction requires a deep understanding of the market, IP related issues and regulatory considerations. Our experts from four different countries will discuss key strategies and best practices for video game companies preparing for a sale. Understanding the intricacies of the sell-side process can make the difference between a successful exit and missed opportunity.","description":"Nav Sunner is the founder of a video games legal and business consultancy called \u2018Navatron\u2019. Has been involved with the video games industry since early 90\u2019s. Has acted as both in-house counsel and external adviser for a variety of companies in the industry including some of the largest developers, publishers and service companies. Nav also holds advisory and board positions for some video game developers and publishers and gets involved in the acquisitions and IPO's of video games businesses.","jobTitle":"CEO & Founder","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Law","hall":"Summit Hall","start":"13:00 - 13:50","name":"Panel Discussion - Movie Adaptations Of Video Games"}]}
Michał Pękała
Rymarz Zdort Maruta
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Micha\u0142 P\u0119ka\u0142a","company":"Rymarz Zdort Maruta","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/F189BBC5-3207-1DED-8155-E938A2BD7F88.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - How To Approach Video Game M&A From The Sell-side?","TalkDescription":"M&A in the video game industry present unique challenges for companies on the sell-side. Navigating a successful M&A transaction requires a deep understanding of the market, IP related issues and regulatory considerations. Our experts from four different countries will discuss key strategies and best practices for video game companies preparing for a sale. Understanding the intricacies of the sell-side process can make the difference between a successful exit and missed opportunity.","description":"An advocate, a partner and head of the Video Games & Entertainment practice of Rymarz Zdort Maruta. Has extensive experience in advising entities from the video game industry such as developers, publishers, industry investors, asset providers, freelancers, and influencers, as well as e-sports teams. Also advises on financing transactions for gaming entities and is a legal expert for WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) in relation to video games.","jobTitle":"Partner;Head of the Video Games&Entertainment team","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Law","hall":"Summit Hall","start":"13:00 - 13:50","name":"Panel Discussion - Movie Adaptations Of Video Games"}]}
Laetitia Nicolazzi
Linklaters
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Laetitia Nicolazzi","company":"Linklaters","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/B4A90EA5-62E9-1972-519D-11F85F376AF9.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - How To Approach Video Game M&A From The Sell-side?","TalkDescription":"M&A in the video game industry present unique challenges for companies on the sell-side. Navigating a successful M&A transaction requires a deep understanding of the market, IP related issues and regulatory considerations. Our experts from four different countries will discuss key strategies and best practices for video game companies preparing for a sale. Understanding the intricacies of the sell-side process can make the difference between a successful exit and missed opportunity.","description":"Laetitia is a Managing Associate in the Paris IP team at international law firm Linklaters. As a member of the Paris and New York bar, Laetitia assists and represents her clients in all intellectual property (trademarks, patents, copyrights), art law and commercial and consumer protection law areas. She has a strong expertise in the video game industry and focuses also on topics related to Web3, Metaverse, NFTs and influencers.","jobTitle":"Managing Associate","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Law","hall":"Summit Hall","start":"14:00 - 14:50","name":"Panel Discussion - Dark Patterns in Video Games"}]}
Roman Romanovsky
Wargaming
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Roman Romanovsky","company":"Wargaming","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/2B1F0B07-91A3-9A69-4248-2C7A625CA0B5.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Common Monetization Mechanics Under Regulator's Scrutiny","TalkDescription":"We will focus on various forms of microtransactions, especially on loot boxes and sales of in-game currency and related regulatory challenges and consumer protection issues. Roman will provide a unique perspective of an experienced in-house lawyer who will outline how to be compliant as a developer with ever increasing consumer and other regulations and will also touch upon the recent BEUC Report on unfair TCs applied by video game companies.","description":"Roman is a Senior Counsel working for Wargaming, the developer and publisher of the multiplayer online games World of Tanks and World of Warships. He focuses on monetization, payments, and consumer protection law and has been working in the video games industry for over ten years.","jobTitle":"Senior Counsel","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"15:00 - 15:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Mat\u011bj Ve\u010de\u0159a","company":"Kinstellar","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/1FEDE782-ADC3-9064-5B2F-387AAC9A5A6E.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - How To Approach Video Game M&A From The Sell-side?","TalkDescription":"M&A in the video game industry present unique challenges for companies on the sell-side. Navigating a successful M&A transaction requires a deep understanding of the market, IP related issues and regulatory considerations. Our experts from four different countries will discuss key strategies and best practices for video game companies preparing for a sale. Understanding the intricacies of the sell-side process can make the difference between a successful exit and missed opportunity.","description":"Mat\u011bj is a Senior Associate in the Prague office of international law firm Kinstellar. He focuses on M&A, corporate and private equity, including Tech M&A transactions. Also has experience in video game transactions and was recently included among the rising stars of Czech advocacy.","jobTitle":"Senior Associate","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Faraz Shanyar","company":"Plan A","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/9F051DEF-2AF3-EDD3-8D24-72BC0FCC3874.jpg","titles":"The lion king,outlast 2, indiana jones","TalkName":"Character Design For Games And Movies","TalkDescription":"A talk on character design for games and movies explores creating visually compelling and emotionally engaging characters. It covers key concepts like storytelling, personality, silhouette, anatomy, color, and style, tailored to fit narrative and genre requirements.","description":"Faraz Shanyar is an Iranian illustrator and concept artist. He is known for his work on major projects like The Lion King (2019), Aladdin (2019), Dune, Control (video game), and Outlast 2. He has collaborated with studios such as Volta, MPC, Remedy, Red Barrels and machinegames. Currently based in sweden, he works as a freelancer and teacher","jobTitle":"senior concept artist","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 2","TalkTime":"15:30 - 16:20","AllSpeakers":""}
Nikita Skotin
Plan A Collective
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Nikita Skotin","company":"Plan A Collective","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/B3DA62BD-0DC7-868F-F1DF-476BB9FB165F.jpg","titles":"Microsoft Flight Simulator, Battlefield 2042","TalkName":"Using 3D Gaussian Splatting in 3D model production","TalkDescription":"I want to share how 3D Gaussian Splatting technology can be used in the production of 3D models in a simple way. \nI will show the step-by-step process of creating a simple splat model from a basic dataset via Postshot software and demonstrate how it can be imported to Blender for further usage.","description":"3D artist specializing in hard surface modeling with 5 years of experience in the video game industry.","jobTitle":"3D Artist","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 2","TalkTime":"16:30 - 16:55","AllSpeakers":""}
Hedvika Jandová
Flying Rat Studio | ANOMALIA
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Hedvika Jandov\u00e1","company":"Flying Rat Studio | ANOMALIA","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/D8EC234D-B52C-1A8C-80C2-F2D451FD8D6E.jpg","titles":"Beat Saber, Darkest Dungeon II, Secret Neighbor","TalkName":"QA Chitchat: How Work Shapes the Future","TalkDescription":"Join QA leads from interesting companies as they share their journeys from other industries into game dev. We\u2019ll explore the reality vs. expectations of the field. Learn about their ambitions, challenges, and what they love most about working in QA. Discover the true essence of a career in game development and game testing.\r\n\r\nHosted by Hedvika Jandov\u00e1 \r\nPanelists:\r\n- Ond\u0159ej Purchart (Flying Rat Studio) \r\n- Petr Kuba (SCS Software) \r\n- Martin Ferenc (Red Hook Studios) \r\n- Honza R\u00fccker (Beat Games)","description":"Chief Quality Officer and Project Manager at Flying Rat Studio and a mentor for Game Testing courses at ANOMALIA. She has extensive experience in game testing across platforms like Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Meta Quest, PSVR2, Steam, and more. She has also worked as a Release Manager, assisting with preparing and releasing games for these platforms. Her work includes titles such as Beat Saber, Pillars of Eternity, Creaks, Secret Neighbor, Visage, Darkest Dungeon 2, and many others.","jobTitle":"CQO | Project Manager | Mentor","TalkLanguage":"Czech","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 2","TalkTime":"12:30 - 13:20","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Name":"Petr Kuba","company":"SCS Software","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/129BE318-AABF-6237-0F45-FD850FECB222.jpg","titles":"American Truck Simulator, ETS2, Spaceline Pilot","TalkName":"QA Chitchat: How Work Shapes the Future","TalkDescription":"Join QA leads from interesting companies as they share their journeys from other industries into game dev. We\u2019ll explore the reality vs. expectations of the field. Learn about their ambitions, challenges, and what they love most about working in QA. Discover the true essence of a career in game development and game testing.","description":"I test, I break and improve to ensure the player has the best experience!","jobTitle":"Senior QA","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":null,"AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Edu","hall":"Workshop Room 2","start":"12:30 - 13:20","name":"QA Chitchat: How Work Shapes the Future"}]}
Lukáš Kolek
Charles Games
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Luk\u00e1\u0161 Kolek","company":"Charles Games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/901E1A44-10A0-DE50-839A-8648303CBC3C.jpg","titles":"Beecarbonize, Attentat 1942, Playing Kafka","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles","TalkDescription":"Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles. This year we started EU-funded project called Gamebadges to create a European system of micro-credentials for the game industry.","description":"Lukas is the co-founder and CEO of Charles Games, an award-winning studio renowned for creating socially engaged video games. Their recent projects include Beecarbonize, a thought-provoking game about climate change and a nominee for the prestigious Apple Design Award, and Playing Kafka, a critically acclaimed title exploring the life and work of Franz Kafka. Lukas\u00b4 work is grounded in more than a decade of experience in game development and research.","jobTitle":"CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"13:00 - 13:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Václav Sahula
Brainz Gamify
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"V\u00e1clav Sahula","company":"Brainz Gamify","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/6906ABD3-B40E-FBC3-3A1D-ABA75AB00432.jpg","titles":"TrackCraft, Dex, Heroine's Quest","TalkName":"Truths and Myths of XR Multiplayer","TalkDescription":"Explore the challenges and opportunities in designing multiplayer experiences for XR platforms, using the MR game TrackCraft as a case study. Discover innovative ways to connect players\u2014synchronously, asynchronously, and through colocated play. Learn how multiplayer impacts marketing, boosts retention, and gain practical takeaways for creating compelling XR multiplayer experiences.","description":"A seasoned XR project manager and former test lead, V\u00e1clav specializes in crafting interactive entertainment and immersive XR experiences. Once known as a co-founder and game designer at Dreadlocks (Dex, Mimpi Dreams), he now pours his passion into pushing the boundaries of mixed reality with two innovative titles: TrackCraft and Pet\u2019n\u2019Run. V\u00e1clav is an avid indie gamer, tabletop enthusiast, and globetrotter, always on the lookout for the new exciting opportunities and spark conversations.","jobTitle":"Project Manager \/ Game designer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 1","TalkTime":"13:00 - 13:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Ondřej Purchart
Flying Rat Studio
{"Name":"Ond\u0159ej Purchart","company":"Flying Rat Studio","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/5A1536A9-ED62-6F3B-AAE0-01A5D3BD9983.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"QA Chitchat: How Work Shapes the Future","TalkDescription":"Join QA leads from interesting companies as they share their journeys from other industries into game dev. We\u2019ll explore the reality vs. expectations of the field. Learn about their ambitions, challenges, and what they love most about working in QA. Discover the true essence of a career in game development and game testing.\r\nHosted by Hedvika Jandov\u00e1\r\nPanelists:\r\nOnd\u0159ej Purchart (Flying Rat Studio)\r\nPetr Kuba (SCS Software)\r\nMartin Ferenc (Red Hook Studios)\r\nHonza R\u00fccker (Beat Games)","description":"I am a QA Engineer\/Lead with more than 4 years experience of working in the video games industry and general software testing. I worked on several multi-platform games - for example Conan Exiles or Beat Saber. As QA I mostly focus on certification testing and investigating bugs that are hard to reproduce. Apart from that I am interested in game design and storytelling in particular and I am creating small games as a hobby.","jobTitle":"QA Lead","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":null,"AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Edu","hall":"Workshop Room 2","start":"12:30 - 13:20","name":"QA Chitchat: How Work Shapes the Future"}]}
Martin Ferenc
Red Hook Studios
{"Name":"Martin Ferenc","company":"Red Hook Studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/92EF72CE-56CF-F6D6-A8AF-147F7ADE7F35.jpg","titles":"Darkest Dungeon II","TalkName":"QA Chitchat: How Work Shapes the Future","TalkDescription":"Join QA leads from interesting companies as they share their journeys from other industries into game dev. We\u2019ll explore the reality vs. expectations of the field. Learn about their ambitions, challenges, and what they love most about working in QA. Discover the true essence of a career in game development and game testing.\r\n\r\nHosted by Hedvika Jandov\u00e1 \r\nPanelists:\r\n- Ond\u0159ej Purchart (Flying Rat Studio)\r\n- Petr Kuba (SCS Software)\r\n- Martin Ferenc (Red Hook Studios)\r\n- Honza R\u00fccker (Beat Games)","description":"QA at Red Hook Studios. I've worked on multiple projects in my 6+ years in the industry, and across all major gaming platforms. I started working with Red Hook on Darkest Dungeon: The Butcher Circus DLC and carried on through all of Darkest Dungeon II development.","jobTitle":"QA tester","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":null,"AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Edu","hall":"Workshop Room 2","start":"12:30 - 13:20","name":"QA Chitchat: How Work Shapes the Future"}]}
Abdulaziz Aldigs
Brainz Immersive and Gamify
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Abdulaziz Aldigs","company":"Brainz Immersive and Gamify","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/0412C557-7F4F-D5C1-3B4D-23F7E1242537.jpg","titles":"Space Engineers, Smashing Four, Track Craft","TalkName":"From Struggle to Spotlight: How an MR Experience Made It to the Venice Film Festival","TalkDescription":"In this session, we\u2019ll share how we successfully brought our Mixed Reality project into the prestigious Venice Film Festival\u2019s Immersive Section, despite tight deadlines and a small team. We\u2019ll talk about the challenges we faced and the strategies we used to elevate our project to a visually striking and convincing level.","description":"Creative Producer and Art Director with 18+ years in 3D, VFX, and immersive tech. Came to the Czech Republic to pursue a medical career but shifted to follow a passion for 3D CGI. Expertise includes advertising, film, architectural visualization, and gaming across mobile, MR\/VR, and AAA console\/PC. Currently Creative Producer\/Lead at Brainz Immersive, specializing in VR experiences and games. Known for blending artistic vision, technical skill, and leadership.","jobTitle":"Creative Lead and Producer","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"GIANTS Hall","TalkTime":"11:00 - 11:50","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Business","FilterValue":"Business","Name":"Tom Roller","company":"Plan A","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/F8681356-58D6-C192-8B75-5651A1A7DEBC.png","titles":"MS Flight Simulator 2024, Dragon's Dogma II","TalkName":"From Mishaps to Masterpieces","TalkDescription":"\"From Mishaps to Masterpieces: The Secrets to Remote Development Success\". Practical dive into the trials of managing remote teams. Tom Roller, CEO of Plan A, shares real-world strategies, hard-earned lessons, and why building trust, culture, and chemistry remotely isn\u2019t just a possibility \u2014it\u2019s a competitive advantage. Walk away with actionable insights, a fresh perspective, and maybe a few sensible chuckles.","description":"With 25 years of experience, Tom Roller knows building a world-class studio starts with building trust. As CEO of Plan A, the co-dev studio behind MS Flight Simulator 2024, Dragon's Dogma 2, and Battlefield 2042, he\u2019s a pioneer in creating people-centric remote teams driven by shared values, ethical management, and team chemistry. By blending brilliance, discipline, and kindness, Tom and Plan A prove groundbreaking work can be done without losing your soul\u2014or your sense of humor.","jobTitle":"CEO","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"12:30 - 12:55","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Design","FilterValue":"Game\/Design","Name":"Jakub Guman","company":"Anomalia","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/E390CFA3-B602-0D8E-294A-3D5A77813FCB.png","titles":"Kingdom Come: Deliverance I+II, Miner Wars 2081","TalkName":"Architects And Gardeners: Worldbuilding And Level Design For Dummies","TalkDescription":"What are the possible approaches and practices for creating game worlds? How to treat a story in proper open world? \nThe talk will be somewhere between game design and narrative, and you might learn how manuals on world creation often lie to you.","description":"Former game designer from Warhorse Studios and Keen Software House. \r\nNow lecturing game design, narrative and script writing courses for Anomalia and University of West Bohemia.","jobTitle":"Lector","TalkLanguage":"Czech","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 2","TalkTime":"17:00 - 17:50","AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Design","hall":"Workshop Room 2","start":"13:00 - 14:25","name":"Workshop - Prototyping Workshop"}]}
Josef Vopička
The MAMA AI, SE
{"Filter":"AI","FilterValue":"AI Summit","Name":"Josef Vopi\u010dka","company":"The MAMA AI, SE","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/2668F836-974E-7E75-7899-60D74AA2E585.png","titles":"AI Voices for Seznam, chat\/voice bot: doarmady.cz","TalkName":"Progress In Speech Synthesis For VR - Blended Voices","TalkDescription":"Will describe a progress in building speech synthesis models for VR with focus on blended voices.","description":"More than twenty years in speech working for IBM STT, TTS, IBM Watson, now co-founder and VP for Speech & Media at THE MAMA AI, SE","jobTitle":"VP Speech & Media","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"12:30 - 12:55","AllSpeakers":""}
Jari-Pekka Kaleva
European Games Developer Federation EGDF
{"Name":"Jari-Pekka Kaleva","company":"European Games Developer Federation EGDF","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/58FDCE15-760B-0C1C-C3EE-78DD6E6EB9DB.png","titles":"","TalkName":"Panel discussion - Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles","TalkDescription":"Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles. This year we started EU-funded project called Gamebadges to create a European system of micro-credentials for the game industry.","description":"Jari-Pekka Kaleva is an institution nerd working for video game geeks revolutionising the world as we know it. He is one of the founding members of the Finnish games industry umbrella organisation, Neogames Finland. Currently, he works as Managing Director at the European games industry umbrella organisation EGDF. He has more than a decade of experience tracking national and EU-level political decision-making from the game industry\u2019s point of view.","jobTitle":"Managing Director","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":null,"AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Edu","hall":"GIANTS Hall","start":"13:00 - 13:50","name":"Panel Discussion - Skill Badges - A Modern Approach To Standardization Of Industry Roles"}]}
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Pavel Hrd\u00fd","company":"Kinstellar","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/71C6CF63-EE3E-FDB1-158F-29C759612606.png","titles":"","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - Dark Patterns in Video Games","TalkDescription":"Dark patterns are manipulative strategies designed to trick individuals into making decisions they would not normally make. In video games, these tactics often aim to drive in-game purchases and promote excessive gameplay. As this landscape continues to evolve, our experts will examine the use of dark patterns in games and highlight the shared themes in the regulatory frameworks of the EU and the UK.","description":"Pavel Hrd\u00fd is an Associate in the Prague office of Kinstellar. He is a member of the M&A and the TMT team. He specialises in data governance, consumer protection and video games law. Pavel is an avid fan of video games and outside of work he enjoys playing Dota 2, God of War, Jedi Survivor and the Lego series.","jobTitle":"Associate","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"14:00 - 14:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Francesca Tarabocchia
Wargaming
{"Filter":"Art","FilterValue":"Art\/Audio","Name":"Francesca Tarabocchia","company":"Wargaming","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/2FC815A5-EFEC-1282-7510-AF9FBA021A01.png","titles":"","TalkName":"Houdini - How To Rock","TalkDescription":"During the production of the Frontline 2023 map, one of the biggest challenges for Environment Art was to create rocks that set a new quality bar in World of Tanks. We\u2019ll guide you through the whole process starting from preproduction to the final result. We\u2019ll reveal new exclusive methods and pipelines developed during production. Let there be rock!","description":"Environment artist at Wargaming Prague, 100% team player, Houdini addicted.\r\nI'm a pretty flexible artist, I adapt easily to different projects, art styles and tasks. I like trying new things and learning new approaches.\r\nI love being part of a team working towards the same goal, sharing experiences and knowledge; I believe the key to success is to listen to each other, be open to new ideas and of course have fun in the process!","jobTitle":"Environment Artist","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Hangar 13 Hall","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:50","AllSpeakers":""}
Martina Bacikova
Sparring
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Martina Bacikova","company":"Sparring","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/06809EF0-1382-E21A-9103-DC8BA9059B6E.png","titles":"","TalkName":"How to engage with US clients - Legal war stories","TalkDescription":"Czech and US attorneys discuss how EU gaming companies can successfully engage with US clients. Through real-world examples and stories from contractual negotiations, they\u2019ll explore common mistakes in cross-border agreements and offer practical tips for navigating legal and cultural differences. This engaging session, followed by an informal Q&A, promises insights for companies looking to build strong partnerships and find long-term clients in the US market.","description":"Czech attorney-at-law with a passion for IP\/IT law and AI, focusing on provision of the legal services to start-ups, IT companies, software and app developers but also to artists, graphic designers, media and content creators. Martina advised the clients with various types of service, supply and software development agreements, SLAs, terms of use or terms and conditions and in the field of M&A transactions through the sectors such as software and technology development.","jobTitle":"Attorney-at-law","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"12:00 - 12:25","AllSpeakers":""}
{"Filter":"Law","FilterValue":"Legal Summit","Name":"Martin Repka","company":"Sparring","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/8A66272E-916A-5A53-DA6D-945DDFA65C68.png","titles":"NA","TalkName":"How to engage with US clients - Legal war stories","TalkDescription":"Czech and US attorneys discuss how EU gaming companies can successfully engage with US clients. Through real-world examples and stories from contractual negotiations, they\u2019ll explore common mistakes in cross-border agreements and offer practical tips for navigating legal and cultural differences. This engaging session, followed by an informal Q&A, promises insights for companies looking to build strong partnerships and find long-term clients in the US market.","description":"New York attorney focusing on commercial contracts, corporate governance, and\r\nemerging technology. Martin guided numerous startups and software agencies in their expansion into the\r\nUS market, helped them set up their operations and negotiate contracts with large customers.","jobTitle":"Associate","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Summit Hall","TalkTime":"12:00 - 12:25","AllSpeakers":""}
Jan Houška
Charles University
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Jan Hou\u0161ka","company":"Charles University","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/EA30E0C5-B76F-9294-0284-87490F54D605.png","titles":"","TalkName":"GAME-ER: Research and Development of Gaming Industry Clusters","TalkDescription":"The presentation will introduce the ongoing project GAME-ER (2024\u20132027) under the European Horizon Europe program, with the partner participation of the Czech Game Developers Association, the Game Cluster, and Charles University. The project's aim is to analyze the functioning of clusters (local ecosystems) within the gaming industry and contribute to their further development in European regions.","description":"Jan Hou\u0161ka is a PhD student at Charles University in Prague and one of the co-investigators of the GAME-ER project, under Horizon Europe program. His dissertation thesis deals with the work experiences of expatriate and remote game workers in the Czech game industry.","jobTitle":"PhD student","TalkLanguage":"English","TalkHall":"Workshop Room 2","TalkTime":"16:00 - 16:25","AllSpeakers":""}
Hynek Stehlík
Ministry of Culture Czech Republic
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Hynek Stehl\u00edk","company":"Ministry of Culture Czech Republic","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/4F8F32E3-026C-979A-3E61-8D1AE3D476DA.jpg","titles":"Amendment to the Audiovisual Act","TalkName":"Panel Discussion - Public Funding For Videogames Industry","TalkDescription":"Panel discussion on public support for gaming. Issues around the transformation of the Audiovisual Fund and the amendment to the Audiovisual Act, plus a general discussion on state support for the sector.","description":"Graduated in Mechanical Engineering from CTU and completed a master\u2019s at DTU. He worked in startups in the Czech Republic and Denmark, directed a documentary, and designed mobile and VR games. Currently, as an advisor to the Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Culture, he contributes to amendments to the Public Media and Audiovisual Acts. His priority is to promote gaming as a key part of Czech audiovisual culture, aligning it with international standards.","jobTitle":"Advisor","TalkLanguage":"Czech","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"11:30 - 12:20","AllSpeakers":""}
Pavel Barák
Czech Game Developers Association
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Pavel Bar\u00e1k","company":"Czech Game Developers Association","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/89B53B64-7701-218F-67E7-79591399D333.jpg","titles":"","TalkName":"Press Conference - Czech Game Industry","TalkDescription":"New industry data for 2023, including revenues, employees, and demographic data, will be presented. Issues and requests of the Czech game development industry, as well as the vision for the future, will also be discussed.","description":"Pavel has been active in the game industry for more than 20 years. A co-founder and chairman of the Czech Game Developers Association (GDACZ). For the past ten years, he has been the director of the oldest independent game development conference in Europe, the Game Developers Session, which is also one of the largest game conferences in the region. In 2005, he founded Handjoy, a game development studio that specializes in mobile and advertising games and has released more than 10 titles.","jobTitle":"Chairman","TalkLanguage":"Czech","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"11:00 - 11:30","AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Edu","hall":"IT Trendy Hall","start":"11:30 - 12:20","name":"Panel Discussion - Public Funding For Videogames Industry"}]}
Vladimír Geršl
Cyber Sail Consulting
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Vladim\u00edr Ger\u0161l","company":"Cyber Sail Consulting","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/A89FE673-F218-AB3E-8359-A72B245A1DE8.png","titles":"","TalkName":"Press Conference - Czech Game Industry","TalkDescription":"New industry data for 2023, including revenues, employees, and demographic data, will be presented. Issues and requests of the Czech game development industry, as well as the vision for the future, will also be discussed.","description":"Vladim\u00edr Ger\u0161l is a gaming professional with over 20 years of industry experience. He has collaborated with leading global brands such as Activision, Sony, and Plaion, with his projects earning international acclaim, including two BAFTA nominations. As an executive producer and consultant, he has supported dozens of teams in bringing successful titles to the global market.","jobTitle":"CEO","TalkLanguage":"Czech","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"11:00 - 11:30","AllSpeakers":"","OtherTalks":[{"Filter":"Edu","hall":"IT Trendy Hall","start":"11:30 - 12:20","name":"Panel Discussion - Public Funding For Videogames Industry"}]}
Martin Frývaldský
Warhorse Studios
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Martin Fr\u00fdvaldsk\u00fd","company":"Warhorse Studios","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/D4707317-6A7C-5C61-D22F-74A249A4B56A.png","titles":"","TalkName":"Press Conference - Czech Game Industry","TalkDescription":"New industry data for 2023, including revenues, employees, and demographic data, will be presented. Issues and requests of the Czech game development industry, as well as the vision for the future, will also be discussed.","description":"n\/a","jobTitle":"CEO","TalkLanguage":"Czech","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"11:00 - 11:30","AllSpeakers":""}
Marek Rabas
MADFINGER Games
{"Filter":"Edu","FilterValue":"Industry Support","Name":"Marek Rabas","company":"MADFINGER Games","Image":"https:\/\/content.gdsession.com\/2024\/12\/D9BD834F-CFFE-6880-E6D4-ECA9B65ACE1E.png","titles":"Hidden & Dangerous 2, Dead Trigger, Gray Zone Warf","TalkName":"Press Conference - Czech Game Industry","TalkDescription":"New industry data for 2023, including revenues, employees, and demographic data, will be presented. Issues and requests of the Czech game development industry, as well as the vision for the future, will also be discussed.","description":"Marek is the CEO and Creative Director at MADFINGER Games, creators of acclaimed hardcore mobile franchises like the Shadowgun and Dead Trigger series. The studio is now developing Gray Zone Warfare for PC and consoles. Marek has been part of the games industry for 25 years, beginning his career at Illusion Softworks. In 2010, he co-founded MADFINGER Games with his friends.","jobTitle":"CEO\/Creative director","TalkLanguage":"Czech","TalkHall":"IT Trendy Hall","TalkTime":"11:00 - 11:30","AllSpeakers":""}
