DEVELOP BRIGHTON: KEYNOTES, STAR AWARDS & THE INDIE SHOWCASE

Summer will be here before we know it, and for the European games industry (as well as those further afield) that means a trip to the UK’s Brighton and the Develop Conference and Awards.

And as we count down to the event (July 11th-13th), organiser Tandem Events has made a flurry of announcements.

Guerilla will receive the 2023 Develop Star Award, marking the first time a studio has received the award, which recognises outstanding achievements and contributions to the games industry.

The studio will also provide a keynote at the conference. Titled ‘Guerrilla: To New Horizons’, the keynote session will see the studio’s leaders Angie Smets, Jan-Bart van Beek and Michiel van der Leeuw discuss challenges faced during the development of Horizon Forbidden West, Guerrilla’s ambitious sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn.

The Guerrilla team will also share a glimpse into their future vision and what excites them creatively as they head into their next chapter.

Tandem Events has also published the complete conference programme, which is now available to view here.

Meanwhile, the Develop:Brighton Indie Showcase competition returns in 2023 to find the industry’s hottest unsigned indie games, with submissions now open. Developers can submit their until 12 May 2023 at https://www.developconference.com/whats-on/indie-showcase.

Free to all indie game makers to enter, the Indie Showcase is a great opportunity for rising indie developers to showcase their latest games in Brighton.

Submissions will be whittled down by a panel of industry experts to ten finalists, which will then bring their games to the Develop:Brighton expo on Wednesday July 12th and Thursday 13th for media, developers, publishers and all delegates to play.

Two winners will be announced as part of the final session of the final day of the conference. The People’s Choice award will be decided by attendees voting on the show floor, with the Overall Winner voted on by a panel of judges.

Finalists will also receive a complimentary three-day pass to Develop:Brighton 2023, pre-event publicity and a profile on the Develop:Brighton website.

The deadline for entries is May 12th and full entry details can be found here: https://www.developconference.com/whats-on/indie-showcase