XP Gaming, the organisers of the XP Game Developer Summit, have announced the first round of session and speaker information on several key topics for the upcoming conference to be held at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, 20 and 21 April 2023.
The XP Game Developer Summit is Canada’s premier business-to-business video game conference. Known for their global networking opportunities, world-class speakers, exclusive panels, and tailored workshops, the summit is designed to support Canada’s $5.5 billion video game sector.
Getting funding and finding the right publisher are common challenges familiar to many game studios. To help studios address those challenges, XP Gaming is bringing in experts from around the world as part of this year’s series of panels and masterclasses.
“I’ve met hundreds of Canadian developers who really want more opportunities for the global video game industry to gather in Canada.We made it our mission to bring the industry here. We met with publishers and investors, globally, who see the incredible possibilities of the Canadian video game market and invited them to Toronto for the XP Game Developer Summit. They’re excited to connect with Canadians and explore the vast business opportunities available here, and we’re excited to have them.l,” says XP Gaming founder Jason Lepine.
When approaching a publisher, it’s important to consider what publishers are investing in. The XP Game Developer Summit will host a panel of international publishing and investment experts who will come together to help answer the key question, “What are Publishers Investing In?“.
Internationally renowned game industry entrepreneur and funding advisor, Jason Della Rocca, will present his masterclass titled “Are you Venture Investible?” to teach studios business strategy and investment preparedness. Dedicated game venture funds now manage over $6 billion of capital and this class will provide the tools and insights to access those funds.
The annual “State of the Canadian Game Industry” panel will return, hosted this year by Carl-Edwin Michel, founder and CEO of Northern Arena, and the creator of the Canadian Game Awards. In what has become an annual tradition, Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) president and CEO Jayson Hilchie will join the panel to provide his valuable insight into the current and future state of the Canadian video game sector.
As the only national trade association for Canada’s video game industry, ESAC is uniquely positioned to speak to Canada’s booming interactive entertainment sector and support XP Gaming Inc in its mission to build and support the Canadian industry.
“The Canadian video game industry comprises 1,000 individual studios and employs more than 32,000 talented individuals. It contributes $5.5 billion to the country’s GDP, making it a major contributor to Canada’s economy,” saif Jayson Hilchie, president and CEO of ESAC. “It’s integral that we nurture that. The XP Game Developer Summit offers a unique focal point, a meeting of minds, where we can connect and work together to grow our industry.”
Additional sessions include:
- How The Rise of AI/ML Will Impact Your Reality
- USD: Future of Virtual Collaboration?
- A Closer Look at The Latest Features in Unreal Engine
- Working With Colleges and Universities On Applied Research
- Post Crypto Winter – The Future of Blockchain Gaming
- Data-Driven Gameplay Experience Design
- Introduction of the Grant You Have The Right To Have
Confirmed speakers, panelists, and industry thought leaders also include:
- Mo Agha, CEO of Magmic
- Kristian Roberts, managing partner at Nordicity
- Krista-Lee Malone, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Pontus Mähler, VP of Global Business Development at Global Top Round
- Samuel Bass, evangelist at Epic Games
- Lucie Lalumiere, president at Interactive Ontario
- Pejman Mirza-Babaei, Game UX consultant
- Damon Baker, VP partnership and portfolio at Kepler Interactive
- Carl-Edwin Michel, founder of Canadian Game Awards
- Guillaume Laforge, software development manager on Bifrost at Autodesk
- Julien Coll, research and innovation advisor at CDRIN
To help foster Canadian gaming industry connections and discover new business opportunities, preeminent event platform provider MeetToMatch will be on-hand to deliver targeted networking and business-to-business experiences.
