GamesBeat 2015 is bringing together many of the top executives in the game industry for two days of an expert look inside the hottest topics of the game industry. The theme this year is Game of Thrones, where the conference explores the shifting powers within the game industry. While there are plenty of sessions to attend, some will be of special interest to marketers. For those of you unable to attend in person, GamesBeat will have a Twitch livestream going throughout (see GamesBeat’s Twitch channel for the livestream). More than that, there will be a special GamesBeat Online, hosted by Gordon Bellamy, during the break times of the physical conference, featuring special guests.
There’s no one better than Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter to open up the conference with a short overview of The State of the Game Business at 9:30. He’s not always right, but he’s never dull and he’ll have some interesting insights on where the game industry stands right now, which is something every game marketer should be tracking.
It’s obvious that eSports is a hot segment of the game industry, with rapid growth, multi-billion dollar prospects, and the involvement of major brands like Coca-Cola and American Express. So it shouldn’t be a surprise to see that GamesBeat has multiple sessions eSports, eSports: The Rise of the Giant (9:40 to 10:10 a.m.), a panel of VC experts explores the challenges and opportunities in this fast-growing industry. Later that morning (11:30 to 12:20) another panel of experts looks at what successful eSports companies have learned about hot to do it right, and how the business will grow in the future. Tuesday continues the eSports insights with a panel from 11:20 to 12:10 on The Emerging eSports Community, talking about Twitch streamers, pro gamers and YouTubers and how eSports is expanding around the world.
If you’re looking to find out some of the key strategies being used by the industry’s most successful companies, there are several talks with CEOs that will give you a rare glimpse inside the minds leading the way into the industry’s future. One such session is The Celebrity Strategy at 10:10 a.m. Monday, featuring CEO Niccolo De Masi of Glu Mobile. He’ll talk about the company’s partnerships with Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, and Jason Statham a total of 650 million followers between them. What’s the future hold for this type of game, and where do celebrities fit into games and game marketing
For a different perspective, check out what Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney has to say at 2:00 p.m. on Monday about how Nexon has pioneered free-to-play games and how it continues to succeed, and how its strategy will tackle the future.
The consumer market for virtual reality (VR) is almost upon us, as major platforms begin shipping early next year. What lies ahead” GamesBeat has that covered. An expert panel led by Digi-Capital’s Tim Merel looks at this potential multi-billion dollar segment to see how soon it will get that big, beginning at 11:30 am Monday morning. Later on Monday (1:40 to 2:00 pm), Jason Rubin from Oculus will talk about how to create the best VR experiences. Bringing a very different perspective will be Magic Leap’s chief creative officer Graeme Devine, talking about creating games for mixed reality and perhaps shedding som light on just how Magic Leap is planning to revolutionize augmented reality (AR) and several different industries in the process. Peter Levin of Lionsgate Interactive will also address VR at 4:20 pm on Tuesday, disucssing how VR may well deepen the ties between Hollywood and gaming.
The session at 3:10 pm on Monday should be of special interest to marketers that’s where ex-Zynga SVP Mark Skaggs (who was instrumental in hit games like Command and Conquer and FarmVille) will discuss with this author just how to reach the widest possible audience, and the importance of how game design, marketing, and data science work together to make that happen.
For marketers looking to gain better understanding of international markets, there’s a session about Unlocking the Potential of the Next Billion Players at 10:20 on Tuesday, where Amit Khanduja of Reliance Entertainment discusses the fast-growing market for games in India. Then at 11:20 Tuesday on you’ll find International Expansion Cracking the Asian Markets, where expert panelists discuss China, Japan and South Korea.
Finally, there’s a look at The Supergeek Gaming Future at 1:50 pm on Tuesday, moderated by Chris Kohler of Wired. This will be a glimpse of what the future might hold with new technologies for gaming, and it promises to have some wild visions of what might be.
