IRL

Real Life Events from the industry

DEVELOP:BRIGHTON

This October saw the very welcome return to Hilton Brighton Metropole for Develop:Brighton! With MCV/ DEVELOP in attendance (below, bottom left), the event saw three days of talks, networking and more – with speeches from the likes of Debbie Bestwick MBE (below, bottom right), Inkle’s Jon Ingold (below) as well as YRS TRULY’s MJ Widomska (right).

Dr Jo Twist OBE (left) was also in attendance, giving a talk that took a look at the current state of the UK games industry. Hutch’s Shaun Rutland was there too (below), speaking about the sale of Hutch to MTG Group.

It wasn’t all talks, however, with much needed-networking opportunities on hand (right), as well as a truly alarmingly comfortable lounge (above), thanks to the good people at Mediatonic). And let me tell you, after a full day’s worth of talks and networking, those comfy chairs were like water in the desert.

DEVELOP:STAR AWARDS

The return to Develop:Brighton also saw the return of the Develop:Star Awards, which saw winners in 17 categories before this year’s Develop Star recipient, Team17’s founder and CEO Debbie Bestwick MBE, was celebrated for her outstanding achievements and contributions to the games industry.

GAME DEV HEROES AND SPLASH DAMAGE 20TH ANNIVERSARY

The Develop:Star Awards weren’t the only show in town, of course. This year also saw the return of Game Dev Heroes, a celebration of the people behind the scenes of the games industry. And, of course, it wouldn’t be an industry get together without a good party – and Splash Damage’s 20th anniversary celebrations was certainly a good time.