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Sunset Overdrive design challenges laid bare at GDC 2015

This week sees the release of Sunset Overdrive, an ambitious open-world game from Insomniac Games. The independent studio has spent two decades working on well-regarded linear games in PlayStation franchises like Spyro, Ratchet & Clank and Resistance.
But Sunset Overdrive is different -- it's a non-linear Xbox One game set in a colorful post-apocalyptic sprawl, and Insomniac faced some significant challenges during its development.
GDC 2015 attendees have the opportunity to learn about those experiences from Insomniac game designer Liz England, who will speak at length about the game's development in a session titled "Transitioning from Linear to Open World Design with Sunset Overdrive" at next year's March conference.

Find out how to boost your indie game's odds of success at GDC

Game industry veteran Charles Cox spent a decade working in AAA enterprises like Sierra Studios (SWAT: Urban Justice), Zipper Interactive (SOCOM 4) and Microsoft before founding his own indie studio, 4gency.
In the years since, Cox has seen a rising tide in game releases drown out too many talented game makers. Now he's coming to GDC in March to speak about how the future of indie developer success lies not in being a "lone wolf" but rather in cooperation & collaboration.

Learn to make multiplatform games and protect your IP at GDC Next

GDC Next 2014 featuring ADC is almost upon us, and conference organizers are happy to confirm that the November conference will host a pair of insightful talks addressing contemporary challenges facing game developers.
Specifically, video game industry attorney Mona Ibrahim will be leading a session on how game developers can guard themselves against intellectual property lawsuits, while Owlchemy Labs (Snuggle Truck) CEO Alex Schwartz will run down the realities of multiplatform development.

Learn how to better run a studio at GDC 2015, with Jesse Schell

Over the last 12 years, game industry veteran Jesse Schell has kept his studio, Schell Games (Enemy Mind, Pirates of the Caribbean) afloat and expanded it from a solo operation to a thriving enterprise of 100 developers working on 6-8 titles simultaneously.
Now he's coming to GDC 2015 in March to explain how he does it. In a talk titled "Game Studio Management: Making It Great," Schell will dig into the nuts and bolts of how to keep your company happy, healthy and productive.

Reminder: IGF 2015 Main Competition entry deadline is tomorrow!

Developers, don't forget: The Main Competition submission deadline for the 2015 Independent Games Festival ends tomorrow, Wednesday (10/22) at 11:59PM PDT.
The Independent Games Festival is the signature competition for indie games, to be held for a 17th year during GDC 2015 in San Francisco next March. This directly follows a record-breaking year which saw nearly 900 entries for the 2014 event, including top prizewinners like Device 6, The Stanley Parable, Gorogoa and Papers, Please.

Techland and Gree deliver new mobile-focused talks at GDC Next

GDC Next 2014 featuring ADC is fast approaching, and conference officials are excited to reveal another pair of useful talks that will take place at this year's November conference.
Curious about mobile game development? Techland producer Pawel Rohleder will be speaking at GDC Next about how his studio managed to launch its own small mobile game team inside the larger Techland operation, while Gree International's Chris Tabasa will be sharing advice on the best ways to keep players of your next mobile game satisfied weeks, months, and years after launch.

GDC Next speakers share their 'hidden gem' game recommendations

One of the main themes of the upcoming GDC Next conference is discovery -- not just those "Eureka" moments of game development, but also the act of finding new games to enjoy.
To that end, GDC Next has added a new Discoverability track to this year's show that includes a session on developing games with an eye towards YouTube viewership, a session on the secrets of App Store placements and a rundown of modern messaging apps and how you can boost your game's discoverability through them. The conference itself is taking place November 3rd and 4th this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
In the spirit of discovery, organizers polled some of the game industry professionals who will be speaking at GDC Next about their personal favorite apps and games, asking them to share some of their favorite "hidden gems" with the world ahead of next month's show.

Unity and Google address dev concerns in GDC Next sponsored talks

We're mere weeks away from GDC Next 2014 featuring ADC, and as the conference draws nigh we'd like to take a moment to run down some of the notable sponsored sessions available to game industry professionals attending in November.
Of course, you can read the full list of GDC Next sponsored sessions from Intel, Gree, Mozilla and more on the conference Schedule Builder; today we're highlighting a few that developers may find particularly useful or informative.

GDC Next speakers address a few failings of modern game design

Developers, get ready: GDC Next 2014 featuring ADC descends upon the Los Angeles Convention Center in less than a month.
Today we're excited to highlight a few of the important talks at this year's conference, which takes place November 3rd and 4th with an eye towards answering a simple question: now that you've made your game, what comes next?
If you've ever worried that the industry is losing part of its soul to the remarkable popularity of free-to-play and licensed games, don't worry -- you're not alone. Veteran developers who have spent time working in those sectors of the industry will be at GDC Next this year to share their lessons learned, and examine what the broader industry can learn from some of their experiences.

GDC Next debuts talks on audio for indies, social gameplay design

We're weeks away from GDC Next 2014 featuring ADC, and today show organizers are pleased to reveal another pair of informative talks that will take place at this year's November conference.
Uken Games' lead developer Owen Lawson and Hexany Audio creative director Richard Ludlow are coming to GDC Next this year to share advice and lessons learned in designing excellent social gameplay and crafting impactful audio when you're a small-scale developer on an indie-level budget.

Bioshock Infinite, Plague Inc among first batch of GDC 2015 talks

Now that registration has officially opened for the 2015 Game Developers Conference, officials are excited to announce the first batch of talks for next year's March event.
These sessions strike a balance between exploring the art and business of making video games by revealing what it takes to compose an award-winning soundtrack for Bioshock Infinite, running down the pitfalls of porting mobile games to Steam and laying bare some of the most important game market data of 2015.

GDC Next adds talks on building your community and your business

We're less than a month away from GDC Next 2014 featuring ADC, and today we're excited to reveal two more great talks that will take place at this year's November conference.
Developing your community and your business are crtical aspects of sustainable game development that are often overlooked by small-scale studios, so it's good to have both Failbetter Games (Sunless Sea) marketing manager Hannah Flynn and Powell Group CEO Jay Powell at GDC Next this year to lead sessions offering meaningful, actionable advice on both topics to conference attendees.

Last chance to be a speaker at GDC 2015 Summits!

Future GDC speakers, don't miss your last chance to propose a talk for one of the GDC 2015 Summits! The call for submissions to present lectures and panels for the specialized Summits that kick off the 2015 Game Developers Conference closes today, October 3rd at 11:59 PM PT. The GDC Summits take place on the first two days of GDC, signaling the start of the five-day conference.
Covering a variety of topics from business models and platforms to industry trends and specific design elements within game development, the summits aspire to foster community building, expand the scope of games to incorporate new players, define market innovations and provide valuable insight into the future of gaming. Organized by the UBM Tech Game Network, GDC 2015 takes place March 2-6 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California.

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