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July 2024 Game Industry Conference and Convention Events Calendar

Happy July Jubilation! We’ve put together yet another great list of events you can attend for the month.

July is a big month for events too, but not nearly as prominent as June was with over twice the events as we’re seeing this month. Not to fear though, we have plenty of conferences and conventions listed with a few new intriguing festivals to mention. As you can see below, no completely Online-only events… it’s summer time and the pandemic is well over, so get out there event attendees!

Many of the listed events are included in the calendar from your contributions in submitting events to the calendar. Thank you for continuing to support us!

Check out this month’s event list below. We’ve made some additions to the overview! You can now see whether an event is B2B (Business-to-Business) or B2C (Business-to-Consumer), as well as the city/country. Click in the event for even more details. You can also click here for the main calendar that includes events throughout the rest of the year and beyond.

July 1-5: DiGRA Guadalajara Conference | B2B | Guadalajara, Mexico
3: Games Mental Health Summit | B2B | London, UK
3-5: First Playable | B2B | Pisa Pl, Italy
4-5: Play by Play Conference & Awards | B2B | Wellington, New Zealand
9-11 Develop Brighton | B2B | Brighton, UK
17-18: Game Discovery Exhibition (GDC) | B2B | Alberta, Canada
19-20: TennoCon | B2C | Ontario, Canada
19-21: VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR | B2C | Madison, WI USA
19-21: BitSummit | B2C | Kyoto, Japan
19-21: Southern-Fried Gaming Expo | B2C |
19-21: gameDev Evening | B2B | Atlanta, GA USA
20-21: Greater Austin ComicCon (GACC) | B2C | Cedar Park, TX USA
26-28: Adventure Game Fan Fair | B2C | Tacoma, WA USA
26-28: Philippine GameDev Expo (PGDX) | B2C | Lochow, Poland
26-29: ChinaJoy | B2C | Shanghai, China
27-29: WasabiCon PDX | B2C | Portland, OR USA
28-AUG 1: SIGGRAPH (Hybrid) | B2B | Denver, CO USA

Which events are you attending this month? Let us know by commenting on this article here or on Twitter and Facebook!

Augmented World Expo Auggie Award Winners Announced, Hall of Fame Members Inducted in a Groundbreaking Day for XR

June 20th, 2024 – Long Beach, CA. The XR world has a new lineup of champions. Last night following day 2 of the 15th annual Augmented World Expo USA, the world’s most innovative companies were recognized at the thrilling Auggie Awards ceremony.

The Auggie Awards have been the most recognized XR and spatial computing industry awards in the world since 2010. Now in their 15th year, the Auggies continue to showcase the best of the best.

In addition, 101 pioneers of XR were inducted yesterday into the first ever XR Hall of Fame in a special ceremony. The full list can be seen here. AWE also published highlights of news
announcements on the first day of the show – see it here.

“I’m beyond thrilled to have seen the quality of the Auggie Awards winners selected by the
judges,” said Ori Inbar, AWE cofounder. “Each and every one of these winners blew us away
with their innovation, pioneering spirit, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of what is
possible in XR and spatial computing. Congratulations to all!”

Auggie Award winners on stage at AWE 2024
Auggie Award winners on stage at AWE 2024 (image: AWE 2024)


The Auggie Award winners are…..

Best Art or Film – JFK Memento by TARGO: An Immersive Chronicle of the Assassination, a historically accurate record of 48 hours that changed the world. Video here.

Best Campaign – New Messi sandwich at Hard Rock Cafe by CamOn XR. CamOn XR, Hard
Rock Café and Yes We’re Open agency created a marketing campaign which includes
Augmented Reality solutions such as Web 360 and Social XR. Video here.

Best Climate Change Solution – SAMARitan by HENSOLDT Sensors, an XR solution for
enhanced situational and environmental awareness. SAMARitan gathers data from sensors to provide an early warning of wildlife kilometers away for proper reaction. Video here.

Best Collaboration Tool – Webex Hologram by Cisco, the first enterprise real time
photorealistic holographic solution which enables a feeling of co-presence. Video here.

Best Consumer App – Pillow XR App, the first XR app designed for lying-down in bed, with 4 innovative relaxing experiences and mind-bending multiplayer. Video here.

Best Content Creator(s) – Between Realities for The Between Realities VR Podcast, the
weekly ”virtual reality podcast from the philosophical gamer’s perspective.” Video here.

Best Creator & Authoring Tool – STYLY Studio which creates various types of XR scenes on web browsers. Users can place 3D models and images, or upload content created in Unity. Video here.

Best Developer Tool – 8th Wall’s Metaversal Deployment by Niantic, which enables developers to build a project once and deploy it to all devices: smartphones, tablets, computers and both AR and VR headsets. Video here.

Best Education & Training Solution – Hyper-realistic Safety Training System (immerseLearn) by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) – a technology that uses IMU sensors and infrared cameras to track a trainee’s behavior and posture in real time to prevent accidents such as electric shock and falls that may occur in the power energy field. Video here.

Best Enterprise Solution – Campfire, the best way to share CAD/3D models throughout the physical product lifecycle, Video here.

Best Game or Toy – Kluest by Sons of a Bit Entertainment, the real-world metaverse platform which combines geolocation, user generated content and augmented reality. Video here.

Best Headworn Device – Meta Quest 3, a mixed reality headset that immerses you in a whole bunch of universes, and blends virtual elements with your physical reality. Video here.

Best Healthcare & Wellness Solution – American Heart Association’s Hands-Only CPR VR, which teaches teenagers and adults the lifesaving skill of Hands-Only CPR and the proper use of Automated External Defibrillators. Video here.

Best Indie Creator(s) – 3lb Games for growing in technical skill while maintaining high
standards for visual appeal, in-game music, and player movement. Video here.

Best Interaction Product – HTC VIVE Ultimate Tracker, HTC VIVE’s most advanced XR
tracking solution yet – it’s highly versatile, taking interactivity, utility, and expressiveness in XR experiences to the next level. Video here.

Best Location-Based Entertainment – Japantown Geospatial for Paper Tree Origami by Rock Paper Reality, which creates and deploys a world-anchored Geospatial experience for Origami store Paper Tree in Japantown, San Francisco, USA. Video here.

Best Societal Impact – TouchKEY+ Multisensory Station by WEART, which provides a unique solution for visually impaired and blind visitors to engage with artworks, through a digital and tactilely augmented experience. Video here.

Best Use of AI – AI and Augmented Reality at Pfizer – ”Manufacturing AR Co-Pilot”, which
predicts potential problems and generates corrective actions that are surfaced to operators in an easy-to-follow guided experience with location-based overlays using augmented reality. Video here.

Best Web3 Implementation – SEPHORA UNIVERSE by SURREAL Events, which redefines
beauty through immersive activations that allow Sephora customers to play games, explore
beauty products from brand partners, redeem rewards, collect NFTs, and create lifelike avatars. Video here.

Best startup – Playbook XR, a collaborative platform for producing 3D content. Playbook makes it easy for anyone, regardless of technical skillset, to produce the games, films, and blended experiences that will inspire and usher in the next wave of creators, by replacing game engines with AI-augmented tools.

AWE, XR, Venues, and Events

The Augmented World Expo USA 2024 (AWE 2024) conference kicks off today to Thursday, June 20, 2024 in Long Beach, California. The world of extended reality (XR) companies, thought leaders, products, and more come together this week to discuss some of the biggest innovations impacting their technology space.

Of course, XR games and interactive experiences will be a huge part of the discussion. And the “Gaming, Entertainment & Media” track is dedicated to the conversation that impacts the development of XR gaming or game-like experiences. Dozens of the 266 exhibitors are focused on XR games.

But, what about XR in events, venues and experiences? If you’re an arcade or esports stadium owner or maybe an event planner, what can you find at AWE 2024 that meets the needs of what you’re looking for? For a site like “Events for Gamers,” we’re naturally curious what’s on tap for this week for attendees in that space (too).

Here’s a short list of relevant points of interest at AWE USA 2024 that may be worth checking out!

AI and the Spatial Web for Live Events & Festivals
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
5:05 PM – 5:30 PM (PDT)

This late day one session may be one of the best learning opportunities for folks who are interested in adapting emerging and evolving technologies like AI and the spatial web, into live events or festivals. The session’s speaker, Eric Wagliardo, Founder, &Pull and MXR (“Mixer”), and Coachella’s XR producer should no doubt be loaded with the experience and insight to share on making XR work in event-centered experiences.

Revolutionizing EngagementAR’s Impact in SportsRetailand Advertising
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
1:00 PM – 1:25 PM (PDT)

A mid-day session, this retail-oriented discussion centers on retail and sports applications of augmented reality (AR) billboard advertising. What are the pain points and other implementation challenges? What are the key metrics to keep an eye on? How scalable are these solutions?

Monica Hsueh, Global Marketing Manager for metaverse tech company, Speed 3D Inc. leads this foray into the sometimes-tricky world of AR advertising and promotion. Folks in virtual reality arcades, event venues and other spaces that may take a shine to big, bold advertising initiatives using new technology might find this presentation eye opening.

Panel: Immersive Revolution: Transforming Fan Experiences in Next-Gen Sports & Beyond
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
2:55 PM – 3:50 PM (PDT)

Continuing with the loaded schedule from June 18 (at least for XR sessions at AWE USA 2024 that might interest professionals in events and venues), this panel addresses the possibilities of using XR tech to help brands, teams, fan communities, venues and more boost their engagement. Could this discussion around traditional sports apply to the esports ecosystem? Absolutely.

Natascha French, CEO and Founder, Scale Strategies; James Giglio,CEO and Founder, MVP Interactive; Chris Sloan, Head of Global Partnerships, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park; and Troy Jones Jr., CEO and Founder, StatusPro lead this senior-level panel into this potential-loaded topic.

Expo

While there are many open-ended XR tech platforms, both hardware and software, that can cover the needs for people in and around the vast event-related Venn diagram, like XREAL or Hololight or Campfire, there are a couple vendors who specifically zero in on the needs of meeting, event and venue professionals.

FanPort is launching “a first-of-its-kind social mixed-reality attraction for immersive and interactive fan and brand engagement” for “branded extended reality experiences within sports venues, museums, retail centers, themed attractions, and more” at AWE USA 2024 and offering attendees a chance to explore the experience from the expo floor.

Benvision is a company with a focus on assistive technology companies using a customizable music-based approach. Seems interesting, right? At AWE 2024, the company is launching a pilot program for tourism, hotels, amusement parks, and other venues and other large spaces as well as an iOS app.

While on the topic of accessibility at an event, AWE USA 2024 went all in and partnered with XRAI Glass for making the event more accessible, both the physical space and digital version. Using the app on an Android or iOS smartphone “or using a pair of compatible smart glasses, AWE guests can read an AI-transcribed feed from the stage and translate it into any of 75+ languages, all in real-time. Online viewers of the AWE Main Stage sessions will be able to use these AI transcriptions and translations via the conference’s YouTube channel.” XRAI Glass is also an exhibitor in addition to being a partner at AWE USA 2024.

To check out the range of sessions, speakers, and exhibitors, visit the official Augmented World Expo USA event site for all the details.

Note: (6/18) Added FanPort to the expo listing

MomoCon 2024 Breaks Attendance Records, Hosts Suda51, Unites Multiple Fandoms

ATLANTA, GA — June 18, 2024MomoCon 2024, the largest celebration of gaming and anime in the Southeast United States, broke its yearly attendance records, attracting a crowd of more than 55,800 pop culture fans at the Georgia World Congress Center from Friday, May 24, to Monday, May 27, 2024.

This year’s keynote speaker was none other than Goichi “Suda51” Suda, renowned director, writer, and game designer of the No More Heroes seriesShadows of the Damned, and killer7, among many other beloved projects. Suda51 cryptically teased an unannounced project and revealed new cosmetic skins for the upcoming Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered, delighting attendees.

MomoCon’s extensive, ultra-competitive tournaments returned as an annual highlight. This year, all three major multiplayer Nintendo franchises—Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 3, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate—were represented, alongside popular fighting games such as Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6. See the full list of winners on the official MomoCon 2024 Start.gg page, with Smash Ultimate VODs available on VGBootCamp.

Nearly every fandom was represented at MomoCon in this year’s guest list. From Disney legends Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid, Enchanted, Toy Story 3) and Scott Weinger (Aladdin, Hercules, Full House) to Hazbin Hotel creator Vivienne Medrano and gaming and anime voice actor Beau Billingslea (Red Redemption II, Tekken 8, Naruto), guests could connect with the minds and voices behind their favorite media.

“As always, attending MomoCon is like being at an amusement park. There is so much magic happening all around us during the weekend,” said Co-Founder Jess Merriman, “Thank you to every staff member, volunteer, guest, contractor, and attendee. We could not do this without you!”

MomoCon 2025 will return to the Georgia World Congress Center from Thursday, May 22, through Sunday, May 25, 2025. For more information, check out the official MomoCon site and follow MomoCon on TwitterFacebookTumblrDiscord, and Instagram for event updates.

Draw & Code and 302 Interactive Partner to Launch FanPort for Customized Brand Experiences

LONG BEACH, CA. (June 17, 2024) – Emerging technology development studios Draw & Code and 302 Interactive, collaborate to launch FanPort, a first-of-its-kind social mixed-reality attraction for immersive and interactive fan and brand engagement. Attendees at the 2024 Augmented World Expo will have the first opportunity to experience this disruptive attraction.

FanPort is a unique, scalable spatial experience that mixes the deep immersion of VR, with the accessibility and social connection of an open space. Utilizing mixed reality glasses, dynamic lighting, and spatial audio, FanPort propels audiences into the heart of brands’ stories.

FanPort is a customizable system for Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) venues to breathe new life into existing venues by creating experiences for attracting and retaining patrons. The FanPort platform provides the portable and modular infrastructure for branded extended reality experiences within sports venues, museums, retail centers, themed attractions, and more.

FanPort combines a large LED screen or video-mapped display with AR glasses to allow holographic content to travel through portals into a shared physical experience space for four or more people. Similar to the Mario Kart rides at Universal Studios Japan and Hollywood parks, the mixed reality FanPort platform allows audiences to see the real world around them while interacting with incredible 3D scenes.

“By serving as the first development partner for FanPort alongside Draw & Code, we are helping to make high-quality immersive experiences more accessible,” said the CEO of 302 Interactive, Kyle Morrand. “FanPort gives brands and entertainment centers the opportunity to take XR technology, previously only found in the large theme parks, and create immersive experiences that can exist anywhere and everywhere.”

302 Interactive and Draw & Code have spent the last decade building completely custom projects and solutions. Having worked with the likes of Mercedes, Philips, and some of the most visited theme parks on the planet, the result of their years of experience in immersive activations has been the development of FanPort. FanPort as a customizable platform provides a stronger foundation for building interactive entertainment and serves as an enabler of the XR industry through base physical infrastructure and operator-friendly software that offers both flexibility and brand personalization.

“We first conceived the idea of FanPort at AWE 10 years ago, and after a conversation with 302 Interactive three years ago, we began to envision the ways that FanPort could bring immersive technology and modifiable experiences to venues around the globe,” said the CTO and Co-Founder of Draw & Code, John Keefe. “From education to the arts and entertainment, this groundbreaking new platform provides brands with solutions that transport audiences into their world. With the launch of FanPort at this year’s Augmented World Expo, our vision is finally coming full circle.”

Visit www.302interactive.com to learn more about 302 Interactive. To learn more about Draw & Code, visit www.drawandcode.com.

Video of the Month — Best Games From the Summer Game Showcases Viewpoint

With E3 game industry tradeshow gone, the early June stage was all clear for this year’s Summer Game Fest and a constellation of affiliated game showcases to make their mark. And wow, there were some surprises and some great reveals!

Since these events have wrapped up, many content creators have been posting their reactions and dissections to some of the games that emerged. This month, we’re selecting Jake Baldino’s YouTube post-Summer Game Fest video of his personal favorite games that were shown off last week. Jake Baldino is the Lead Video Producer at Gameranx and a podcaster.

In this under-20 minute video, Baldino runs through several games that were revealed at Summer Game Fest, the PC Gaming Show, IGN Live, Xbox’s showcase, among other events. Among some of the games are a few that we are looking forward to, like:

Civilization VII:
Announced at Summer Game Fest, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, a legendary turn-based 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) strategy game leads off Baldino’s video — and was a surprise to him as it was for many. “I didn’t expect that to be announced. I had heard rumblings of a lot of other different 2K-published games being announced, but it ended up being Civ 7, and that was really cool. I’ve only mentioned it a couple of times here, and it’s been a while since a mainline game, but I am a Civ addict. It’s kind of like my weird comfort food game. You wouldn’t normally assume that of me, because it’s kind of more like a smart, scholarly dad style game, but no, I am hooked on these things.”

Even as just an announcement, without gameplay or other game details, the Civilization VII news made a splash in the pool of games announced this year at Summer Game Fest.

Doom: The Dark Ages:
Another icon game for its genre, the Doom first-person shooter franchise by id Software and Bethesda Softworks is returning to the PC and PlayStation 5 and Xbox X/S in 2025 as an origin story of sorts set in a medieval era. Think Doom and Hexen blended together except modernized. On Doom: The Dark Ages, Baldino said: I hope this one is just about being badass and brutality and not ammo and health, like juggling constantly. It looks awesome, the weapons, the style, the fact that you’re like riding a freaking dragon that’s cool. You know, it just works for me.” I’m sure many gamers will agree with that sentiment.

Of course, these games are only a couple among a large number of games that Jake Baldino highlighted. Are these games that he selected among your favorites? Feel free to let us know if you agree or disagree with the games highlighted in the video!

Whether you are an event coordinator, press, or general attendee, if you have an event video to share with us, please let us know and we’ll be happy to feature it!

Unity Showcases Customer Experiences Driving 3D Innovation Across Industries at the 2024 Augmented World Expo

SAN FRANCISCO, June 17, 2024 Unity (NYSE: U), the world’s leading platform of tools for creators to build and grow real-time games, apps, and experiences across multiple platforms, will demonstrate how virtual and mixed reality is bringing transformative change for companies across industries at the Augmented World Expo (AWE). Running from June 18 to June 20 in Long Beach, California, AWE will give attendees a firsthand, customer-guided look at how extended reality (XR) applications made with Unity are helping businesses drive efficiencies, generate new revenue streams, and transform experiences.
On June 17, the day before the show officially begins, Unity will host a day-long AWE Vision Workshop aimed at helping developers more effectively leverage Unity’s visionOS support and PolySpatial tools used to create applications and experiences for Apple Vision Pro. This full, pre-conference workshop will give attendees practical insights from active developers, with speakers including team members from TriggerXR, TRIPP Inc., Osso VR, govar GmbH, Project Archer, and Dulce Dotcom. The full agenda is available here.

“We have had the opportunity to work with Unity’s PolySpatial tools since the early access phase. The knowledge that we’ve gained from working with this tech has been influential to not only the way we approach development for Vision Pro, but even in the ways that we operate between departments, and as a company overall,” said James Roosevelt, Director of Technology at TriggerXR. “New hardware and platforms come with difficult decisions, trade offs, and great learnings. We’re excited to share how we’ve navigated this new frontier while developing several projects to date for Vision Pro.”

At booth 442, Unity customers will provide live demonstrations showcasing the creative ways they’ve utilized Unity’s development platform for industrial purposes across industries ranging from retail to manufacturing, including how real-time data can sync with a virtual environment in an Apple Vision Pro-based “internet of things” demo that links a Bosch manufacturing machine to its Apple Vision Pro-based digital twin.

“Between the upcoming launch of Unity 6 in GA and the exploding interest in spatial computing, we couldn’t be more excited to continue to help our industry partners tap into the enormous potential that XR unlocks for businesses,” said Sarah Lash, VP of Industry Sales at Unity. “At AWE USA 2024, we’re shining a spotlight on real-world examples of how our customers are leveraging Unity tools to deliver efficiencies and power transformative real-time experiences.”

AWE is set to bring new details on how Unity 6, Cloud Workflows, and the Pixyz Engine will soon work in tandem with flexible data ingestion pipelines to build an SDK that can build multi-platform experiences and repeatable business solutions. This single data and asset management system will help companies with existing 3D data and models visualize these in new ways to simulate processes and solve inefficiencies.

To learn more about Unity Industry, please visit our website.

A Sign(ing) of the Times for NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang at Computex 2024

While it can be argued that Jensen Huang and NVIDIA have reached a kind of rock star status in the technology industry through their positioning in the GPU market, sometimes a viral sort of symbol is enough to seal the deal. And the tech giant’s CEO may have achieved just that this week at the massive Computex show in Taipei, Taiwan.

A poster on the social media platform Threads shared the video and picture of Jensen Huang at Computex on the busy expo floor mobbed like a pop star for photos and autographs. One young woman presented her shirt for the NVIDIA CEO to sign. He looks sideways and asks if it’s a good idea but proceeds as the young woman apparently went out of her way to seek out the signature.

 

Post by @__199504__
View on Threads

 

Jensen Huang, in his signature leather jacket, has led the charge for the “cool” applications of silicon and AI for years, starting with with the company’s first GeForce 256 GPU in 1999 to enhance gaming experiences. The company expanded from there, growing into robotics, mainstream high-powered computing, server chipsets, and recently have become a massive stakeholder in the booming AI market. Furthermore, Huang has seen his Santa Clara-based silicon and tech giant explode in stock value 174% from a year ago. Jensen Huang’s personal net worth has also bloomed with the value of his company, rising to $107 billion, which places him as the 13th richest person in the world.

On a related note, further demonstrating NVIDIA’s continued rise in the age of AI and HPC, the company reached the status of second-most valuable publicly traded company as of June 6, Thursday, after closing higher in the stock market above Apple’s valuation, sitting at $3 trillion, but still just behind Microsoft’s valuation.

At the Computex 2024 show, besides this viral social media moment, NVIDIA announced an accelerated but evenly-staggered out GPU release schedule over the next few years. From the Computex 2024-related NVIDIA blog post:

“Revealed for the first time, the Rubin platform will succeed the upcoming Blackwell platform, featuring new GPUs, a new Arm-based CPU — Vera — and advanced networking with NVLink 6, CX9 SuperNIC and the X1600 converged InfiniBand/Ethernet switch.

Our new podcast show has launched! Featuring WN Events and Antonio Pasalic

As CEO and Founder of Events for Gamers, I am super excited to share with you all our new podcast series! This series is of course going to be talking about events from around the world, featuring guests that attend events to many that manage the events like in our first episode as seen below. As long as a potential guest has an event and game industry associated interests to discuss, they may find their way on our show!

Please subscribe to the YouTube channel and check out our first episode with Antonio Pasalic, Program Director at WN Events:

 
In this episode, Antonio and our team talk about the State of the Game Industry, WN Events series, the upcoming WN Istanbul conference (check out the episode for an opportunity to win free tickets to the event!), and thoughts on AI for game development.

If you like the episode, please comment, share, and subscribe! If you are interested, we are ramping up our Patreon community and would love to have you join (thanks!). We have many more episodes in the works that will be rolled out on a regular basis, so be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel and RSS feeds seen in the podcast description.

If you are an industry professional (event coordinator, press, developer, biz dev, or anyone else interested in events and products presented and talked about at events), we’d love to have you on the show! Please let us know.

INDIE Live Expo Showcased More than 150 Games During Weekend Celebration, Steam Sale Announced

TOKYO — May 28th, 2024 — INDIE Live Expo, Japan’s premiere online digital showcase series connecting indie game fans all over the world, highlighted more than 150 games during its Saturday broadcast introducing world premieres, new trailers, and updates during its 10th-ever digital showcase.

Developers and publishers from around the world enjoyed time in the spotlight during INDIE Live Expo’s multi-segment showcase. Suda51 (Grasshopper Manufacture Inc.No More Heroes Series) and SWERY (While Owl Inc.Deadly Premonition Series) showcased a new trailer and gameplay footage for Hotel Barcelona, the time-looping horror action game arriving on PC via Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 in 2024.

INDIE Live Expo’s May showcase included 150+ world premieres and content updates:

  • Haunted low-poly pixelated horrors await in Nightmare Operator, the supernatural third-person horror shooter by DDDistortion, now in development for PC via Steam
  • Serve up delicacies in Kemono Teatime, the pixelated restaurant simulator developed by Studio Lalala, coming to PC via Steam in Fall 2024
  • Duel against demons as Blade Chimera, the pixelated cyberpunk metroidvania published by PLAYISM and co-developed by Team Ladybug and WSS Playground, announces an August release date
  • Omega Crafter, the open-world survival crafting adventure currently available in early access developed by Preferred Networks (PFN), shared multiple milestone updates during its dedicated segment

The Kodansha Game Creator’s Lab unveiled multiple announcements during the showcase, including the reveal of BAN: The Prologue of GUCHA GUCHA, the horror adventure from developer Ichimatsu Suzuka. BOKURA, Kodansha’s reality-bending co-op puzzle adventure, celebrated its 500,000th download with a commemorative trailer.

Try out every game shown during this year’s showcase and at a discounted price thanks to the INDIE Live Expo Steam Sale until Sunday, June 2nd at 11:00 AM / 2:00 PM EST.

“Our first 2024 showcase is in the books! Many thanks to all of the developers who submitted their games to be part of the showcase,” said Ryuta Konuma, Founder and CEO, Ryu’s Office. “This would not have been possible without our gracious sponsors, media partners, and most of all, the millions of watchers around the world whose interest in indies means the world to us.”

Click here to rewatch INDIE Live Expo 2024 on YouTube.

INDIE Live Expo extends a special thanks to media partners including Gematsu, Bleeding Cool, QooApp, ButWhy Tho, Digital Dreams – Game-experience, Drops de Jogos, Insider Gaming, The Outerhaven Productions, Final Weapon, The Gamer, PoluxWeb, Cubiq and Gameland.

The INDIE Live Expo Official Discord Channel welcomes developers and consumers alike as a gathering place to discuss the latest indie news. With direct access to developers, indie game fans can lend their voices to the creation and refinement of upcoming indies.

For more information and detailed reports on previous broadcasts, the impact of participating in INDIE Live ExpoINDIE Live Expo Awards, and information on how to promote games for creators, developers, and publishers alike, please consider subscribing to the INDIE Live Expo Letter.

For more information, please visit the INDIE Live Expo website, follow @INDIELiveExpoEN on X, and search for #INDIELiveExpo on social media.

AWE USA 2024 Announces XRAI as Official Accessibility Partner

May 20, 2024 Long Beach, California – Leading global spatial computing event, Augmented World Expo (AWE) is thrilled to announce a partnership with XRAI to caption and transcribe all 9 stages at the 15th anniversary AWE USA 2024.

AWE has partnered with XRAI to make their entire conference content more accessible to everyone for the first time ever. The AR and VR technology conference will be using the XRAI platform to provide AI-powered subtitles in over 75+ languages, for all 9 conference stages at the global XR event, taking place June 18-20 in Long Beach, California.

XRAI glass partnership with AWE USA 2024 text over Long Beach, CA background.
XRAI Glass featured as AWE USA 2024 accessibility partner (Image: AWE 2024)

Using the flagship XRAI Glass app on their mobile phones (iOS and Android), or using a pair of compatible smart glasses, AWE guests can read an AI-transcribed feed from the stage and translate it into any of 75+ languages, all in real-time. Online viewers of the AWE Main Stage sessions will be able to use these AI transcriptions and translations via the conference’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@AWEXR).

In addition, a pilot group of deaf attendees will have the opportunity to engage with the conference content using state-of-the-art XR glasses, allowing them to experience dynamic captioning through cutting-edge spatial technology. This innovative offering will be accessible at both the XRAI and Qualcomm exhibition areas

“The partnership between XRAI and AWE marks a significant step towards inclusivity in the XR industry, and we are incredibly excited to bring our AI-powered translation capabilities to the forefront of this groundbreaking event,” shared Dan Scarfe, Founder and CEO of XRAI.

“By utilizing XR glasses for immersive captioning, we are not only breaking down communication barriers but also showcasing the transformative potential of AR and AI technologies in creating a more accessible and engaging conference experience.”

Globally, over 1.5 billion people, nearly 20% of the population, live with some degree of hearing loss, with 430 million individuals facing significant challenges. AWE’s mission is to advance augmented and virtual reality technology to further human progress and the organization is thrilled for the opportunity to use AI and AR to make the conference event accessible for all.

“Partnering with XRAI for AWE USA 2024 is a significant milestone in our commitment to inclusivity and accessibility in the XR industry,” said Sonya Haskins, Head of Programming. “By utilizing cutting-edge AI and AR technology, we are able to break down communication barriers and ensure that all attendees can fully engage with our conference content, regardless of language or hearing abilities. We are thrilled to offer this transformative experience to our global audience and showcase the true potential of AR and AI technologies in creating a more inclusive and engaging event.”

As the leading global event for the XR industry, AWE is dedicated to showcasing the real-world value that technologies like AI and AR glasses bring to the in-person event experience. At this year’s 15th anniversary event, all conference stages will feature a live caption and translation stream powered by XRAI. This partnership between AWE and XRAI is an exciting step towards creating a more accessible and inclusive XR industry, setting a new standard for future events worldwide.

June 2024 Game Industry Events Calendar

Happy June Jamboree! We’ve put together yet another great list of events you can attend for the month. Just like last year, June is a huge month for events with over 40 this time listed.

Many of the listed events are included in the calendar from your contributions in submitting events to the calendar. Thank you for continuing to support us!

Check out this month’s event list below. You can also click here for the main calendar that includes events throughout the rest of the year and beyond.

June 1-2: Gamesummit
1-2: BostonFIG (Online)
3-4: Dev Play (Hybrid)
3-5: Gotland Game Conference
5-16 Tribeca Festival(Hybrid)
6: Israel Mobile Summit
6-7: Guerrilla Collective (Hybrid)
6-8: Central Asia Game Show
7: PitchYaGame Awards June (Online)
7: Summer Game Fest
7: Games Growth Summit
7-8: Game Audio Symposium
7-9: Pixel Heaven
7-9: Niagara Falls Comic Con
8: IGN Live
8: OttoCon
8: Future Games Show Spring Showcase
9: PC Gaming Show (Online)
10: Ubisoft Forward (Online)
10-17: Steam Next Fest June (Online)
11-12: Gamesforum Hamburg
11-12: WN Conference Istanbul (Hybrid)
13-14: XP Game Developer Summit
13-15: ESI London
13-19: Toronto Games Week
14-15: DevGAMM Vilnius
14-16: Game Con Canada
17: AWE Vision Workshop
18-20: Unreal Fest Prague
18-20: AWE USA 2024
18-29: Gaming By Sea – Summer
21-23: NarraScope (Hybrid)
21-23: GameACon West
22: Tokyo Sandbox
22-23: HIT Games Conference Barcelona
24-25: Game Camp France
24-30: Games Careers Week (Online)
25-27: Game Quality Forum Global
26-30: gamescom latam
26-30: BIG Festival
27-28: Games for Change Festival
29-30: TwitchCon Rotterdam

Which events are you attending this month? Let us know by commenting on this article here or on Twitter and Facebook!

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