Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2015 takes place this week. Here’s a crash course on what to expect from the San Francisco iteration of this globe-trotting mobile games-focused conference. With 108 speakers, 84 sessions and more than 600 attendees signed on, according to Pocket Gamer, on July 3, this won’t be a small blip on the event radar.
Pocket Gamer Connects tracks
Four tracks are lined up covering the priorities that drive a lot of conversation in mobile: East Meets West (working in different markets); Indie Survival Guide (indie game development); Acquire, Engage, Monetise (making money in mobile games); and Future of Mobile Gaming (well, the future of mobile games, no doubt including augmented reality and virtual reality).
Big brands and big names in gaming are big business, with Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Britney Spears and other big names hoping to jump on the mobile brand-driven game gravy train. Among the speakers at Pocket Gamer Connects SF tackling brands and mobile gaming are Simon Chow, a business development manager at Animoca, covering Brands with Benefits, from the international perspective. Not to be overlooked (and inspecting opportunities closer to home) is Chris Akhavan, who leads Glu Mobile’s publishing efforts and brings to the conference collective his insights into Hollywood branding and licensing.
One of the keynotes for the Pocket Gaming Connects 2015 inspects mobile gaming from an even smaller bubble, where a huge confluence of influence lies — the San Francisco area. Since a considerable cross-section of developers, publishers and money backing these enterprises reside here — especially since this event is hosted in San Francisco — it makes sense that Josh Yguado, the president and COO of Social Gaming Network, will deliver the Pocket Gaming Connects keynote address, discussing the influence and impact of the Bay area’s social gaming scene.
As far as virtual reality, Samsung gets a front and center stage spotlight with its virtual reality platform, Gear VR. One of the keynotes, in the form of a fireside chat, will be with Mihai Pohontu, Samsung’s vice president of emerging platforms. Following thereafter? The hands-on Samsung Gear VR workshop for Android and Unity developers. Later in the day, keep an eye out for the all-star panel on virtual reality, including Nicole Lazarro, who’s virtual reality demo we recently saw at Intel’s Buzz Workshop.
One of the better known Pocket Gamer events, taking place during GDCs, for example, and at other events, is the Big Indie Pitch, and indie showcase that accompanies it. This pitch session for accompanying Pocket Gamer Connects covers all the game hardware platforms addressed at their conference, such as mobile, smartwatch, virtual reality and handheld. On the table as prizes for presenting indie developers are thousands of dollars in advertising on Steel Media (owner of Pocket Gamer) sites.
Pocket Gamer Connects developer pass discount
That’s our glimpse into the upcoming Pocket Gamer Connects 2015 in San Francisco, taking place July 7-8. There’s a lot more about the event to see for yourself — check out the event and full agenda. If you’re interested in attending, developer tickets remain; sign up using our exclusive Events for Gamers 60 percent off code.
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