This year GamesBeat Summit Digital is going to be digital online-only. And right now we’re ready to introduce our next round of speakers as the conference is only 9 days away: Alan Gershenfeld of E-Line Media, Mathias Norvig of Sybo, Pietari Päivänen of Supercell, and moderator Sam Barratt of UN Environment. They’re going to talk about the power of games for climate change.
We’ve added these speakers to the updated agenda, posted below, for the event which will air on April 28 and April 29 as a virtual conference. If you are interested in attending GamesBeat Summit online, please sign up here.
After careful thought about the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we decided not to use centralized studios or physical locations. But we think we can serve our GamesBeat community well with a fully distributed, digital event.
The health and safety of our GamesBeat community, attendees, employees, and sponsors remains our top priority. In this digital event, attendees can watch livestreamed and recorded talks, take part in online networking sessions and digital roundtables, access our gaming partners virtually, and more.
And now unveiling our next session:
The power of games for climate change
Alan Gershenfeld of E-Line Media, Mathias Norvig of Sybo, Pietari Päivänen of Supercell, and moderator Sam Barratt of UN Environment are going to talk about the challenge of making high-quality games that can entertain players as well as get them to learn something about protecting the planet in a cause dubbed Playing for the Planet. While many talks are focused on how to pivot because of the pandemic, these speakers are looking ahead to the looming planetary-scale threat posted by climate change. The session will be at 5:15 p.m. on April 29.
Alan Gershenfeld
Above: Alan Gershenfeld is president and cofounder of E-Line Media.
Image Credit: E-Line Media
Alan Gershenfeld is cofounder and president of E-Line Media, a developer of commercial video games that help players understand and shape the world. E-Line titles include the BAFTA award-winning Never Alone, Gamestar Mechanic, Beyond Blue, The Endless Mission, and MinecraftEdu. Gershenfeld has worked on impact game projects with the Gates Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, NSF, BBC, USAID, DARPA, White House OSTP, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Games for Change, Google, Sesame Workshop, MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, and ASU Center for Games and Impact.
Prior to E-Line, he was on the executive management team that rebuilt Activision from bankruptcy into a global industry leader. As SVP, Activision Studios, Alan oversaw titles such as Pitfall, Zork, Muppet Treasure Island, Spycraft, Civilization: Call to Power, Asteroids 3D, and Tony Hawk Skateboarding.
Gershenfeld has published articles on technology, media and social impact in Scientific American, Education Week, Huffington Post, Slate, Politico, Marketwatch, South China Morning Post and Knowledge Quest. Most recently, he was co-author of Designing Reality: How to Survive and Thrive in the 3rd Digital Revolution. He currently serves on the board of directors of FilmAid International and on the advisory boards of iCivics and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Worskhop. He is former chairman of the board for Games for Change and is a cofounder of Experimental Design, a leading world-building agency.
Mathias Norvig
Above: Mathias Nørvig is CEO of Sybo, maker of Subway Surfers.
Image Credit: Sybo
Mathias Nørvig is the CEO of Sybo, the mobile developer behind the world’s most downloaded game, Subway Surfers. He has a strong network in the gaming industry, social platforms, and among the tech community. He is also a former senior management consultant at PwC and deal team member in EKF and IFU. He is a founding member of Playing for the Planet, an environmental impact project involving video games, first launched at UNGA 2019 in NYC, with Sony, Microsoft, Google, Ubisoft, Supercell and others. He is a board member at Plastic Change. And he is an impact investment aficionado with strong passion for climate, water, and future of energy and nutrition.
Pietari Päivänen
Above: Pietari Päivänen is head of special projects and other tasks at Supercell.
Image Credit: Supercell
Pietari Päivänen is a Lead at Supercell, where he’s responsible for special projects — such as the company’s environment-related initiatives – as well as people, information technology, office, and security. Prior to joining Supercell in early 2018, Päivänen founded and ran several small mobile and gaming startups. Supercell is the maker of games such as Clash Royale, Clash of Clans, and Brawl Stars. We’re delighted to have them as a speaker.
Above: Sam Barratt is the chief of education and youth at the UN Environment’s Ecosystems Division.
Image Credit: UN
Sam Barratt is chief of the youth, education and advocacy at UN Environment. He oversees the program which includes the Playing for the Planet Alliance, a collaboration with the video gaming industry to inspire environmental action. He also leads the organization’s work with higher education institutions from around the world to create green jobs and new curricula. Before joining UN, Sam was director of communications for Avaaz, the global people-powered advocacy group with over million members. Sam has a degree in politics from Liverpool University, is a Watford FC fan, and can be followed on Twitter at @samdbarratt.
Event details
GamesBeat Summit Digital will provide the same great content and create digital networking experiences, all available remotely. We’ve very grateful that the overwhelming number of our speakers (which we originally recruited for our physical event) and our sponsors have stayed with us. We hope to live up to their belief in us with our talks around the theme of Dawn of the Next Generation.
We will continue to be proactive in our communication and will follow up with more information about technology platforms and logistics in the coming days. It looks like we’re heading toward an even larger even with about 115 speakers. The schedule is still subject to change. Last week, we announced speakers such as former Blizzard Entertainment president and cofounder Mike Morhaime, Mike Frazzini of Amazon Game Studios, and Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney.
Agenda
Tuesday, April 28, 2020 (all times Pacific time)
9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Boss Stage: Introductory remarks by Dean Takahashi, lead writer for VentureBeat’s GamesBeat
9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Boss Stage: “Serious money going into esports and gaming: Mergers, acquisitions, and fundraising trends” with Alina Soltys, founder of Quantum Tech Partners
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Boss Stage: “The rise of new independent publishers” with Michael Worosz, executive vice president for corporate development and independent publishing at Take-Two Interactive, moderated by Michael Metzger, partner at Drake Star Partners
Hero Stage: “The future of gaming is user-generated content” with Matt Curtis, VP of Developer Relations at Roblox
10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Boss stage: Owen Mahoney, CEO of Nexon
Hero Stage: Esports with Neo Liu, head of publishing for Tencent North America; Karim Farghaly of Bandai Namco; and Jacob Navok, CEO of Genvid Technologies; moderated by David Hoppe of Gamma Law
10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Boss Stage: Mike Morhaime, cofounder and former president of Blizzard Entertainment, moderated by Seth Schiesel
Hero Stage: “The Leisure Economy” with John Linden, CEO, Mythical Games
GamesBeat Summit Digital speakers[/caption]
11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Boss Stage: Fireside Chat with Stanley Pierre-Louis, CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, moderated by Keisha Howard of Sugar Gamers
Hero Stage: “Choose your own adventure: The evolution of storytelling through the next generation” with Gary Whitta of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, moderated by Tina Amini of IGN
11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Boss Stage: “Gaming’s future as the best form of entertainment,” Jon Goldman of Greycroft and GC Tracker Fund, moderated by Andreea Enache of Blind Squirrel Entertainment
Hero Stage: “We are who we pretend to be” with Edward Saatchi of Fable Studio, moderated by Dean Takahashi
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Breakout sessions, Networking Roundtables, Slack Q&A, Community Discussion
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Boss Stage: Scopely co-CEO Javier Ferreira
Hero Stage: “Game investments in the age of the coronavirus” with Ryan McDermott of Resolute Partners Group
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Boss Stage: “Facebook creative testing: Why the control is so hard to beat” with Brian Bowman, CEO of Consumer Acquisition (solo talk)
Hero Stage: “Using AI for game testing,” with PinkLion CEO Jennifer Bonine (solo talk)
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Boss Stage: “Console cycles: The old, the new, and the future” with Rob Dyer, chief operating officer at Capcom, moderated by Mike Vorhaus of Vorhaus Advisors
Hero Stage: “Bulletproofing your brand strategy in the age of influencers” with Doron Nir, CEO of StreamElements
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Boss Stage: “What to expect in early-stage fundraising” with David Gardner of London Venture Partners; Gregory Milken of March Capital Partners; and Shanti Bergel of Transcend Fund; moderated by David Chang of Asmodee Digital
2:30 p.m. – -3:00 p.m.
Hero Stage: “Productivity Without Crunch in Game Academia and Industry” with Richard Lemarchand, Associate Professor at USC Games Program, moderated by Brandon Sheffield of Necrosoft Games
3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Hero Stage: Series A/B Panel with Phil Sanderson of Griffin Gaming Partners; Michael Cheung of Makers Fund; Rick Yang of NEA; moderated by Eric Goldberg of Crossover Technologies
3:45 pm – 4 p.m. Hero Stage break
Phil Sanderson of IDG Ventures[/caption]
3:15 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Boss Stage: “How Thatgamecompany enabled a wholesome community in Sky” with Jenova Chen, Co-Founder of Thatgamecompany
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Boss Stage: “Building out charity in the games space” with Stephen Machuga of Stack-Up
Hero Stage: “What games can tell you about people” with Chethan Ramachandran, CEO of Skillprint; moderated by Keisha Howard of Sugar Gamers
4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Boss Stage: “The next generation of multi-dimensional games and large-scale VR development,” with Peter Akemann, CEO at Skydance Interactive, moderated by Mike Minotti of GamesBeat
Hero Stage: “The Realities of crossplay and managing live services” with Jesse Houston, CEO of Phoenix Labs; moderated by Dean Takahashi
5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Boss Stage: “The Constant of Creativity” with Glen Schofield, Founder of Striking Distance Studios
Hero Stage: “External Development Stories” with Mihai Pohontu, CEO of Amber Studios
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Connect with the community online. Join online Q&A, breakout sessions, and try fun and new digital event technology.
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
8:00 a.m.
Women in Gaming Virtual Breakfast, Presented by Niantic. Speakers include Kellee Santiago of Niantic, Nonny de la Peña of Emblematic Group, and Elizabeth Howard of Aspyr
9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Boss Stage: Opening remarks — Mike Minotti, reviews editor at GamesBeat
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Boss Stage: “The future of influencer marketing” with Mari Takahashi of Smosh Games; Joshua Ovenshire of Arcade Cloud; moderated by Andrea Rene of What’s Good Games
Hero Stage: “How to run a great writers room” with Adam Foshko of HBO; moderated by Mark Long of HBO
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Boss Stage: “Recapturing the history of games,” Josh Tsui of Ten Point Oh and Blake Harris, author of Console Wars and A History of the Future; moderated by Dean Takahashi
Hero Stage: Lightning round talks
“Play with My Emotions: A Case for (more) Romance & Sex in Games’ with Zsuzsa James, Team Finland Coordinator for Video Games & Esports; Andrew Maximov, CEO of Promethean AI; Barry Jenkins, CEO of Primal Space Systems and Instant Interactive
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Boss Stage: “Why gaming will be at the center of the future entertainment universe” with Josh Yguado, Co-Founder & President of Jam City, moderated by Amy Allison of Skydance
Hero Stage: Fireside Chat with Elan Lee, cofounder of Exploding Kittens; moderated by Theresa Duringer of Temple Gates Games
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Boss Stage: “Experiencing technical difficulty” with Mitch Lasky of Benchmark Capital; moderated by Eric Goldberg of Crossover Technologies
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Hero Stage: “How game developers can adapt to the world after COVID-19,” with Renee Gittins, Executive Director of IGDA, moderated by Justin Berenbaum of Xsolla
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Boss Stage: Fireside Chat with Bernard Kim of Zynga; moderated by Patrick Shanley of The Hollywood Reporter
12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Dolby talk: Andy Vaughan, developer relations manager
12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Breakout sessions, Networking Roundtables, Slack Q&A, Community Discussion
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Boss Stage: “Gaming has always paved the way in mobile and user acquisition” with Paul Muller, CTO of Adjust; moderated by Dean Takahashi
Hero Stage: “The EVE Effect” with Hilmar Pétursson, CEO of CCP
1:30 p.m – 2:00 p.m.
Boss Stage: “The Metaverse is Coming” with Philip Rosedale of High Fidelity; Matthew Ball of Epyllion Industries; Raph Koster of Playable Worlds; Frederic Descamps of Manticore Games; moderated by Sam Englebardt of Galaxy Interactive
Hero Stage: “The mainstreaming of esports,” panel including Mark Chang, head of gaming and esports at Intel
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Boss Stage: Fireside chat with Brent Bushnell of Two Bit Circus
Hero Stage: “Strategies for mental wellness in gaming,” speakers John Smedley of Amazon Studios; Mark Chandler of The International Game Summit for Mental Health; and Eve Crevoshay of Take This.
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Boss Stage: “The real world games of the future: Designing AR/Geospatial/Purposeful games,” with Greg Borrud of Niantic (solo talk)
Hero Stage: “Diversity and inclusion: How to create virtual and accessible resources for marginalized communities during a pandemic/in the face of uncertainty,” with Nika Nour, Executive Director of IGDA Foundation, moderated by gaming personality Jessica Chobot
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Eric Schiermeyer is CEO of Blockchain Game Partners.[/caption]
Boss Stage: Fireside Chat with Neil Young, CEO of N3twork, moderated by Bing Gordon of Kleiner Perkins
Hero Stage: Blockchain panel with Sebastian Borget of The Sandbox; Peter Kieltyka of Horizon Blockchain Games; and Eric Schiermeyer of Blockchain Game Partners; Taehoon Kim, CEO of nWay; moderated by James Zhang of Concept Art House
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Breakout sessions, Networking Roundtables, Slack Q&A, Community Discussion
3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Boss Stage: “Games M&A: Open for business” with Michael Chang of NCSoft; Nick Tuosto of LionTree; and Affan Butt of Aream & Co.; moderated by Mark Stevens of Fenwick & West LLP
Hero Stage: Asia Gaming Panel with Bill Wang of Giant Network; Amy Huang of Mattel163; Cynthia Du of Cocos; Jeff Lyndon of iDreamSky; moderated by Lisa Cosmas Hanson of Niko Partners
4:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Boss Stage: “Working backward from the players: Amazon’s approach to games,” with Mike Frazzini, vice president of Amazon, moderated by Dean Takahashi
Hero Stage: “Player behavior: Your secret growth tool,” with Carlos Figueiredo of Two Hat Security, Clara Siegel of Facebook, and Kim Voll of Stray Bombay; moderated by Kate Edwards of The Global Game Jam
4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Lisa Cosmas Hanson is managing director at Niko Partners.
Boss Stage: “eSports and GaaS in Asia Pacific” with Tim Guhl of Singtel; moderated by Lisa Cosmas Hanson of Niko Partners
Hero Stage: “The future of world-building and narrative in games” with Danny Bilson, Chair, Interactive Media, Games Division at USC, moderated by Peter Levin of Griffin Gaming Partners.
5:15 pm – 5:45 pm
Boss Stage: To be announced
Hero Stage: To be announced
5:45 p.m.
Connect with the community online. Join online Q&A, breakout sessions, and try fun and new digital event technology.
