Best PR, Marketing & Community Talks / GDC 2020
Hi internet,
GDC 2020 is coming up quickly and I have already spotted a dozen talks on Twitter that I’m super looking forward to.
As there are SO MANY talks at GDC I find it can be quite easy to get lost and miss something good — so last year I made an overview of my most anticipated talks in the fields of PR, marketing and community (and a bit of business). Since that got a lot of positive feedback I decided to continue the tradition in 2020.
There is a wild mix of cool things: from a talk by indie darling Devolver, to an inside look into Roblox mega community, an overview how people shop on Steam, indie post mortems like “Yoku’s Island Express: A Critical Hit with Lukewarm Sales” and so much more.
You can find my list below and if I missed anything that you are excited about, please let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
PS: if you want to get some PR and marketing knowledge before the GDC, we recently started an indie games PR podcast you can listen to here.
All’s Fair in Love and Video Game Publishing
By: Nigel Lowrie (Assistant Vice President, Devolver Digital)
The ‘Dwarf Fortress’ Story: Lessons from 16 Years of “Cult” Management
By: Tarn Adams (Co-founder, Bay 12 Games)
Victoria Tran (Communications Director, Kitfox Games, CEO of bubble tea)
Game: Dwarf Fortress
‘Yoku’s Island Express’: A Critical Hit with Lukewarm Sales
By: Jens Andersson (Co-Founder & Designer, Villa Gorilla)
Game: Yoku’s Island Express
$100 Million Question: How to Create an Engaged Community at Scale
By: Justin Sousa (Head of Developer Community, Roblox)
Game: Roblox
Empathizing with Steam: How people shop for your game
By: Chris Zukowski (Game Designer & Marketing Consultant , Return To Adventure Mountain LLC)
Pushing Your Watchtime & Engagement Metrics: Helping Creators Boost Your Game
By: Alexander Casassovici (Co-Founder, Azarus, Inc.)
Jean Guerin (Community & Engagement Director, EMEA, Ubisoft)
Cross-Promotion: The Benefits of Collaborating with Other Developers
By: Philomena Schwab (Co-Founder & Game Designer, Stray Fawn Studio)
Game: Nimbatus / Niche
Ten Things I Wish I Knew Before Pitching
By: Chandana Ekanayake (Creative Director, Outerloop Games)
Game: Falcon Age
Beginning from Kickstarter: The Development of ‘Bloodstained’
By: Koji Igarashi (Co-Founder & Producer, ArtPlay, Inc.)
Game: Bloodstained
Don’t Con Yourself: Getting the Most out of Events
By: Meredith Hall (Games & Digital Content Officer, Film Victoria)
‘Forza’ Monthly: Live-Streaming a Franchise
By: Shay Goldenberg (Producer, Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft)
Game: Forza
Next Level Marketing for Indie Games
By: Hannah Flynn (Communications Director, Failbetter Games)
Game: Sunless Skies
Don’t Be a Copycat: Personalized Marketing for Your Game
By: Derek Lieu (Founder, Derek Lieu, LLC)
Dana Trebella (Founder, Spoke and Wheel Strategy)
Making Your Game Influencer Ready: A Marketing Wishlist for Developers
By: David Ortiz Lapaz (Communications Director, ICO Partners)
Aesthetic Driven Development: Choosing Your Art Before Making a Game
By: Vladimir Slav (Owner & Director, Coldwild Games)
Game: Merchant of the Skies
The Art of the Pitch Deck
By: Alan Dang (Producer, Independent)
Christopher Wulf (Publishing Director, Those Awesome Guys)
Transitions and Acquisitions: Takeaways from Taking Over the Community of a Well Established Title
By: Leilani Leones (Game Community Manager, Kongregate, Inc.)
Game: Animation Throwdown, Bit Heroes, Pocket Politics
How to Measure Business Impact of Social Media Efforts
By: Patricia Romanikova (Head of Social Media & PR, Pixel Federation)
The State Of Funding: A Game Publisher Perspective
By: John Polson (Portfolio Director of Publishing, Humble Bundle)
Rebekah Saltsman (CEO, Finji)
Julien Wera (CPO, Paradox Interactive)
Ted Regulski (Director of Business Acquisition, 505 Games)
Andreea Chifu (Head of Sales & Business Development, Raw Fury)
Developing Community Management: How To Care For Your In-House Paladin
By: Leanne Bradbury (Senior Community Developer, Brace Yourself Games)
Game: Probably Crypt of the NecroDancer, Phantom Bridge, Industries of Titan
Roundtable: the Future of CM and Advocating for Your Work and Well-Being
By: Catherine Litvaitis (Social Marketing Manager, Digital Continue)
Soft Skills Are Hard: A Community Manager Rant
By: Donna Prior (Community Director, Catan Studio)
Roundtable: CM as a Career and Best Practices
By: Catherine Litvaitis (Social Marketing Manager, Digital Continue)
Bringing Streamers Back to a 5 Year Old Game: ‘DayZ Resurrection’
By: Anna Buenafe (Brand & Marketing Manager, Bohemia Interactive)
Game: DayZ
Is This Publishing Agreement Fair? The 2020 Publishing Agreement Market Report
By: Kellen Voyer (Managing Director, Voyer Law)
Metrics to Track for Every User Acquisition Campaign
By: Jackie Yuan (Data Analyst, Glu Mobile)
Player Segments Based on Gaming Motivations: An Analysis of 400,000 Gamers
By: Nick Yee (Co-Founder & Analytics Lead, Quantic Foundry)
Pre-Marketing Marketing: A Guide to Games Market and Competitor Research
By: Dana Trebella (Founder, Spoke & Wheel Strategy)
Victoria Tran (Communications Director, Kitfox Games)
What to Write so People Buy: Selling Your Game without Feeling Sleazy
By: Chris Zukowski (Founder, Return To Adventure Mountain)
Publishing Partner or Self Publishing: That Is the Question
By: Odile Limpach (Professor for Economics & Entrepreneurship, SpielFabrique)
Regional Distribution Deals: A Rescue for Indie Game DevelopersBy: Regional Distribution Deals: A Rescue for Indie Game Developers
