advancing external development for the games industry

post event summary september 9 to 11, 2015 | the westin bayshore | vancouver, canada | xdsummit.com

xds 2015 sponsors & exhibitors

exhibitors

bronze

V I R T U A L P R O D U C T I O N

gold

presenting

silver

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“ I can honestly say that XDS was leaps and bounds better than any other show I’ve attended. XDS might be the best kept secret in the business.” Rob Clarke, 2K

about xds

External Development Summit (XDS) is the only annual, international games industry event held in Canada, with a focus on external development for art, animation, audio, software engineering, QA and localization.

XDS brings together a niche community of game developers and publishers, vendors, middleware providers, and country representatives. The event is composed of industry players including: the Advisory Committee, Speakers, Sponsors, Exhibitors and of course attendees. Every year we meet in beautiful Vancouver, Canada to contribute to the advancement of our industry through collaboration, sharing of best practices, networking and delivering a high-caliber, educational program.

See Event Highlight photos HERE

untilXDS 2014!

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4.5/5 overall

satisfactionscore

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about xds – 2015 achievements

95% of service provid-ers evaluated for

new projects

service providers

reported closing deals more than

$500k+30

countries attended

72% of service

providers closed deals as a result

of XDS

4,967 social media

followers (8% increase YOY)

1,632 B2B meetings(22% increase YOY)

62%increase in developers

2,300 database contacts

(18% increase YOY)

96% consider XDS a valuable way to

meet new partners

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speakers & sessions

“ Great to be part of such an important industry event as #XDS2015” @petermooreEA, COO, Electronic Arts

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speakers & sessions

Presenters at XDS have extensive knowledge of external development in the areas of art, animation, audio or software engineering. High-impact sessions educate attendees on the best practices in the industry while cultivating an environment for knowledge sharing.

This year, XDS featured 33 high-caliber speakers leading main stage, breakout and panel discussions.

“ XDS is an invaluable opportunity to share experiences and best practices in regards to outsourcing. Anyone who is involved with external development should attend and participate.”

Adrien Cho, 343 Industries

“ No other industry event matches XDS in effectiveness for our business development and brand building efforts.”

Ashley Liu, Mindwalk Studios

See Speaker Session photos HERE

untilXDS 2014!

weeks7

4.5/5 audience

satisfaction score

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the hub – sponsors and exhibitors

“ This year was beyond what we expected and it was gratifying and exciting to see that XDS continued to pleasantly surprise us. We had no time to breathe due to meetings … and it was great!” Arjun Agnihotri, Director and Head of Business Development, Dhruva Interactive

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the hub – sponsors and exhibitors

A big thank you to the sponsors and exhibitors of XDS 2015! They helped to create memorable experiences with evening events, added bonuses for attendees and an atmosphere of collaboration and networking that was our best yet.

The HubCreated around the Central Bar presented by Glass Egg, The Hub featured 18 exhibitor booths, XDS Connect Meeting Zone, Speakers Corner and a central area for all attendees to socialize and connect.

Located right outside The Hub, the VEC Level Up Pavilion once again highlighted top Vancouver service providers. This area also boasted a massive photo backdrop created by NXA Studios to welcome attendees to XDS.

“ Great organization, great people, great opportunities – XDS.”

Jean-Paul Mari, Eidos Montréal

See Sponsors and Exhibitor photos HERE

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industry speed dating

“ XDS is a great opportunity to meet up with all of the buyers I want to see, in a beautiful location, without the crowds of other events.” Kristy Scanlan, Technicolor

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industry speed dating

Introduced for the first time at XDS 2015, Speed Dating was a fast, simple way for content creators to meet with external partners in a fun and casual environment. Sellers were given 3 minutes to deliver their pitch to buyers and exchange business cards before moving onto the next round.

The positive feedback makes it a definite agenda item for XDS 2016! Stay tuned for updates to next year’s Speed Dating event, helping attendees find a business match made in heaven!

“ “XDS is an invaluable way to connect with external partners and other industry professionals.”

Ian Walker, Microsoft – Turn 10

“ The Speed Dating was a super great opportunity to put names to faces, break the ice with many companies, and create networking opportunities.”

Carla De Ciccio, Hibernum

375 speed dates

See Speed Dating photos HERE

50/50 split between

buyers & sellers

untilXDS 2014!

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4.5/5 participant satisfaction

score

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evening special events

“ XDS is where business and fun meet. It’s the most social event I’ve ever been to in the industry.” Paulo Luis Santos, Flux Game Studio

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Click to see more photos:

The evening special events at XDS offer a casual yet upbeat atmosphere for networking and socializing after the day’s main events. This year, XDS offered attendees the chance to attend all special events including:

Speakers Dinner hosted by Virtuos

Welcome Reception presented by Liquid Development

Industry Pub Crawl presented by Volta and MexicoIT

Wrap Party presented by Unity

evening special events

“ Not only extremely useful, but also fun event, great people and good content!”

Martin Korman, Outsource2us

“ XDS was packed with talent, passion, and buzz!”

Astrid Huntjens, Spil Games

untilXDS 2014!

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4.75/5 attendee

satisfactionscore

Speakers Dinner

Wrap PartyWelcome Reception

Industry Pub Crawl

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xds connect meeting zone

“ XDS is THE games industry event that I look forward to every year!” Grayson Chalmers, Blizzard Entertainment

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XDS Connect was new to 2015, providing a forum for developers todiscover vendors, middleware providers, and trade organizations attending XDS. XDS Connect allowed developers to filter by criteria, view company profiles, and opt to schedule meetings to take place in the XDS Connect Meeting Zone.

Offering benefits to both Service Providers and Developers and Publishers, XDS Connect is the new way to ensure effective networking before, during and after XDS events.

xds connect meeting zone

“XDS enabled me to widen my professional network as well as giving me the opportunity to meet some great people.”

Chris Kembry, Improbable

“ One stop shopping for outsourcing.”

Eric Nofsinger, High Voltage

See XDS Connect Meeting Zone photos HERE

untilXDS 2014!

weeks74.75/5 particpant satisfaction

score

287scheduledmeetings

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80,000+ in-app engagements

(54% increase YOY)

xds mobile app

“ XDS is one of the most useful summits/conferences that I have attended... with distributed development getting bigger every year, more people from the industry need to be at XDS!” Scott Russell, EA Shanghai

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Sponsored by Virtuos, the industry leading XDS Mobile App ensures attendees are well informed and prepared to make the most out of the event.

In its first year of introduction at XDS, our exclusive Mobile App supplied the following features:

u Ability to message other attendees

u Detailed event program

u Roster of ALL attendees by industry type

u Leaderboards that awards participation

u Exhibitor and sponsor lists

u Live polling and surveys

xds mobile app

500+ status

updates3,400+

likes

400 registered

users

80% active users

“ XDS is on its way to being Canada’s premier gaming conference.” Mohammad Agha, Magmic Inc.

untilXDS 2014!

weeks7

4.5/5 user

satisfactionscore

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The XDS Advisory Committee is made up of industry leaders who are interested in supporting cooperative advancement of external development within the games industry. These professionals volunteer their time to ensure the program is excellent in content and educational value.

SU-CHENG WUManager, Operations & Service Dev,Sony Computer Entertainment America

RICCARD LINDESr. Director, Art Production,Activision

SAM CARLISLESenior Outsource Manager, Microsoft

GRAYSON CHALMERSOutsource Manager,Blizzard Entertainment

CHRIS WRENProducer, WW External Development, Electronic Arts

xds advisory committee

COLBY ACREEOutsourcing Manager,Disney Interactive Studios

ANTON WIEGERTHead of Outsourcing,Guerrilla Games (Sony)

DILBER MANNSr. Project Manager, Capcom

JARED JOHNSONExternal Development Director, EA Sports SE Distributed Development Electronic Arts

MATT REGNIERLead Outsource & Technical Content Artist, Turbine/WB Games

Learn more about the Advisory Committee HERE

LOIS WANGArt Outsourcing ManagerDeNA

ASTRID HUNTJENSLicensing Manager, Spil Games

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For more info on XDS visit:

xdsummit.com

Interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at XDS 2016?

Contact us!

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