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Celebration strikes a balance with introspection at this year’s Develop Conference in Brighton
L ook up between the awards, expos and conference talks on the East Sussex coast this July and you might observe a few dark clouds in an otherwise spotless sky. In the months since Brighton’s Hilton Metropole previously opened its doors to Develop, there’s no escaping that the industry has sustained damage, not least counting two 2023 Star Award winners among its casualties.
Back then, Roll7 stepped away with the Best Studio gong, while Tango Gameworks saw Hi-Fi Rush crowned Best Original IP. With that in mind, for all there is to celebrate at Develop 2024, discussion of hot topics will surely feel more urgent than ever.
The three-day conference kicks off on July 9 with a keynote centred on indie gaming, presided over by Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Shuhei Yoshida and Greg Rice. The combined experiences of the pair in supporting smaller studios over the years should serve up valuable insight for modestly sized developers looking to work with bigger names.