VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The only annual, international video games industry event with a primary focus on external development for art, animation, audio, co-development, QA and localization, XDS - wraps up record breaking sixth annual event, which occurred September 5-7th at the Parq Vancouver.
The event, which sold out 12 weeks in advance (3 weeks earlier than 2017), was attended by over 600 delegates (20% increase from 2017) with a balanced split between industry professionals and service providers, from 45 unique countries. 39 sponsors/exhibitors were showcased, including presenting sponsors: Glass Egg Digital Media, Keywords Studios, and Virtuos Games. Of the 30 high-caliber speakers, some notable include: Andrew Day, CEO of Keywords Studios, Robyn Foerster, Head of Operations at Bioware, Darryl Long, Managing Director at Ubisoft and Gilles Langourieux, CEO at Virtuos Games.
Innovative session formats were piloted, including the XDS Backstage Sessions – which provided attendees with the opportunity to get up close and personal with industry influencers such as Victor Lucas, Creator, executive producer and host of “The Electric Playground”.
Other highlights include 2,000+ B2B meetings that took place, nightly special events and the exciting announcement of a $25,000 contribution from XDS towards a ‘Full-Ride’ scholarship at Vancouver Film School for a deserving female candidate entering their award-winning Game Design program. This initiative is supported by Women in Animation through mentorship, and the selection of the final candidate. This contribution brings XDS’s total contributions toward Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, up to $66,000 over a 3-year period.
Ian Walker, Art Outsourcing Manager from Crystal Dynamics stated “XDS is the absolute best event to learn, network, maintain relationships, and stay current with all things external development.” This sentiment is mirrored by Philip Dennison, Senior Producer of Outsourcing at Warner Brothers, Monolith, who said “It's the best part of my year. There is no more efficient way to connect in person with your current and potential business partners. The environment is friendly and sometimes charmingly rowdy, but the organizers and participants are serious about advancing the industry by promoting efficient, ethical practices.”
XDS Organizers are already beginning to plan next year’s event, with XDS Advisory Committee Chair, Chris Wren stating “each year, it becomes more and more apparent that XDS has been, and is a catalyst in advancing external development for the video games industry. We are serious about continuing this trend, and excited to implement new creative ideas, and build upon feedback to consistently deliver value to our attendees. We hope to see everyone at XDS 2019!”
About XDS
External Development Summit (XDS) is the only annual, international video games industry event with a primary focus on external development for art, animation, audio, co-development, QA and localization. A professionals only event, XDS brings together a niche community of game developers and publishers, vendors, middleware providers, and trade organizations to advance the industry through collaboration, sharing of best practices, networking and the delivery of a high-calibre, educational program.
Website: xdsummit.com
XDS 2018 Wrap Video: https://youtu.be/jfbu3Mf15sQ
XDS Newsletter Sign-up: http://xdsummit.com/newsletter-signup/
2018 Highlight Photos: http://bit.ly/XDS2018_HighlightPhotos
Media Contact:
Madelynn Kalyk, Media Relations
madelynn@xdsummit.com
T: 604-456-1853