Pocket Gamer Connects London Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Record Attendance and Focus on the Future
The recent Pocket Gamer Connects (PGC) event in London celebrated its 10th anniversary in record-breaking style. The milestone show saw the highest-ever number of attendees, exhibitors, developers, and publishers for the conference. Alongside the impressive attendance numbers, the event also featured several significant announcements and extensive discussions focused on the future of game development.
Product Launches and Awards Highlight Opening of Event
The first day of PGC London 2024 included multiple game launches from top developers and the announcement of finalists for the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2023. The awards ceremony recognizes excellence and innovation across areas like audio/visual achievement, innovation in game design, best indie games, and more.
The variety of nominations reflected the diversity of games on display at PGC, showing the creative bounds of modern game development.
Insights into the Future of Game Development
A key focus throughout PGC London was examining future trends in game development and predictions for the industry. Several sessions provided insights into the potential for artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to shape the development landscape.
Multiple panels held extensive discussions specifically focused on AI and opportunities to integrate it across game design workflows. Sessions evaluated AI’s capacity to assist with playtesting via simulated users and automation of game tuning.
Experts also discussed employing generative adversarial networks to produce new game assets and content algorithmically. The possibilities as well as open challenges of applying AI responsibly sparked thought-provoking conversations.
Discussions evaluated both the possibilities and challenges of utilizing AI for creating game content procedurally and leveraging blockchain technology for aspects like asset ownership and community governance. Industry experts provided a balanced perspective on integrating innovations like AI and blockchain into responsible and ethical development practices.
International Community Comes Together
Central to the ethos of PGC is building an international community focused on pushing the gaming industry forward. The attendance of developers, publishers, investors, and more from dozens of countries exemplified the global nature of modern game development.
Companies and creators from mobile, PC, console, and XR platforms focused conversations on key expansion areas like subscriptions and advertising. Extensive networking opportunities enabled attendees to make connections that support broader collaboration across geographies and gaming platforms.
The record-setting size and attention towards future trends made PGC London 2024 a showcase event for the current landscape of game development. As the industry’s focal point for community and creativity continues evolving, PGC promises to be a key gathering for companies and professionals pursuing ongoing innovation and emerging possibilities in gaming technology.
The Alison team was thrilled to attend and participate in such an insightful event. We are eager to see what the future holds for advancements in artificial intelligence and its integration across the games industry. Alison will continue pushing towards an AI-enabled landscape by further developing our creative analysis platform and exploring new applications with partners across the industry.
