Kia ora ,
As we say goodbye to March and head into the Easter break, the games community is abuzz with the recently concluded GDC and the abundance of exciting activities on the horizon.
My own experiences from the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco last week were overwhelmingly positive. It was an incredible opportunity to connect with industry leaders, publishers, investors, platforms, and vendors, all of whom expressed genuine excitement about the remarkable work emerging from New Zealand's game development scene.
I had the pleasure of promoting the New Zealand Game Developers Conference (NZGDC) as a premier destination to meet NZ studios, following Melbourne Games Week. Many of the people I talked to expressed interest in attending, with one investor even booking her flights in the middle of our meeting!
With that in mind, we are excited to announce the very first Wellington Games Week, a series of business-focused events and activities culminating in the NZ Game Developers Conference (17-19th October). This is a joint venture between the NZGDA and WellingtonNZ running from 13th - 19th October.
We aim to create a platform where industry experts and professionals can share knowledge, insights, and resources to drive innovation and growth in the games industry. By bringing together a diverse range of stakeholders, we hope to facilitate partnerships, exchange ideas, and support the development of successful and ground-breaking games projects right here in Aotearoa.
To that end, I’m dusting myself off after GDC and preparing for a series of follow-up conversations that will focus on confirming plans with platforms and vendors, as well as securing participation from investors and publishers for pitch sessions and networking events during WGW.
If you have a contact from a service provider, publisher, investment group, or platform that you would like to see at NZGDC and Wellington Games Week, I would welcome an introduction.
I'm also happy to share with you that we are meeting with Minister Collins today. This marks the first opportunity for our Association to engage with our new Minister, and we are looking forward to introducing her to our current strategy and hearing about her priorities for our industry.
