First 50 Speakers for #ddc2025 Confirmed

The devcom developer conference 2025 (#ddc2025) has announced the first highlights of its programme, including a post-mortem of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and a talk on working in high-pressure environments. Europe's largest event for game developers returns to the Koelnmesse Conference and Exhibition Centre in Cologne from 17–19 August 2025.

The first wave of speakers to be announced includes a keynote from GSC Game World, the creators of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. CEO and Game Director Ievgen Grygorovych and Creative Director Mariia Grygorovych will reflect on the extraordinary development process of the game, which has been affected by a global pandemic, cyberattacks, the destruction of their office by fire, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Fleur Marty, Executive Producer at Gearbox, will explore how game development teams can adapt and thrive in unpredictable, high-pressure environments. Anders Lauridsen, CEO of High North Studios, will present a case study of Skald, showcasing how disciplined product design, guided by passion and purpose, can successfully position and market niche games. David Fox, President and Co-Founder of Electric Eggplant, as well as being one of the original employees at Lucasfilm Games, will reflect on the development of Rescue on Fractalus!, one of the earliest examples of real-time 3D in gaming. More speakers will be announced soon.

As in previous years, the conference will be held in a hybrid format, combining an in-person experience at the Confex with full online access through the Digital Pass.

List of first 50 Speakers - Aaron Ludlow, he/him, Product Director, Playstack - Alan Ashalley-Anthony, he/him, Consultant, Melanin Gamers - Ali Reder, she/her; they/them, Game Designer, Wooga - Anders Lauridsen, he/him, High North Studios - Ann Grin, she/her, Concept artist\Character artist, Freelance - Anna Sieprawska, she/her, Product Manager, InnoGames GmbH - Annabel Ashalley-Anthony, she/her, Gaming Consultant, Melanin Gamers - Annie Fox, she/her, Novelist, Electric Eggplant - Antonia Koop, she/her, CEO, CobaltIED - Bertine van Hövell, she/her, Narrative Designer, Lost Again - Blaise van Dyck, he/him, Technical Level Designer, Limbic Entertainment - Bryan Keiren, he/him, Principal Game Tech Programmer, Guerrilla - Celia Hodent, she/her, Game UX Strategist - Chloé Boels, she/her, Streamer, founder of Stream'Her (community of women streamers) and TV /show host, Stream'Her, RTBF (Belgium national TV) - Cody Matthew Johnson, he/him, Composer, Executive Creative Director, CEO, Emperia Sound and Music - Craig Morrison, he/him, Studio Creative Director, Blue Scarab Entertainment - David Fox, he/him, Electric Eggplant - Dennis Quaisser, he/him, Business Development Manager, Pixel Maniacs - Don Daglow, he/him, President, Sausalito Games Inc. - Eline Muijres, she/her, Lead Producer, The Powell Group - Erin Lu, she/her, Head of Business Development, IOI Gamer - Fleur Marty, she/her, Gearbox Montréal - Garry Seto, he/him, CEO / Head of Studio, Massive Damage Games - Haron Younis, he/him, Art Director, Concept Artist, Kevir Entertainment - Ievgen Grygorovych, he/him, GSC Game Worlds - James Matthes, he/him, Audio Director, Founder, Pressure Cooker Studios - Jarory de Jesus, he/him, Founder/Director, Coquito Games - Jasmin Oestreicher, she/her, CEO, INSTINCT3 - Jon Everist, he/him, Composer, Composer - Katja Schreiber, she/her, CEO, Disobey - Kira Buczilowski, she/her, Senior Engine Programmer, IO Interactive - Kris Wingfield-Bennett, he/him, Director, Future Friends Games - Lena Ochman, she/her, Lighting Artist, Freelance - Lukas Kure, he/him, Branch Manager, GIANTS Software (Czechia) - Mads Skovgaard, he/him, CEO & Founder, Fair Games - Maria Cornelius, she/her, Product Strategy Leader, Arrowhead Game Studios - Mariia Grygorovych, she/her, GSC Game Worlds - Michala Braker, they/them, Face Animation Specialist, JALI Research - Mike Fischer, he/him, Professor of Interactive Media, University of Southern California - Nabaz Sali, he/him, Creative Director | Character Artist, Kevir Entertainment - Nicky Visentin, she/her, Head of HR, 24 Bit Games - Nicolai Herrmann, he/him, Senior Tools Programmer, IO Interactive - Parker Wallace, they/them, Director of Events & Operations, IGDA - Ruslana Kruchek, she/her, Co-Founder, Brand Manager, Creative Director, VP Production - Sahar Mirhadi, she/her, Doctoral Researcher, University of York - Sule Nur Karaaslan, she/her, Level Designer, Freelance Game Designer - Terrance Cohen, he/him, Senior Engine Programmer, Insomniac Games - Vadim Charugin, he/him, Producer R&D, MY.GAMES - Wilbert Roget, II, he/him, Composer, Roget Music - Yves Le Yaouanq, he/him, Chief Content Officer, Focus Entertainment

In 2024, devcom welcomed over 5,000 unique participants, marking a 45 percent increase from the previous year. The event featured over 350 speakers across more than 210 sessions and 17 stages. Attendees represented 1,660 companies from 83 countries. Following its record-breaking 2024 edition, which attracted over 5,000 industry professionals from 83 countries, this year's event promises to be even bigger and better. Scholarship programmes provided free access and networking support to more than 200 participants, and these are set to be expanded for 2025, as are the Indie Expo and Showcase, which support developers in presenting their games.

Deadlines: - Till May 31 – Early Bird Ticket Phase Ends- Till May 31 – Indie Showcase Submissions Ends - Till May 23 – Scholarship Programs Partner Applications Ends

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