BIG Digital, the online version of Brazil’s Independent Games (BIG) Festival — Latin America’s premier video game industry conference — today unveiled the full Program Guide for the festival — making it available on the official BIG Digital website.
Industry professionals and fans alike are invited to watch the seminars presented by innovative independent game studios and industry giants, including Epic Games, Facebook, Google, Microsoft (Xbox), Nintendo, Snapchat, and Ubisoft. Sessions take place from June 24 to 25, 2020, and can be viewed free-of-charge on the official BIG Digital Website.
True to BIG Festival’s physical event, BIG Digital will host an incredible lineup of industry leaders who will give talks that discuss Brazil’s thriving video game industry and its connection to the international market. Among the many renowned speakers set to attend, BIG Digital’s special guests include:
- Andromeda Sound’s Antonio Teoli, an award-winning composer whose credits include Nintendo, SEGA, Samsung, and many others;
- ARVORE Immersive Experiences’ Ana Ribeiro, creator of the critically-acclaimed Pixel Ripped franchise;
- Epic Games’ Unreal Evangelist Paulo Souza; and
- Microsoft Studio’s Carla Rylance (nDreams, Imaginati Studios, and currently The Coalition);
- Drussila Hollanda-Grönberg, game and project lead at Supercell, and founder of Hive Helsinki Code School;
- Reginaldo Valadares, a pioneer in Brazil’s online multiplayer games industry, currently General Manager and Vice President of Product at Scopely.
In addition to the previously announced 2020 Brazilian Games Showcase, BIG Digital will include two days of diverse, industry-focused panels, including:
- Welcoming Diverse Perspectives to Broaden Gaming Experiences: Marcos Silva, founder and partner of Sue the Real — a game studio that focuses on Afro-Brazillian narratives — discusses the dominance of the white male perspective in videogames and explores other narratives that seek to change this aspect of the industry.
- Brazil — A New Look From Abroad: Andromeda Sound’s Antonio Teoli and Doppio Games’ Jefferson Valadares lead a panel of four globally recognized industry experts as they discuss the global perception of Brazil’s games industry.
- The State of the “Indie-stry”: Panelists Yves Le Yaouanq (Ubisoft), Christopher Wulf (Those Awesome Guys), Paulo Luis dos Santos (Flux Games Studio), and Limpho Moeti (Nyamakop), discuss the independent games industry and how power has shifted from publishers to developers and what that means to independent studios.
- MADE IN BRAZIL: The Talented Brazilian External Development (XD) Market: From art to sound to coding, Brazilian game companies are developing amazing components for AAA games. Kokku’s Thiago de Freitas introduces the work of internationally recognized teams whose excellence has contributed to some of the world’s most renowned games.
- 4-Steps for Successful Due Diligence in the New Normal: The Coalition’s Carla Rylance, a member of the External Development Summit’s (XDS) advisory board, discusses frameworks to facilitate new work-from-home initiatives enacted by 94 percent of the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With support from Brazil Games Export Program, a partnership between the Brazilian Game Companies Association, ABRAGAMES, and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), BIG Digital carries the traditions of its massively successful physical counterpart as a fundamental business hub for video game professionals across the globe through its lectures, networking events, and digital face-to-face meetings. Those who register to attend will have the opportunity to get in direct contact with market giants such as Braavo Capital, Devolver Digital, Electronic Arts, Humble Bundle, Konami, Roblox, and Sony, with more to be announced closer to the date.
