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Matthew Ball is the Managing Partner of Epyllion, an investment, investment advisory, and strategic advisory firm, as well as a Senior Advisor to KKR, Venture Partner at Makers Fund, Co-Founder of the Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF (NYSE:METV), and an Occasional Contributor to The Economist. Ball’s 2022 book, The Metaverse, was a national bestseller in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and China, named one of the Best Books of the Year by Barnes & Noble, Hudson News, The Guardian, Fast Company, Politico, and Xinhua News Agency, and blurbed by the CEOs of Epic Games, Meta, Microsoft Gaming, Netflix, Sony, and Unity. Ball was previously the global Head of Strategy for Amazon Studios, a Senior Advisor to McKinsey, Director at The Chernin Group’s Otter Media, and an Executive at Accenture. He began his career as a full-time wildfire fighter.

Troy Batterberry is the founder and CEO of EchoMark, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company pioneering a new standard in information protection. The company was founded on that trust is central to empowering everyone to do their best work. Troy brings years of product and technology experience, including 25 years at Microsoft, where he most recently served as a Corporate Vice President as the product leader of Microsoft Teams Meetings, Calling, and Events. During his tenure, Troy also played an integral role in the growth and success of marquee Microsoft products, such as Windows, Explorer/Edge, Bing, Xbox, and MSN. Before joining Microsoft, Troy held engineering positions at Sony and within the U.S. Department of Defense. Troy is driven by a long-standing passion for creating new experiences and products. In addition to his professional pursuits, Troy is a parent volunteer at his kids' schools, spends time volunteering for Boy Scouts, and also enjoys time outdoors boating, hiking, and running. He holds an M.S. in Information Systems from the University of Southern California and a B.S. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from North Dakota State University.

Oscar is a pioneer in mobile and connected games. He has been working with online games since 1998 across PC, mobile, and console in various teams including Sony PlayStation, NVIDIA and Unity as well as cofounder for Fundamentally Games, a consulting and publishing team focused on LiveOps games. He literally wrote the book on 'Games as a Service' and his next book 'Playing with Balance' is due for release in March 2026. Oscar is Chief Strategy Officer for Arcanix, the LiveOps Strategy Platform. Arcanix announced pre-seed funding from ForsVC and imec.istart in August 2025.

Kate Edwards is an award-winning 30+ year veteran of the game industry, and the CEO and principal consultant of Geogrify, a consultancy which innovated game culturalization, as well as the CXO and Co-Founder of SetJetters, a screen tourism app. She is also the former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and the Global Game Jam. Following her 13 years at Microsoft, she has consulted on over 300 game titles for Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, SEGA, Sony, Square Enix, LEGO, and many other companies. In addition to serving in several board and advisory roles, she is a geographer, writer, and corporate strategist. Kate is the recipient of the Game Developers Choice Awards 20th Annual Ambassador Award, and in 2021 she was included in the Forbes' "50 Over 50" Vision List as well as being inducted into the Women in Games Hall of Fame.

Andreea Enache is the Chief Revenue Officer at Amber Studio and a veteran Gaming and Digital Media Executive with extensive experience in driving strategic growth for some of the industry's most recognized brands, including Marvel, Sony Pictures Digital, Sony Online Entertainment, Namco, and Konami. As the former Senior Vice President of Marvel Entertainment's gaming and digital distribution business, she played a key role in launching major titles such as Avengers Alliance, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, and War of Heroes. She has also held leadership roles as Chief Business Officer at Secret Dimension and Head of Global Business Development & Strategy at Blind Squirrel Games, where she was instrumental in the studio's rapid expansion. A respected thought leader, Andreea has extensive expertise in licensing, business development, production, marketing, and digital distribution and has led high-profile negotiations with partners such as Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, iTunes, PlayStation, Xbox, and Hulu. In addition to her work at Amber, she is the founder of Digital Monk, LLC. and serves on various industry advisory boards. Before transitioning into gaming, Andreea spent over a decade in print, radio, and TV journalism in Bucharest, Romania. She holds a Financial Management certification from Cornell University, a Diploma of Excellence from the Romanian Academy of Radio & TV, and degrees in Linguistics & Foreign Languages from the University of Bucharest and Communication Studies from California State University, Northridge (Magna Cum Laude).

Joanna Fang MPSE is an Emmy award winning Foley artist and sound editor. An alumna of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Joanna developed a passion for Foley while studying Film and TV production. Graduating with several made for TV horror films under her belt, Joanna started an apprenticeship with lead Foley artist Leslie Bloome at New York’s Alchemy Post Sound and worked there for 7 years. In 2021, she joined Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Creative Arts Studios Sound Team as their senior Foley artist co-leading the development of their interactive Foley studio with senior Foley mixer Blake Collins.

Throughout her career, Joanna has cultivated a body of work spanning triple A video games, independent cinema, documentary film, installation art, television, and radio. She focuses on supporting unique storytellers through novel and empathy driven applications of performed sound. She has crashed a bus for This American Life’s Ira Glass, sprinted in heels for Celine Song’s The Materialists, and climbed mountains for Kojima Production’s Death Stranding 2. Her Foley is playable on several PlayStation titles including Helldivers 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, God of War Ragnarök, and Ghost of Yōtei.

In 2016, the Television Academy recognized Joanna as the first openly transgender woman of color to win a Primetime Emmy for her Foley work on A&E’s Cartel Land.

Tim Friedlander is a voice actor and studio owner based in Los Angeles, known for his talent and advocacy within the industry. Tim is known for his contributions to popular titles such as Hunter x Hunter, One Punch Man, and his portrayal of Long Caster in Ace Combat 7. Additionally, his performance as the English voice of Ares in the Netflix series Record of Ragnarok and as the English Voice of Daigo Dojima in the new Like A Dragon video game series have garnered attention, showcasing his versatility and skill. As founder of the soundBOX:Studio Group, Tim operates out of his studio, soundBOX:LA and continues to bring his work to audiences everywhere with his compelling performances and unwavering commitment to his craft. With 4 locations in the US, the soundBOX Studios have become the go-to location for such clients as Sony, Ubisoft, Nintendo, CBS, Amazon, and Netflix among many others. With a talent-focused approach, soundBOX has become known for their ability to provide the highest quality services to clients and producers while also providing as a safe, comfortable, artist forward environment. Tim has been quoted in such outlets as the LA Times, WIRED, the NY Times, and the BBC. Represented by Atlas Talent in Los Angeles and New York, as well as ACM Talent Management in LA and New York, Tim remains a driving force in the world of voice acting, leaving an indelible mark on the industry with his talent, passion, and dedication.

Monet Gardiner is a Sound Designer with 12+ years of experience in video games, film, television, music, and multimedia. As a Sound Design graduate from Savannah College of Art and Design, Monet has worked with 343 Industries at Microsoft on Halo Infinite and Electronic Arts on NBA Live 19 and NBA Live 20. Noteworthy achievements include Production Mixer & Supervisor on Emmy award-winning live sitcom "The BUZZ", multiple MPSE Golden Reel Nominations for Sound Editing, and Dialogue Designer on 2023 BAFTA Best Audio and EE Game of the Year "God of War:Ragnarok". Recently in addition to her work on God of War: Ragnarok, Monet has been working on titles such as The Last of Us 2 Remastered and Death Stranding 2 as a Dialogue Designer with Sony Interactive Entertainment PlayStation. Monet's impact continues to reverberate through the industry through her commitment to giving back to the game audio community by fostering diversity and inclusion as a proactive board member of the Game Audio Diversity Alliance, a non-profit charity which aims to provide career advancement opportunities for underrepresented voices through education, mentoring, and financial support.

For 23 years Brynley Gibson has worked in video games as a producer, holding roles including Executive producer, Studio head and Game Director and sitting on both boards and in the C-suite. His career has taken him across a huge range of experiences, working in AAA to mobile, for corporations and independents, from first party to work for hire to self publishing and even publishing itself. Studios he has worked at include Lionhead, Headstrong Games, Zoë Mode, Sony PlayStation, Curve, Avalanche Studios and Sharkmob Games. Brynley got his break in the industry after three things came together. A number of years of experience organising all sorts of things with creative people from club nights to websites, a degree in film and a passion for playing video games. That led to an opportunity at Lionhead studios to make a game all about making movies. That was the BAFTA winning The Movies and from there he took on his first leading role with its expansion disk and remained a producer from then on. Since then and working on many games along the way, personal career highlights include being the series producer for Nintendo’s Art Academy series, releasing PlayStation’s VR World as the launch title for Sony’s PSVR and setting up Avalanche Group’s Malmö studio. For the last few years, he has been the Executive Producer for the extraction shooter Exoborne at Sharkmob Games.

After Gubman’s first game in 2006 (Pirates of the Burning Sea), he went on to score over 1200 video games helping to establish the sound of many iconic downloadable, mobile, and casual titles while maintaining a solid career composing for various media projects. Gubman’s work can be heard in projects for notable clients like Disney (Tokyo Disneyland, Disney Anaheim, WDW), Zynga, HyperGryph, Blizzard (Overwatch 2, Hearthstone), Sony, Dream, King, Atari, Warner Brothers Games, GameHouse, NBC Today, and Warner-Chappell. He is most known for his pop-broadway style songwriting for the games HEARTHSTONE and ARKNIGHTS, and most recently took over as composer for SKY CHILDREN OF LIGHT (thatgamecompany). In casual and mobile, top selling match-3 title ROYAL MATCH helped them redefine the quality standards for this genre. His speed, creativity, and memorable melodic voice that brings unique branding to the projects he works on - he is passionate about all the projects that he touches, and delivers AAA quality no matter the project scope. Co-Owned with Alex Cox, Moonwalk Audio prides themselves on creating top quality sound while offering opportunities to folks from all race, class, and gender identity. As an arranger and orchestrator, Adam has worked on additional music and orchestration for various TV and Film projects, including Sausage Party, Galavant, Ride Along 2, Smurfs: Lost Village, Baywatch, and he provided orchestration for EDM superstar BT’s album ‘Electronic Opus’. His award winning production work on Greatest Showman (This Is Me) granted him a triple platinum record. Online streams have yielded over 100 million views. Gubman is also known for re-branding the NBC Today Show theme with Warner-Chappell Music Group, and has done numerous licensing and custom audio packages for TV News programs all over the world. Orchestration clients have included collaborations with Alan Menken, Chris Lennertz, Austin Wintory, Tom Salta, Pasek and Paul, BT, Warner-Chappell, Disney, and many more. An avid songwriter, Adam is a composer for Disney Parks, and writes, arranges, orchestrates, and produces music for parades and entertainment. He has shipped over two dozen shows and attractions for Disney Imagineering and Tokyo Disney, including the Baymax Happy Ride that opened in 2021, Star Wars Galaxy Edge, and the Star Wars Hotel project. He also recently scored the Manta Coaster for Sea World Dubai, which opened summer 2023. Adam’s musical ideology can be wrapped up in the slogan “Imagine the Sound of Your World”. His passion is finding the music culture in the games he works on, and he strives to give every project it’s own identity and musical thumbprint that includes source and songs.

After falling into game development totally by accident in 1990, Jeff's first commercial credit came while he was still a university student. After graduating in 1995, he had a three decade career in game development working both for independent developers and for studios owned by Electronic Arts, Sony, and THQ. Since 2022 Jeff has worked at NVIDIA Corporation, starting off as a Python tools programmer and now managing a team and leading a project as part of NVIDIA's Omniverse engine initiative. Jeff created and has moderated the Technical Artist Roundtables at GDC for two decades. He also created the Technical Artists Bootcamp, now the Technical Artists Summit, in 2010. Jeff has served on the GDC Advisory Board since 2009.

I hold an MEng in Electronic Engineering. I began my career at Sony as an image-processing engineer before moving into life sciences at Oxford Nanopore, where I delivered ML and software features for DNA sequencing across embedded IoT and server-class systems. I'm passionate about learning, teaching, and creating; at Arm, I've coauthored several ML optimization courses used by developers and academia worldwide.

Adam has worked in the gaming space for over 10 years, always as a leader with a strong passion for mentorship or as he likes to call it, "helping people to be the best versions of themselves at work." After experiencing two layoffs, he decided to take control of his own career, combining his passion for mentorship and years of leadership experience to become one of the only career and executive coaches dedicated to the games industry. Since then, Adam has had the privilege of working with hundreds of game devs, including executives, entrepreneurs, and job seekers from companies like Xbox, Sony, Riot Games, and Nintendo.

Brandon Huffman is the founder and managing partner of Odin Law and Media, a boutique firm dedicated to serving video game, technology, and media clients. With over a decade of experience advising developers, publishers, and high-growth companies, Brandon has negotiated complex deals across publishing, licensing, M&A, and IP strategy, including transactions opposite major industry players like Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Tencent, and Netflix. He also serves as general counsel to the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). Brandon is known for helping studios navigate legal and business challenges from formation through financing and exit, and for scaling Odin's practice into a nationally recognized leader in games industry law.

Perrin Kaplan is a global marketing and communications executive known for her award-winning work in emerging tech, entertainment, and gaming. She is a principal of Zebra Partners, which opened doors following her role as vice president of marketing and communications, as well as company spokesperson, growing Nintendo's corporate brand and overseeing notable global phenomena such as the Wii; Pokémon; DS; and the brand ambassador movement. Kaplan's clientele includes innovative companies and brands, from indies to Fortune 500s, such as Meta/Facebook, Intel, Microsoft, Sony Pictures VR, DreamWorks, Aspyr, Reddit, Qualcomm, Gearbox, Samsung, NCSOFT, Wizards of the Coast, and many more. She started in the newsroom at Seattle's NBC affiliate with stints in political communications. Considered one the best in her field, Kaplan is profiled in several books (Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play, The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 2: Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and the Billion-Dollar Battle to Shape Modern Gaming, Console Wars), articles and documentaries and is an active speaker for top events and organizations. She has been honored for her continued roles in female leadership growth. Perrin also serves on board and strategic advisory roles for Women In Games International (WIGI), GamesBeat, and Didimo Inc., as well as formerly for VidCon.

Salaar has been making games since age 8. He's co-founder of CAGE Studios, currently working on their 4th title, Gunstoppable. He was a Gameplay Engineer at Sony Santa Monica for 5 years, working on titles like God of War Ragnarok. He graduated from UPenn with a Computer Graphics Master's and CS Bachelor's. Outside of work, Salaar enjoys guitar, volleyball, and penguins.

American-British composer, Mike Ladouceur, is among the most exciting and significant talents emerging today, with many high-profile film, TV, game and live event projects to his name. Renowned on both sides of the Atlantic, his musical style blends orchestral and ambient electronic textures, and has been described by Grammy nominated conductor and orchestrator, Jeff Atmajian, as like listening to a beautiful impressionist painting. Most recently, Mike worked with Chromatic London as music team lead to compose the bespoke music and sound design for the internationally broadcasted show 1001 Seasons of Elie Saab. Under the music Direction of Daniel Thibaut, Mike and their team wrote the finale for Celine Dion and worked closely with Jennifer Lopez's team to orchestrate her set. They recorded their score at the world famous Abbey Road studios. Mike has composed and arranged music for many high profile private events for major designer brands and Royal events. Mike composed the music for a VR game, Trailblazer, with the EMMY Nominated Singer Studios; starring and Executive produced by Daisy Ridley. His debut feature film, How I Faked My Life With AI, had it's premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024 to great acclaim. Just before this, he completed Mizu, a documentary series about Japanese culture in Italy, produced for TaTaTu which was written up in Rolling Stone. Mike's debut album, Between Worlds, was recorded at Angel Studios with a 42-piece orchestra and was launched at an immersive art installation at London's Hospital Club with bespoke visuals. He has written additional music and arrangements for His Dark Materials (HBO/BBC), Marcella (ITV/Netflix), Love. Wedding. Repeat (Netflix), and for Master Moley (Nottage Productions) starring Gemma Arterton, Charles Dance, Julie Walters, and Warwick Davis. He has also worked as Orchestrator on The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian) and Honor of King's (Tencent) as well as many major film projects including Black Widow (Disney), Mission Impossible: Fallout (Paramount), Ad Astra (Plan B), Gemini Man (Skydance/Paramount), 6 Underground (Netflix), Looking Up (Tianjin Chengzi Yinxiang Media), Where's My Roy Cohn? (Sony) and Nae Pasaran (BBC Scotland). Mike is a passionate educator, holding faculty positions at both Cambridge University and Royal College of Music teaching composition for visual media. He has created his own online course which has helped over 150 students as well as a 6-week intensive in orchestral writing; where he led participants through the process of writing and recording their pieces for full orchestra with multiple large-scale recording sessions.

Ichiro is CEO of Totally Human Media, where he is solving game discovery with the We Love Every Game initiative. He co-founded the studio that evolved into Sony Online Denver, and award-winning indie Dejobaan Games. While moonlighting at Valve, Ichiro helped establish Steam Labs, refining game discovery to bridge the gap between thousands of games and the millions of gamers who would love them.

Sebastian Long is MD of Player Research (a Keywords Studio), the leading agency for insight into players and play. As a gameplay researcher Seb has led design-improving playtest studies for hundreds of games, spanning all genres, audiences and platforms - including for beloved IPs Sniper Elite, FIFA, World of Tanks, LittleBigPlanet, Talking Tom, Hungry Shark, LEGO, and games including Control and Elden Ring - and influencing the development direction of international projects for businesses including EA, Sony, Xbox, Tencent Games, and hundreds more. As Managing Director Seb leads a 20-person consultancy based in the UK and Canada, providing research that drives game development decision-making, as both a consultant research strategist and the company Director. Seb is a member of BAFTA, community leader within the IGDA Games User Research & UX SIG, prolific speaker and educator, and is based in Brighton on the UK south coast.

Andrew is the founder of ImagineMore.Art, the living archive of timeless human inspiration, and the founder of Promethean AI, a premier creative technology company serving Fortune 50 clients. With extensive experience in the gaming industry, he previously served as Technical Art Director at Sony Interactive, where he advanced cutting-edge art technology for some of the world's most renowned entertainment franchises like The Last of Us and Uncharted. An accomplished artist, programmer, consultant, and entrepreneur, Andrew has been recognized in the 30 Under 30 lists by both Develop and Forbes magazines. Dedicated to education, he has taught art, technology, and production at universities and computer graphics events worldwide, including in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montreal, Tokyo, Seoul, Barcelona, Malta, Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal and Uganda. Distinguished in both art and technology, Andrew has been co-organizing the Art Direction Summit at the Game Developers Conference for over a decade and served on the jury of SIGGRAPH Realtime Live. Throughout his career, his unrelenting focus has been on democratizing the creative process, supporting artists, and empowering creativity within every individual.

Shayna Moon is a Technical Producer at Meta's Sanzaru studio, recently shipping the critically acclaimed Asgard's Wrath 2. Her previous work includes engine production on Gears of War: E-Day, the Unity DOTS Spotlight group, and cinematic and audio production on Sony Santa Monica's God of War (2018) and God of War: Ragnarok (2022). She also has worked to support up and coming game developers through volunteer and mentoring opportunities such as Amplifying New Voices and the GDC Conference Associates program. Shayna graduated from Ferris State University in 2014 with a degree in Digital Animation and Game Design. She later attended the University of Texas at Austin Denius-Sams Gaming Academy, completing the program with honors. She began her career in games as a Quality Assurance tester in her home state of Michigan.

Jane is a London based North American actor, with over 25 years of extensive experience in film, TV, theatre and voice work. She is an award-winning voice artist, having won Best Performance in a Leading Role at the 2022 BAFTA Games Awards for her work as Selene in Housemarque's/Sony Interactive's Returnal. Jane has worked as a voice actor and performance capture artist on over 60 titles, from independent projects to numerous AAA critically acclaimed IPs. Selected credits include Mystra in Baldur's Gate III, Diana Burnwood in the Hitman, Rogue in Cyberpunk 2077, Sharon Holt in As Dusk Falls and Karen Bowman in Ghost Recon: Wildlands. Jane also holds a Master's Degree in Actor Training & Coaching and supports actors in their work in the voice over studio, as well as on stage and screen. Jane also consults with game developers who wish to learn more about working with actors in their projects.

Founder of Game Over Productions Inc., Christopher's game development journey began with Sony PlayStation's Net Yaroze. His exposure to Latin American business development along with his passion for the video game industry led him to establish a production company focused on persistence and resilience. Never be Game Over™

Dr. Dave Ranyard is a distinguished entrepreneur and innovator in the field of interactive entertainment, with a career spanning over two decades. He is the founder and CEO of Dream Reality Interactive, a cutting-edge development company specializing in creating games across multiple platforms from mobile to XR. Additionally, Dave is the Chair of award-winning narrative game studio, Interior Night, and advisor to several companies including Zenos Technology, Singer Studios, and Meeple Corp. Prior to founding DRi, he served as the Head of Sony Playstation's flagship studio in London, where he led groundbreaking projects in the gaming industry. Dave's passion for creativity and entertainment has been a driving force throughout his career. In his earlier years, he left school to start his own vintage business and was later signed to Warner Music Group, gaining valuable skills that he has seamlessly incorporated into the art of game development. His diverse background and multidisciplinary approach have resulted in unique and innovative projects that have made a significant impact in the gaming industry. In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Dave holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, showcasing his deep knowledge and understanding of new technologies. His achievements and contributions in the field of interactive entertainment have earned him a reputation as a thought leader in the games and tech industries. His visionary leadership and dedication to innovation continue to shape the landscape of interactive entertainment, driving the industry forward into exciting new frontiers.

Joshua Rubin is an Interactive Emmy-winning veteran of the entertainment industry, best known as a Lead Writer for video games such as Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2, Bungie's Destiny, Telltale's Game of Thrones and Walking Dead, and People Can Fly's Outriders. He was recently a Narrative Director for Techland's Dying Light franchise. He won the Emmy in 2022 for Netflix's branching TV series: You vs. Wild: Out Cold. Rubin has been a pioneer in the XR and Immersive space, constantly exploring the frontiers of narrative and future tech, since his 360˚ sci-fi film The Argos File premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won Best Live Action Experience at the VRLA Proto Awards in 2017. He was Narrative Director for Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son, Sony's VR sequel to the classic Bill Murray film, and Asset 15, an innovative AR thriller from director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity). He recently wrote Netflix's Black Mirror location-based VR experience, and is leading the creation of two new LBVR experiences for Felix & Paul. He is the founder of Strange Land Comics and he regularly speaks on the future of immersive storytelling at conferences like SXSW, AWE and San Diego Comic Con. Most recently, Rubin was the Narrative Director for Orion Drift, the new massively multiplayer VR game from the creators of Gorilla Tag, the first $100million VR game.

Brian Schmidt is one of the early pioneers of the game audio industry. The 2008 recipient of the Game Audio Network Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award, and 2017 inductee into the Pinball Expo Hall of Fame, Brian has been creating game music, sounds and cutting-edge technology for more than 35 years. With a credit list of over 140 games and a client list including Electronic Arts, Zynga, Microsoft, Sony, Capcom, Sega, Data East, Namco and many others. Brian has used his combined expertise and experience in music composition, sound design and his deep technical knowledge to further the state of the art in game audio and his music has been featured in TV, Film and in the CD-set, Legends of Game Music. Brian began his career in game audio in 1987 as a composer, sound effects designer and music programmer for Williams Electronic Games in Chicago - writing music and creating sound effects for pinball machines and coin-operated video games. While there, he was the primary composer of the iconic video game NARC and lead composer and audio lead for Black Knight 2000. His main theme from NARC was later recorded and released by The Pixies. In 1989, Brian left Williams and became one of the industry's first independent game composers, where he worked on such games as John Madden Football, the Desert Strike Series, Mutant League Football and the award-winning Crueball. Other credits include Guns and Roses Pinball, where he worked closely with Slash to create a truly interactive Rock and Roll game experience. In 1998, Brian was recruited by Microsoft to lead the direction of game audio technologies. While there, he joined the then-fledgling Xbox organization as the primary architect for its audio and music system. Brian has been credited with bringing Dolby Digital Surround Sound to interactive gaming through his efforts at Xbox (where he also created the original Xbox startup sound).Through his ten-year tenure at Microsoft, Brian continued to drive and advance game audio technologies through tools such the award-winning XACT (Xbox Audio Creation Tool); the first-of-its kind tool to provide interactive mixing for video games. Brian was also responsible for the overall audio system of the Xbox 360 game system, including the XMA audio compression format, winner of the G.A.N.G Best New Technology award and finalist in IGDA's Best new technology category. Brian currently works as a consultant to the video game industry working with companies large and small. Brian is the creator of GameSoundCon, the industry's largest conference dedicated to composing video game music and video game sound design. Brian is a frequent and in-demand speaker on game audio and game audio technologies, having given literally hundreds of educational and inspirational talks at events all over the world. Events such as the Game Developers Conference, Microsoft's Gamefest, Sega Devcon, and the Audio Engineering Society Conference, SiGraph and esteemed institutions such as Yale University, Northwestern University and Digipen have invited Brian to share his knowledge and insight into the industry. Brian received undergraduate degrees in music and computer science from Northwestern University in1985, where he created the first dual degree program between the School of Music and the Technological Institute. He went on to complete his Masters in Computer Applications in Music in 1987, where portions of his thesis work was published in the prestigious Computer Music Journal and presented by invitation to the AES special conference on Audio Technology. Brian currently serves as President of the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), a position he was elected to in 2012; sits on the advisory board of the Game Developer Conference; is a former steering committee member of the Interactive Audio Special Interest Group (ia-sig) of the MMA; and has been a featured keynote speaker at GDC, Project BBQ and the Montreal Interactive Games Summit (MIGS).

Ben Books Schwartz is a highly nomadic narrative designer and game writer based in LA. Their work history includes games of all kinds, ranging from mobile to indie to AAA. They launched their game career with the breakout mobile narrative title Lifeline, and since then have gone on to work for companies including Studio Drydock, Sony Santa Monica, Possibility Space, CD Projekt, Ubisoft, and Microfun. Before that they spent a decade as a professional larp designer and organizer, running larp summer camps for kids and teens and weekend long destination larps for adults in places like Polish castles.

Muneki Shimada is the Vice President of the Developer Technology Group at Sony Interactive Entertainment (aka PlayStation), where he focuses on solving the toughest technology and operational challenges in game development. In his role at PlayStation, Muneki works closely with every type game developer — from the smallest Indie studios to the largest AAA developers — across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. He is based in San Mateo, California.

Dr. Dante Simpson is an acclaimed award-winning Marketing Executive and serial entrepreneur. Simpson is currently the Co-founder and CEO of ESPAT TV, a premium gaming content agency and studio. ESPAT TV is a collaborative, comprised of industry leading production studios, led by Ridley Scott Creative Group and PRG, alongside the talented creatives of Zoic Studios, Petrol, Elite Edge Productions, The Famous Group & Disney’s InWorld. Since ESPAT Studios’ inception, in 2019, its collective has been a part of the gaming cultures most recognizable moments, including development and production of unforgettable immersive experiences (Travis Scott|Fortnite, Lil Nas X|Roblox, Post Malone|Pokemon, Ariana Grande|Rift Tour, etc.), NFL’s mixed-reality activation with Nickelodeon for the 2024 Super Bowl, the award-winning introduction of Balenciaga in the Fortnite metaverse (Grand Clio Award), and trailers and programming for the world’s most recognizable gaming titles.   Previously, Simpson served as the Sr. Vice President of North American Business Development for SonyBMG Music Entertainment, where he led efforts for business development, growth, and campaigning. During his tenure, Simpson developed the division’s strategies into a highly successful revenue-generating business. Prior to SonyBMG, Simpson established himself as an industry leader while serving as Vice President of Business Design and Development for The Gucci Group where he implemented one of the most successful multi-channel marketing campaigns in the high-fashion industry, under the leadership of Creative Director Tom Ford.   Simpson has overseen the rapid growth and expansion of organizations, as well as providing consultation to companies globally. His diverse body of work spans global gaming interests, branded entities, and high-profile influencers - both on content/technical production and campaign matters. Most recently, as co-Producer of CALL OF DUTY: THE FILM, ESPAT channels the high-octane energy and cinematic intensity that have defined a generation of blockbuster storytelling. Under the banner of ESPAT Studios, Simpson leads the creative and production vision for one of the most ambitious game-to-film adaptations ever mounted—where authenticity meets adrenaline. Merging the immersive realism of the legendary video game franchise with large-scale filmmaking, Paramount, Skydance & Activision have positioned CALL OF DUTY as a global entertainment event designed to ignite audiences across film, gaming, and streaming platforms.   Earning a formidable reputation as a trailblazing marketing executive and change-agent in various spaces, coupled with his success at The Gucci Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, and boutique agency DSA Media Group (Associated Press, Sprite, Body Armor, Sony Pictures, Tulum Board of Tourism, iHeart Radio Music Fest, Bud Light and more), Simpson has been referred to as one of the most effective “behind-the-scenes” marketers/builders (according to AdWeek).    Simpson is currently a board member of MMCA (Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association), recipient of the TNJ 40 Under 40, Effie Award winner, Clio Award winner, Billboard “Executives To Watch, Cannes Lions Digital Craft Grand Prix, and Webby Award winner (Super Bowl).   Simpson received his Bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University, Master’s degree with cum laude distinction from New York University, and in 2023 received an Honorary Doctorate from Texas Christian University’s Harvest School. Continuing his accolades of 2023, Simpson received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by President Joseph R. Biden, in a ceremony on Capitol Hill.   Born in Rochester (NY) and raised in Atlanta (GA), Dr. Simpson currently resides in New Jersey.

Steve started off about 20 years ago writing renderers for graphics engines, before hoping into Sony's ATG helping with platform technology on PSVita and PS4. He joined AMD in 2016, where - among other things - he led development of FidelityFX and worked on GPU hardware. Since 2024 he has been at Intel.

Andreas Ullmann leads PC operations at Denuvo by Irdeto, having been with the team since its 2014 inception. Previously at Sony, he specialized in copy protection. Throughout his tenure, he has driven innovation in anti-piracy, anti-cheat and security, ensuring Denuvo remains a leader in protecting PC games from threats.

Dana Ware is the Founder and CEO of Hidden Realities, an immersive storytelling studio creating interactive worlds that blend physical environments with augmented and mixed reality. Her work focuses on transforming everyday spaces into living story worlds where audiences become active participants rather than passive viewers.

A pioneer in large-scale spatial entertainment, Dana has architected stadium-scale augmented reality platforms capable of synchronizing tens of thousands of participants in real time. Turning live sports and entertainment venues into shared digital experiences layered seamlessly over the physical world.

Previously, Dana served as Creative Director at The VOID, where she helped define the emerging field of location-based virtual reality. She led multidisciplinary teams developing premium immersive experiences in collaboration with global studios including Disney, ILMxLab, and Sony, integrating cinematic storytelling with real-time engines and spatial design.

In addition to leading Hidden Realities, Dana advises several XR startups on product vision, immersive systems design, and scalable creative strategy. Her work sits at the intersection of emerging technology, narrative design, and human connection, exploring how spatial computing can reshape how stories are experienced in the real world.

An internationally recognized Chicana director and advocate for inclusive innovation, Dana serves as Chair of the IGDA Women in Games+ Special Interest Group, a judge for the Webby Awards, and an Advisor to the Future Realities Summit at the Game Developers Conference, helping shape the future of immersive media through community leadership and mentorship. She is also a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Television Academy.

Martin de Ronde founded Guerrilla Games, overseeing the birth of the Killzone franchise and building the studio into a console powerhouse. After the sale of Guerrilla Games to Sony Computer Entertainment, Martin went on to found Vanguard Games, and shifted his focus to premium downloadable games. At Vanguard, Martin was the Game Director on 2 entries in the Halo franchise, amongst other titles. He then founded Force Field VR, which focused on high-end VR games, specializing in showcase titles for new Meta headsets. Force Field was acquired by Embracer group in 2021, after which it was renamed Vertigo Games. Here, Martin again fulfilled the role of Game Director, this time on Metro: Awakening. Martin is currently Creative Director at Vertigo Studios Amsterdam.

Tom van Dijck is a senior software engineer with over 26 years of experience in game engine, systems, and security development. At Embark Studios, he has spent the past two years working as an anti-cheat developer, leading security efforts on THE FINALS and ARC Raiders. His background spans low-level engine development, backend systems, and large-scale live games across PC and consoles, with prior roles at DICE, Blizzard, EA, and Sony.