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March 9-13, 2026
Moscone CenterSan Francisco, CA

Agenda

Evolution of Game Development: Making Games Locally with Global Teams (Presented by Virtuos)

Dennis Cooper  (Regional Director, North America, Virtuos)
John Doyle  (Vice President & Head of Production, PlayStation Studios)
Jason RM Smith  (Founder, Game Caviar)
Kay Arutyunyan  (General Manager, CounterPunch - A Virtuos Studio)
Lindsay Gupton  (CEO, Pipeworks - A Virtuos Studio)
Location: Room 3009, West Hall
Date: Thursday, March 12
Time: 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Pass Type: Festival Pass, Game Changer Pass - Get your pass now!
Audience Level: All
Track: Production
Vault Recording: Video
Audience Level: All
VIRTUOS

As production scales and creative ambitions rise, North American studios increasingly rely on global talent to accelerate development, reduce risk, and expand creative capacity. This panel explores how Virtuos and Pipeworks leverage distributed teams across Asia and Europe to empower local studios and deliver higher-quality AAA content.

Through real-world case studies, we will break down how co-development has evolved from a linear outsourcing workflow into an integrated, multi-studio creative model. This session will discuss the cultural, technical, and organizational shifts required to make globally distributed development not just efficient, but truly collaborative. Topics include: establishing shared ownership across time zones, aligning pipelines and tools, ensuring quality and consistency at scale, and fostering long-term trust between teams.

Takeaway

Attendees will gain a transparent view of what global collaboration really looks like today, and how studios can build resilient, cross-regional partnerships that support innovation, stability, and creative excellence. As our industry continues to globalize, understanding how to harness worldwide talent will be essential to the future of game making.

Intended Audience

All