Highlights:
* devcom Developer Conference 2024 recently kicked off in Cologne, Germany.
* Four indie games were honored at Gamescom’s official game developer conference.
* devcom also revealed the speaker survey results at the conference.
Ahead of this year’s Gamescom, the two-day official game developer conference has also kicked off in Cologne, Germany. On Sunday, August 18, 2024, devcom Developer Conference 2024 opened with the “with the prestigious Speaker & VIP Networking Dinner at historic Wolkenburg.” The event also had the Indie Awards segment where four standout independent games were honored. Besides the devcom Indie Awards, the speaker survey results were also revealed during the conference.
Indie Awards At devcom Developer Conference 2024 Honored Four Standout Independent Games
At devcom Developer Conference 2024, as many as 35 projects were picked from over 270 submissions to showcase. 20 of the selected entries were showcased onsite, while 15 via the virtual expo of the conference. During the Indie Awards, the games were honored across the four following categories:
Mobile Marvels
- Winner – Dungeons of Dreadrock, The Dead King’s Secret – Christoph Minnameier, Germany
- Potion Punch Rivals – Monstronauts Inc., Philippines
- The Horticulturists – Idun Studio, Denmark
Creative Overkill
- Winner – SWAP/MEAT – One More Game, USA
- Pieced Together – Glowfrog Games, UK
- The Midnight Crimes – DeadlyCrow Games, Chile
Graphics Galore
- Winner – Bahamut and the Waqwaq Tree – Starvania, Saudi Arabia
- Replaceable – THE PACK, Belgium
- Nightmare Circus – Fair Play Studios, Thailand
Blockbuster
- Winner – Zombie Rollerz: The Last Ship – Zing Games Inc., USA
- Holiday Party – Namson Digital, Thailand
- Cozy Dungeons – Them Handsome Fellas, Chile
devcom Developer Conference 2024 Showcased Speaker Survey Results
Based on the insights from 100 distinguished speakers, devcom had conducted a survey cornering different topics like industry layoffs, financial viability of AAA games, role of AI in game development, and more. During the devcom Developer Conference 2024, the following speaker survey results were also revealed:
- Best Use Cases for AI in Game Development – As per the results, as many as 31% favored minimal use of AI. At the same time, 21% showed interest in using AI for code and production, with another 18% even preferring it for marketing. Based on the results, devcom predicted that artificial intelligence “could replace human translations/localizations within the next 12-24 months.”
- Preferred Business Models for Games – Digital and physical premium games were picked as the most preferred business models by as many as 65% respondents. On the other hand, the free-to-play model with ads was the most unpopular option, fetching just one vote.
- Top Challenges Facing the Game Development Industry – Two of the biggest challenges revealed at devcom Developer Conference 2024 were market saturation (55%) and the increasing development costs (46%).
- Financial Viability of AAA Games – As many as 89% respondents believed that buy-to-play model is the only way for AAA games to be financially successful. Apart from that, 81% considered cross-platform play as essential future multiplayer titles.
- Relevance of 1st Party Platforms – Despite the rise of subscription models, a majority of 62% participants believed that 1st party platforms will not become irrelevant.
In addition to the above-mentioned topics, the industry layoffs was also among the subjects. Based on the devcom Developer Conference 2024 speaker survey results 57% participants believed that the layoffs will continue at the same pace or even accelerate over the next 12 months. On the contrary, 43% suggested that the layoffs will decrease and employment opportunities will rise over the next one year.
The current edition of devcom Developer Conference is still going and will conclude on August 20, 2024. After its conclusion Gamescom will begin from August 21, 2024.
