Berlin, GERMANY – November 25th, 2017 – Casual Connect Europe 2017 will be held in Berlin, Germany, on February 7–9 by Casual Games Association, an international trade organization for the videogames industry. Over 2000 professionals from all parts of the gaming industry, including 170 high-class speakers will gather at the new location, the Station Berlin. Additionally over 120 developer teams will showcase their newest projects at the Indie Prize Showcase as part of the conference.
“We are thrilled to be back in Germany again and hosting Casual Connect in Berlin this year,” says Jessica Tams, Managing Director of Casual Games Association. “Attendees can look forward to a packed schedule with speakers from all over the world as well as discovering the talent Europe has to offer.”
Casual Connect is a professional conference created to support the mass-market game community by gathering top developers, publishers, distributors and others involved in related industries for networking opportunities and useful lectures created by a board of industry members. Catch a look at the latest speakers at http://europe.casualconnect.org/content.html.
This year Casual Connect will offer nine different tracks in four lecture halls with 170 speakers. Among others, featured speakers include: Andrew Sheppard, CEO, Gree International Entertainment; Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO, CCP; Petri Ikonen, Creative Director, Electronic Arts; Baris Ozistek, CEO, Netmarble EMEA; Tommy Palm, CEO, Resolution Games; Stephen Jarrett, VP of Game Design, King; Clark Stacey, Co-Founder & CEO, Wildworks; Wilhelm Taht, Executive Vice President, Games, Rovio Entertainment; Ryan Chaply, Esports Program Manager, Twitch; Barbara Medvedieva, Product Owner, Murka; and Michael Fuller, VP Global Digital Business Development, Hasbro.
Industry Insights
In Industry Insights, attendees will learn the inner workings and new trends of the games industry from those who know it best. Among other topics, the creation of potent strategies with region specifics as well as global insights will be discussed.
Market Navigation
Conference attendees can gear up for new adventures in gaming with data from regional and worldwide problem-solvers, discover new routes to success and meet new partners who will help them get there with Market Navigation.
Next Gen:VR & AR
Mobile gaming set off explosive growth in the industry – and tech giants are betting on VR to reach even further. In Next- Gen: VR & AR, the audience will learn what next-gen game makers are doing to build critical mass for gaming’s next boom – and the investors who are interested in them.
Esports & Casino Track
In Esports & Casino, discover social casino insights from rising stars and explore the esports landscape with industry experts. Finally, see how skill-based games and esports are colliding with the casino industry from those who are bringing the two together.
Kids & Family
Developing games for all ages can be immensely rewarding but fraught with risk. Kids & Family will share lessons on how to successfully market and operate kids games without betraying parents’ trust or running afoul of data privacy laws. Growth Learn how to surpass limitations with a little help from new and established companies who are expanding – and understand the ins and outs of distribution, monetization, UA, and more – in Growth.
Data & Analytics
In Data & Analytics, industry experts will talk about methods used to gather and analyze data in order to gain a deeper understanding of player behavior, predict outcomes, drive customer engagement, increase revenue and optimize the gaming experience.
Design & Development
Making games is an art – one of the most technically demanding fields of art in existence. Design & Development will share insights on some of the best collisions between creativity and code.
Funding
The Funding track offers insights in how to team up with the right partners to successfully grow a development studio.
Showcases
The Indie Prize Showcase receives more than 1,000 game applications during the year. Developers from more than 50 countries have already submitted their games for the international Indie Prize scholarship and the organizers expect even
more.
Thirty judges will select the best 120 games that will be invited to Casual Connect to showcase the games at Indie Prize alongside with the world’s best indie developers. Further information on the Indie Prize Showcase can be found at http://www.indieprize.org. The full list of participants will be announced on Jan 9th, one month before the conference.
Besides Indie Prize showcase area with independent developers Casual Connect offers a Premium Dev Showcase for
established developers. More Information at http://europe.casualconnect.org/developers.html
Networking
Along with access to networking parties and educational lectures, Casual Connect attendees get access to the Pitch & Match meeting system. This system will allow attendees to make their own connections at Casual Connect. Indie developers are able to pitch to publishers about their games, publishers can connect to promising studios, and tools and
services companies will be able to find interested clients. http://casualconnect.org/emails/FAQ.html
And last – but not least: Parties
The ultimate combination of networking and fun: Casual Connect will offer three parties: The Badge Pick-Up Party and two official Casual Connect parties at the end of the first two conference days supported by official sponsors. These parties are free and only available to conference attendees. Featured Companies of Casual Connect Europe 2017 are Gree International Entertainment, CCP, Electronic Arts, Netmarble EMEA, Resolution Games, King, Wildworks, Rovio Entertainment, Twitch, Hasbro, Murka, FYBER, appodeal and MPARTICLE.
Attendee information:
Casual Connect Europe offers attendees a limited number of discounted rooms at the Crowne Plaza Berlin Hotel: click here.
About Indie Prize and Premium Dev Showcase
Indie Prize is a scholarship program for up and coming indie development teams who show promise to be future leaders in the games industry. Indie Prize offers participants an opportunity to learn and network with other indie game developers and showcase their games, skillsets, and ideas to publishers and potential partners. The Premium Developer Showcase is an upgraded option of Indie Prize for game developers who want to showcase their games in a larger space. The premium package includes two tickets, a premium listing with logo and a premium showcase location.
About Casual Connect
Launched in 2005, Casual Connect is hosted by Casual Games Association, bringing together the most talented and knowledgeable experts in the gaming field to further the industry with the best learning and networking opportunities for gaming professionals. In addition to Casual Connect Europe 2017, CGA will host Casual Connect Asia on May 16-18, 2017, as the 40th anniversary edition of Casual Connect, followed by Casual Connect USA on July 31 to August 2.
http://europe.casualconnect.org/joinus.html
About Casual Games Association
Casual Games Association is an international trade organization dedicated to promoting games and providing educational resources for the game development community. The association hosts annual conferences in North America, Europe, Asia and Tel Aviv; publishes the trade magazine gamesauce.biz; and issues research reports on the casual games industry. For more information about the association, visit http://www.cga.global. All lectures from past events can be watched at the official Casual Connect YouTube channel.
