Game Connection to expand with conference and master classes

This year's Game Connection event in France is to be held in Paris, with organisers adding conference and master classes to the popular 'speed-meeting' format.

Game Connection has previously been held twice yearly in Lyon and San Francisco, but this year organisers are expanding the format to better cover the evolving games business in a bid to become more valuable to the wider industry.

"After 10 years, we thought the event needed a change and instead of one, we made it two: the location and the extension of the concept," organiser Pierre Carde told GamesIndustry.biz.

"The new version of Game Connection Europe keeps focusing on three days of intensive business designed for CEOs, VCs, business devs and acquisition managers, but will also offer conferences, workshops and master classes for professionals eager to learn, share and connect with peers.

"Two things have remained consistent about Game Connection, whether in Europe or in America, throughout the past 10 years: We are committed to delivering a quality event that draws top industry people, and we create new offerings and experiences at every event to offer what the current and ever changing market demands."

Taking place December 6-8, the event is adding more than 50 master classes offering "a real focus on training", according to Carde.

"For the first time at Game Connection Europe, conferences and master classes will enhance the show to reflect the changing industry and meet all developer and publisher needs. The event has evolved from being developers business-centric to a complete market and conference event serving all the needs of game makers," added Carde.

"The market has changed dramatically over the last three years. The industry is harder to read today, particularly since the emergence of new distribution platforms and the surge of new business models via social networks, digital distribution on mobile phones and online. The market is way more fragmented. Concurrently, these new businesses don't turn their backs on the retail market which is still mainly where the money is.

He continued: "Faced with these challenges, Game Connection has adapted, contributed to rebuilding the industry on new foundations, and taken new business models into account. All segments of the market are covered with more and more industry players sending several teams to the event to address all expectations of this new industry. The industry is now full of niches. We serve them all because each of them is important."

More details on December's Game Connection will be released over the coming months.