Northern Exposure developers conference announced

A new conference for the UK development industry has been announced for May, with leading figures from Eidos, Revolution, Introversion and IGA Worldwide all confirmed as speakers.

Northern Exposure 07 will look at emerging opportunities for the UK industry, including Xbox Live Arcade, casual games, direct distribution and in-game advertising. The one day event also promises panel discussions on the future of games publishing and other opportunities.

"Northern Exposure 07 will give the UK's games community an unmissable chance to find out how they can take advantage of emerging opportunities in the industry from the people and the companies who are already doing it successfully," commented Nina Cliff of Codeworks GameHorizon, organisers of the event.

"Spiralling development costs and team sizes in recent years have increased the pressures on studios and threatened their creative ethos," she added.

"Northern Exposure 07 will investigate how — through new business models and platforms — developers can retain that characteristic sense of imagination and still make a profit."

Other firms confirmed for the event include Mumbo Jumbo, Eutechnyx, Team 17, Blast Entertainment, TIGA and Carbon Imagineering.

"As the game market becomes ever more hit-driven and the budgets needed to develop these hits escalate, the market will split between epic games that sell at full price to hardcore gamers, and lower price games that appeal to a much broader and potentially much larger audience," commented Charles Cecil, founder of Revolution Software.

"The wider audience, made up of both core and casual gamers, is growing rapidly due to a widening age demographic, digital distribution opportunities and a lower price point. Northern Exposure 07 concentrates on these emerging markets."

Northern Exposure 07 takes place at York Racecourse, May 10. More details can be found at northernexpo.co.uk