In one week I'll be in Seattle at PAX. Will you be there too? If so, you could attend not one but two panels hosted by Kotaku. You already know about the first one. The second is more serious.
The details:
Sunday, 2:00 PM - 3:00PM, Serpent Theatre
Can Publishers Add Value for Indie Developers?The launch of Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network came with the promise of a true democratization of access for indie developers. Third party publishers would no longer filter indies' access to the marketplace, they would go direct to gamers. However, success can be limited in this brave new world, as each first party seeks to lock exclusives and share scarce marketing dollars among a hundred titles per year. Is it time for publishers to step back in? Besides funding, what else can they offer? In this panel, a leading game journalist asks a panel of indie developers and a publisher what options open up in this approach, what trade-offs exist, and what the future landscape looks like.
Panelists include: Stephen Totilo [Kotaku], Bob Berry [CEO, Uber Entertainment], Jeff Agala [Creative Director, Klei Entertainment], Michael Wilford [CEO, Twisted Pixel], Ian Wilkinson [CEO, Hothead Games], Jamil Moledina [Business Director, EA]
Let's see if we can get an answer, shall we? Maybe these fine folks will even tell us about their next games, but no promises. I am just the moderator.
Look for Kotaku's PAX 2010 coverage from Seattle next week, starting Friday September 3 and running throughout the weekend.