This year’s event runs from September 2nd-5th in Vancouver, Canada and the Keywords team of experts will be there to discuss your business goals and requirements and to share our range of globally available development support services.
Book a meeting using the form below to chat to our team!
Our Talks:
XDS ECO MEET-UP – DESIGNING FOR A COOLER PLANET
Thursday, September 4, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm, Fairview Patio
🔹Nigel A. Franks, Studio Director of Production at Snowed In Studios, a Keywords Studio
🔹Elliot Stevens, Director of Business Development at VOLTA, a Keywords Studio
🔹Chuck Byas, Studio Operations Director at Liquid Development, a Keywords Studio
Join Sankari Studios, the team behind Katoa: Oceans – a beautifully crafted environmental stewardship game – for a casual and inspiring gathering on sustainability in game development. Built in partnership with Snowed In Studios, Volta and Liquid Development, Katoa: Oceans is much more than a visual delight. Players reaching thresholds in the game trigger funding for real-world environmental NGOs, living up to the game’s tagline: Play the game, save the world.
Led by Sankari’s Chief Creative Officer and co-founder, Christian Rossi, this 20-minute conversational-style panel will dive into how multiple studios built sustainability into their creative and production pipelines, including eco-conscious design choices, support for remote work and carbon-aware partnerships. Joining this chat are the development partners that helped build Katoa: Oceans from Snowed In Studios, Liquid Development, Volta and Keywords Studios, sharing how game making can be a tool for environmental good.
TABLE-TOPIC: From Artist to Salesperson: Turning Non-BD Staff into Your Secret Weapon
Tuesday, September 2, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm and again at 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm, Ballroom B+C
🔹Travis Gibson, Senior Business Development Manager at Snowed In Studios
Biz Dev isn’t just for “BD’s.” In External Development, it’s often the artists, designers, producers, and engineers who make the strongest connections as they’re the ones in the trenches. This table topic explores how to empower you – or your non-BD team members – to speak to value, spot opportunity, and build trust, without ever feeling like they’re “selling.” Learn how to turn you or your team’s unique skills and attributes into a business development asset while keeping authentic to their craft.
This session is perfect for Studio Leadership, and Biz Dev accountable roles, who want to grow their partnerships without burning out their talent. Also, extremely beneficial for Non-BD roles to learn how they’re already their team’s X Factor. Whether you’re a Service Provider or a Developer/Publisher, join this session to learn how to use your inner secret weapon to grow your influence, embolden your studio representation, and add additional value in securing new partners.
TABLE-TOPIC: “Time Well Spent” : Leading Through Clarity to Unlock Efficiency
Friday, September 5, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm and again at 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm, Ballroom B+C
🔹Jacqueline Clarke, Production Director at KWM, a Keywords Studio
Leaders who invest time to interrogate language, unlock the highest levels of efficiency.
We will dismantle the myth that productivity comes from new tools or tighter pipelines; projects slip because teams assume words like “high quality,” “final,” and even “shared vision” mean the same thing to everyone. These buzzwords mask hidden gaps that waste more time than any broken tool, and the fastest route to efficiency is pausing early to define those terms together.
Participants will probe real examples where clarity – or the lack of it – made or broke delivery. In a guided discussion, we’ll surface the language traps that derail projects and spotlight people first tactics that consistently keep work on track.
In this table topic, participants will be able to spot risky buzzwords, ask sharper questions, and champion shared language as their highest return productivity tool within any external development pipeline.