WELCOME TO SCREEN PLAY

Screen Play is the London Games Festival’s conference on the expanding relationship between games and other entertainment industries. We are happy to name its first wave of key international speakers:

Inside The Story Kitchen  (13:15)

Story Kitchen co-founders Dmitri M Johnson and Mike Goldberg will open the event with a keynote discussion on connecting the worlds of games, film, and television. Story Kitchen is one of the production companies behind the blockbuster adaptation of SEGA’s SONIC THE HEDGEHOG -now a $1bn film franchise- and is also working on bringing forward new adaptations of Square Enix’s JUST CAUSE for Universal,  Additionally, Story Kitchen has a Television first-look deal at Amazon MGM Studios as well as an Animated Film first-look deal at DreamWorks Animation. Joining Story Kitchen is Crystal Dynamics. The conversation will be moderated by leading entertainment lawyer Simon Pulman of New York-based Pryor Cashman.

From screen to game: adapting IP’s for interactive (13:50)

Amanda Kruse, Head of Business Development at new label Big Fan Games, part of Devolver Digital, will lead a panel that discusses how developers can successfully adapt entertainment IPs into interactive experiences. Other panellists include Cyrille Imbert, CEO of Dotemu, which has worked on a number of acclaimed game revivals including STREETS OF RAGE 4 and TMNT: SHREDDER’S REVENGE and Joel Bylos, Chief Creative Officer at Funcom who are working on the Open World Survival MMO, Dune: Awakening.

Building IPs With Games: 10 Most Common Mistakes (14:10)

Christian Fonnesbech, CEO & Head of IP Development at Leverage, will lead a talk on how to build a lasting IP that goes beyond just one game. Christian, will share key strategies, common blockers, and real-world experiences from working with Bandai Namco, Plaion, Sharkmob, Raw Fury, and more. With a background spanning 35+ game projects and leadership roles at Nordisk Games (Egmont) and Interactive Media Arts, Christian brings invaluable insight into developing IPs that endure.

The BAFTA Panel: The Future of Narrative in Film, Games and TV (14:50)

This panel sees BAFTA convene experts across games, film, TV and even theatre to discuss narrative and storytelling craft. Panellists include Kate Saxon, BAFTA winning freelance director of theatre, film, television and video games; Steve Goss, Chief Creative Officer, Supermassive Games; and Charu Desodt, Studio Head, Interior/Night – with the discussion moderated by Elle Osili-Wood, an award-winning TV & radio presenter, BAFTA Breakthrough and previous BAFTA Games Awards.

Power Play: how screen institutions are embracing games (15:30)

Join a discussion on how institutions are shaping the future of games with Anna Mansi, Director of Video Games & Certification at the British Film Institute, who leads on Video Games Expenditure Credits, Daphné Lora Head of Film France & Game France at CNC, responsible for promoting France’s creative industries, Dr. Anna Sarah Vielhaber Head of New Media for Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and Adrian Wootton OBE, CEO of Film London the agency charged with developing the screen industries in the capital.

Closing Keynote: Playstation Productions (16:00)

London Games Festival director Michael French will interview Carter Swan, Executive Producer of productions such as The Last of Us, Uncharted, Gran Turismo and Tohru Iokibe, Sony Pictures’ Senior Vice President of IP Acceleration, about how PlayStation’s game worlds are being brought to life on film and television screens. With experience across Hollywood and games, Carter and Tohru will offer insight into adapting titles for new audiences and what the future holds for popular PlayStation IPs.