GamesBeat Engage: Austin

​GamesBeat Engage is an intimate debate series bringing together leaders from across the video game industry for candid conversations about the forces shaping the future of games.

​At GamesBeat Engage’s debate in Austin, leaders across the mobile gaming ecosystem will examine the realities of operating games as ongoing services. From monetization models to player retention strategies, the discussion will explore whether the live service formula is evolving or overdue for reinvention.

​Live service games transformed the industry, turning launches into long-term relationships between developers and players. But the model is reaching a crossroads.

​As development costs rise, player expectations evolve, and retention becomes harder to sustain, studios are asking tough questions: Is the live service model still the most sustainable path for mobile games? Are battle passes, seasonal content, and constant updates creating lasting engagement or player fatigue?

​Who Should Attend?

​This event will bring together mobile game developers, live operations leaders, product managers, and monetization specialists focused on running and growing live service games. Attendees will primarily include studio founders, game directors, analytics leaders, and live ops teams responsible for player engagement, retention, and long-term game performance.

​Speakers

​Agenda

• ​4:00 PM: Doors Open & Networking

• ​4:55 PM: Opening Remarks

• ​5:00 PM: Debate #1: Has the live service model made games better, or just longer?

  • ​The live service model has shifted game makers’ focus toward an ongoing seasonal model rather than a finite, fine-tuned experience. Does the live service model create more opportunities for developers to evolve their vision, or has it narrowed the industry’s creative ambitions?

  • ​Speakers

    • ​Warren Spector, Co-founder & CCO, OtherSide Entertainment

    • ​Jack Emmert, CEO, Cryptic Studios

    • ​MODERATOR: Alexander Lee, Lead News Writer, GamesBeat

• ​5:15 PM: Debate #2: Do large and small studios need to approach live service differently?

  • ​Running a successful live ops title requires continuous content, analytics, and community management — but game makers are able to execute on these needs in vastly divergent ways. In this discussion, representatives from larger and smaller game studios and publishers will discuss the unique strengths of their positioning when it comes to making live service games, from the infrastructural benefits of working within a large company to the creative efficiency of smaller teams.

  • ​Speakers

    • ​Shmuel Ben-Meleh, SVP of Data & Analytics, SciPlay

    • ​Andrew Ice, SVP, Games, Zynga

    • ​MODERATOR: Anthony Mendoza, Xsolla
      
      

• ​5:30 PM: Featured Speaker: ​​Protecting developers from business pressures: Lessons from the heyday of Blizzard

  • ​In this session, former Blizzard chief operating officer Paul Sams will take a retrospective look at the glory days of the legendary game company. He will focus on the importance of creating an intentional firewall between game developers' creative needs and ambitions and the business pressures of the broader company. This talk will build on the interest around Jeff Kaplan's recent viral interview about the history of Activision Blizzard, providing Sams' insider take on the importance of the developer–business divide, as well as how he applies this lesson in his current role as COO of Certain Affinity.

  • ​Speakers

    • ​Paul Sams, COO, Certain Affinity

    • ​MODERATOR: Alexander Lee, Lead News Writer, GamesBeat

• ​6:00 PM: Closing Remarks

• ​6:05 PM: Open Networking

• ​7:00 PM: Event Concludes