The workshop will focus on these topics: Publishing Contracts and Commercial Game Design. 4 experts in these fields will share their expertise with an initial keynote, answer questions and evaluate each project case by case in a more hands-on approach. This is why we encourage you to bring your contract, project and specific concerns to the workshop.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided in the breaks between each part.
Part 1 – Contracts and Publisher Partnerships vs Self-publishing (Philipp Karstaedt and Felix Hilgers)
(20-minute keynote & Q&A + 90-minute workshop)
We will look at common terms and conditions in contracts, what to expect and what to be cautious of, as well as glance into the benefits and disadvantages of self-publishing.
Part 2 – Commercial Game Design (Martine Spaans and Boris Heißerer)
(20-minute keynote & Q&A + 90-minute workshop)
We will look at how to design a mobile game with a strong focus on Usability, Retention and Monetization.
We encourage attendees to bring their own contracts, game builds, prototypes and specific concerns, as the mentors will evaluate the projects and help the teams case by case.
The Speakers
Martine Spaans
Martine Spaans started her career in online gaming over a decade ago and has worked for well-known companies like Spil Games and Ubisoft before setting up her own Mobile Publishing company. She has worked with more than 1000 developers and has taught herself a good understanding of gamers’ needs. She’s become an expert in the field of game design for women, and Hidden Object, Match-3, Time Management and Simulation games in particular. She has now her own company and runs F2P Publishing label Tamalaki.com. In cooperation with partner FGL.com they published more than 100 games. Their portfolio consists of games mainly appealing to an audience of women 40+ in Europe and in the US.
Philipp Karstaedt
Philipp has been in the gaming industry for close to a decade, most of it on the publishing side. He worked for Aeria Games in Berlin and Santa Clara and was most recently General Manager for GREE in Europe, responsible for publishing operations of mobile games and sourcing publishing opportunities in European territories. His areas of expertise in publishing include game launches, live operations, monetisation, user acquisition and analytics. Philipp is currently COO and Co-Founder of META Games, a Berlin-based development studio, having decided that actually making a game at some point is the best way to gain insight into the development world from a publisher’s perspective.
Felix Hilgers
Felix Hilgert advises on IT and e-commerce law, on software contracts and on all aspects of interactive entertainment, including youth protection and consumer law compliance. In particular, he provides comprehensive legal advice regarding the content and distribution of entertainment products for the German market. Felix joined Osborne Clarke in 2011. He has also studied and worked in Paris, San Francisco, Vancouver and Toronto. Felix regularly publishes on youth protection, interactive entertainment and IT law, including on the specialized blog gameslaw.org.
Boris Conrad Heisserer
For over 7 years now, Boris has worked as Game Designer for F2P mobile games, ranging from hybrid casual to hardcore. While working with well-known mobile games companies like Rovio and Pixonic, he has developed his expertise in games as a service and live operations. As lead game designer for Berlin-based games studio Kolibri Games, he shares his knowledge and skill set with fellow game and UX designers.