Day 1 - Tuesday 29th April, 2025

Main Day 1 of Live Service Gaming

Morning Plenary Sessions

7:30 am - 8:25 am Registration and Morning Networking


8:25 am - 8:30 am Opening Remarks

  • Operating live games to exceed player expectations with a strong product roadmap, including high-quality content cadence, data-driven evolution, and monetization strategies for long-term growth.
  • Building thriving, engaged communities to sustain success while broadening audiences through cross-play, community involvement, and player creativity.
  • Managing cross-platform ecosystems with tailored strategies for PC, console, and mobile to enhance gameplay experiences.
  • Ensuring effective team resourcing, with senior leadership playing a pivotal role in supporting live operations and cross-platform scalability.
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Andréane Meunier

Live Services Studio Operations Principal Lead - Playstation Studios
Sony Interactive Entertainment

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Dave Bisceglia

Vice President, Product
Scopely

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Elizabeth Brownsen

Senior Director Of Operations, Game Production
Riot Games

9:00 am - 9:30 am Presentation - Lessons from Running Live Operations for the Industry's Biggest Brands (Halo, League of Legends, and Call of Duty)

Adam Gold - Director of Production, Infinity Ward
  • Getting it right on launch day
  • Designing a game for sustainability
  • Delivering a live game across multiple platforms 
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Adam Gold

Director of Production
Infinity Ward

In this fireside chat Jonathan and Elizabeth will dive into the genres, besides traditional MMORPGs, that are shaping fresh, player-centric live games. They’ll then detail other strategies for standing out in a saturated market such as both shifting group player interest between games in your studio’s portfolio and attracting players from outside your ecosystem. Attendees will walk away with a further understanding of:

  • What live service games look like today and how they’re evolving
  • The importance of collecting and interpreting the right player data to refine internal and external acquisitions strategies – targeting both individual players and larger in-game communities
  • How to gain momentum and build a player network within new live games, when players are already invested and socially connected in other titles
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Jonathan Lander

Former Senior Vice President, Global Product and Publishing Operations
Bethesda Softworks

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Elizabeth Howard

Former Vice President of Production
Bungie

10:00 am - 10:30 am Morning Coffee Break


Morning Stream Sessions

Stream A - Scalable Game Infrastructure

10:30 am - 10:35 am Chair Remarks
Ben Wibberley - Games Industry Executive, DAQA
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Ben Wibberley

Games Industry Executive
DAQA

  • Gaming Backend Platforms: Exploring how robust backend solutions enable the seamless development and delivery of new live service games.
  • Architecting for Scale: Designing scalable systems to ensure stability and performance from initial launch to long-term success.
  • Maintaining Stability During Player Surges: Best practices for managing unpredictable spikes in player activity while maintaining seamless gameplay.
  • Cloud and Server Architecture: Leveraging cloud and server technologies to support competitive and large-scale gaming experiences.
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Luis Villegas

Head of Technology, Creative, and Services - PlayStation Studios CTO
PlayStation Studio Business Group

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Doug Mellencamp

Studio Director
Bethesda Game Studios Austin

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Trapper Markelz

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Beamable

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Sean Tracy

Senior Director - Tools and Tech Content
Cloud Imperium Games

Stream A - Scalable Game Infrastructure

11:10 am - 11:40 am Panel Discussion - Creating Resilient Infrastructure for Live Service Game Operations
Max Stewart - Director, Software Engineering - Live and Game Operations, Riot Games
Sigtryggur Sigurdsson - Head of Resilience, Scopely
  • Strengthening Operational Resilience and Observability: Integrating SRE practices, end-to-end observability, and robust incident response processes to enhance system reliability, automate recovery, and safeguard the player experience.
  • Aligning Infrastructure and Availability Goals: Evaluating cloud, on-premises, and hybrid solutions while defining shared availability KPIs across product and central tech teams to enable data-driven decisions and cohesive live operations.
  • Fostering a LiveOps Culture: Embedding resilience as a core principle, shifting organizational mindsets, and empowering cross-functional teams to prioritize reliability and operational excellence in game development and deployment.
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Max Stewart

Director, Software Engineering - Live and Game Operations
Riot Games

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Sigtryggur Sigurdsson

Head of Resilience
Scopely

Stream A - Scalable Game Infrastructure

11:45 am - 12:15 pm Presentation - Architecting Platforms for Live Games
Christopher Saunders - Head of Product, 2K Technology
  • Building a culture of trust and shared success as an unlock to live service innovation
  • Velocity as a fundamental attribute in live game development
  • Accelerating portfolio strategy by marrying backend product development to player-facing engagement outcomes
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Christopher Saunders

Head of Product
2K Technology

Stream A - Scalable Game Infrastructure

12:20 pm - 12:50 pm Content Is Not King - It's All About The Bugs
Ben Wibberley - Games Industry Executive, DAQA

Targeting operational Model Live Quality & Production Operations

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Ben Wibberley

Games Industry Executive
DAQA

Stream B - Live Service Game Production

10:30 am - 10:35 am Chair Remarks
Ankith Harathi - Co-Founder & CEO, Closing Theory Studios
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Ankith Harathi

Co-Founder & CEO
Closing Theory Studios

Stream B - Live Service Game Production

10:35 am - 11:05 am Presentation - Building a Successful Update Cadance on A Live Game
Rich Vogel - Founder & Studio Head, T-Minus Zero Entertainment

The update frequency of a live service game is crucial for maintaining player engagement. Rich Vogel, who has over 20 years of experience developing online games, will present best practices for establishing a successful content release schedule post-launch for GAAS on PCs and Consoles. The following topics will be discussed:

  1. It is both a game and a service - discussing infrastructure, team makeup, and best practices for transitioning from production to live operations.
  2. Managing the content treadmill: What is the best approach to developing content in a live service game?
  3. Designing online games is a contact sport. Learn how to filter player feedback and data analysis to provide engaging content that maintains a robust player base.

 

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Rich Vogel

Founder & Studio Head
T-Minus Zero Entertainment

Stream B - Live Service Game Production

11:10 am - 11:40 am Presentation - Where is the fun in modern Live Service models?
Donovan Kennedy - Design Director, Jackalyptic Games
  • Who are the customers, and what do they think is fun?
  • Battle Pass, love it, leave it, or evolve it?
  • How do we keep an engaging narrative across a long Live Service plan?
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Donovan Kennedy

Design Director
Jackalyptic Games

Want to turn casual players into die-hard fans? In live service games, engagement goes beyond just tracking the usual metrics, it’s about understanding what truly drives your players. “Fuelling Fandom” dives into real-world strategies for tapping into player support data, community engagement, and marketing to build loyalty, retention, and long-term fandom. 

 

In this session, you'll learn: 

 

  • How to make sense of audience data - going beyond stats to uncover player emotions, motivations, and behaviors that fuel engagement
  • The power of VIP engagement and community insights - and how to use them to build stronger player relationships and drive sustainable revenue
  • Why successful studios align marketing and player support to create exceptional player experiences that keeps them coming back 

 

Join player engagement experts from Keywords Studios, Jam City and Maglev Industries for a discussion packed with actionable strategies to turn players into passionate fans.

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Kaila Jarvis

Global Trust and Safety Advisor
Keyword Studios

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Jason Dauenhauer

Head of VIP Services
Keywords Studios

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Donald King

Director of Customer Support
Jam City

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Dave Mata

Head of Product
Maglev Industries

Stream B - Live Service Game Production

12:20 pm - 12:50 pm Panel Discussion - Building Live Service Games for Long-Term Player Value
Paw Larsen - Vice President of Product Management, Blizzard Entertainment
Maya Hofree - General Manager, Supercell
Stephen Jarrett - Senior Director of Product and Strategy, Second Dinner
  • Identify emerging trends, gaps in player experiences, and untapped niches to design live games that resonate deeply with evolving player expectations.
  • Production Direction: Develop comprehensive, long-term game plans that include robust content pipelines tailored for live service games, ensuring sustainability and adaptability over time.
  • Meeting Player Expectations: Align game products with evolving player desires, emphasizing continuous updates, innovation, and delivering experiences that resonate.
  • Designing for Longevity: Create replayable mechanics, evolving progression systems, and monetization models that enhance, rather than disrupt, gameplay.
  • Strategic Decision-Making: Utilize data-driven insights to synchronize development resources and live game management effectively, determining the best courses of action to maintain player satisfaction and game longevity.
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Paw Larsen

Vice President of Product Management
Blizzard Entertainment

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Maya Hofree

General Manager
Supercell

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Stephen Jarrett

Senior Director of Product and Strategy
Second Dinner

Networking Lunch

12:50 pm - 1:50 pm Lunch

Afternoon Stream Sessions

Stream A - Continuous Deployment Strategies for Live Service Games

1:50 pm - 1:55 pm Chair Remarks
Ben Wibberley - Games Industry Executive, DAQA


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Ben Wibberley

Games Industry Executive
DAQA

Stream A - Continuous Deployment Strategies for Live Service Games

1:55 pm - 2:25 pm Presentation - Game Tools as a Service: Supporting the Continuous Development of Live Service Products
Adam Hafez - Project Technical Director - Tools & Pipelines, ZeniMax Online Studios
  • Building and Maintaining Live Service Pipelines: Key considerations for designing and maintaining content pipelines and tools that support live service environments.
  • Tooling and Asset Management: Strategies for managing assets and developing tools with a live service mindset to ensure efficient workflows.
  • Stakeholder Collaboration and Impact: Understanding the roles of stakeholders in content development pipelines and their influence on the final product.
  • Adapting to Remote Work Challenges: Insights and strategies for supporting effective remote work in the context of live service product development.
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Adam Hafez

Project Technical Director - Tools & Pipelines
ZeniMax Online Studios

Stream A - Continuous Deployment Strategies for Live Service Games

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm Fireside Chat - Building a Scalable Data Pipeline for Live Game Operations & Player Retention
André Cohen - VP of Data Platform, Stillfront
  • Integrating Operational Reporting for Live Games: Explore how data engineering and analytics teams build reporting pipelines that provide actionable insights into player behavior, game health, and live operations.
  • Enhancing Decision-Making with Data-Driven Tools: Learn how advanced analytics, automation, and ML-driven insights (where applicable) can support game teams in optimizing player experiences, balancing economies, and improving retention.
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André Cohen

VP of Data Platform
Stillfront

Stream A - Continuous Deployment Strategies for Live Service Games

3:05 pm - 3:35 pm Presentation - Leveraging Data Services for Game Insight and Player Engagement
Alexander Ryabov - Head of Data Services, Business Intelligence, Wargaming.net
  • Brief overview of Wargaming data platform and evolution of the architecture of the 10 years.
  • What robust game data infrastructure supports real-time analytics, enabling teams to respond swiftly to player behavior and optimize in-game experiences.
  • The integration of player data to drive game evolution, shape content, and refine features, ensuring alignment with player needs and improving overall engagement.
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Alexander Ryabov

Head of Data Services, Business Intelligence
Wargaming.net

Stream A - Continuous Deployment Strategies for Live Service Games

3:40 pm - 4:10 pm Presentation - Reviving Live Games: Turning Decline into Growth
Pawan Gaargi - Chief Product Officer, Monumental
  • How to determine whether the game can get to growth
  • Identifying and tackling debt - tech debt, product debt, design debt and operational debt
  • Take a hypothesis driven approach to the roadmap while maintaining an enjoyable experience for existing players
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Pawan Gaargi

Chief Product Officer
Monumental

Stream B - Engaging Live Service Game Products

1:50 pm - 1:55 pm Chair Remarks
Doron Nir - Founder, CEO, Sentinel Games


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Doron Nir

Founder, CEO
Sentinel Games

Stream B - Engaging Live Service Game Products

1:55 pm - 2:25 pm Presentation - Content Creators for GAAS in 2025: Rethinking Engagement Strategies for Live-Service Success
Robin Åström - Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Wehype

Discover how live-service games can achieve scalable growth and long-term player retention by leveraging organic creator ecosystems. Gain actionable insights for live-ops and community teams to work collaboratively, maximizing the impact of in-game events and content updates.

 

  • Creator Codes as a Game-Changer: Unlock a powerful channel for tracking ROI, boosting player engagement, and gathering actionable data.
  • Retain and Scale Your Player Base: Engage creators across all tiers to reduce player churn and foster loyalty between content drops.
  • Community Attribution: Replace guesswork with precise metrics to measure how creators drive player activity and long-term engagement
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Robin Åström

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Wehype

Stream B - Engaging Live Service Game Products

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm Presentation - The Pitfalls and Paradoxes of Product Management
Max Sloan - Associate Director of Product, Treyarch (Activision Blizzard)

Being a good product manager sometimes means you have to embrace ideas that initially seem counter-intuitive or paradoxical. I'll cover several of these in this talk, including

  • The reason you should plan for your ab tests to fail
  • The danger of thinking with averages
  • The perils of making games at a successful studio
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Max Sloan

Associate Director of Product
Treyarch (Activision Blizzard)

Stream B - Engaging Live Service Game Products

3:05 pm - 3:35 pm Panel Discussion - Building an Ecosystem of Engagement for a Game Product and Portfolio
Chris Mancil - Sr. Director of Community, Scopely
Carolyn Gudmundson - Director of Product, GGWP
Samuel Bandeira - Lead Live Community, thatgamecompany
  • Advancing the craft of community building. Considerations on how game products are competing for player ‘time’ in an entertainment ecosystem.
  • Balancing community feedback with development vision and game product direction. 
  • Leveraging community engagement to drive game growth and retention.
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Chris Mancil

Sr. Director of Community
Scopely

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Carolyn Gudmundson

Director of Product
GGWP

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Samuel Bandeira

Lead Live Community
thatgamecompany

Stream B - Engaging Live Service Game Products

3:40 pm - 4:10 pm Panel Discussion - Proven Strategies to Scale D2C Revenue in 2025
Chip Thurston - Head of Gaming, FastSpring
Stephen Jarrett - Senior Director of Product and Strategy, Second Dinner
Ivan Donik - Principal Live Operations Analyst, Kabam
  • Why the opportunity is greater than ever before to scale your D2C revenue
  • The need for developers to keep player trust in mind when building and scaling D2C
  • Why developers should leverage engagement and community to incentivize players to purchase on web shops
  • What tactics are developers using to market web shops in an environment with anti-steering policies
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Chip Thurston

Head of Gaming
FastSpring

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Stephen Jarrett

Senior Director of Product and Strategy
Second Dinner

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Ivan Donik

Principal Live Operations Analyst
Kabam

Afternoon Networking Break

4:10 pm - 4:40 pm Afternoon Coffee Break

Afternoon Plenary Sessions

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Artie Rogers

Game Director
KingsIsle Entertainment

  • Leveraging Player Feedback: Collecting player feedback through quantitative and qualitative research, analyzing player preferences and needs to make informed decisions on delivering tailored gameplay, features, and events that resonate with different groups of players.
  • Adaptive Engagement Strategies: Crafting experiences that evolve with player progression, preferences, and feedback to sustain long-term interest and satisfaction.
  • Identifying Content Opportunities: Spotting in-game moments and player-driven narratives to create unique, engaging content and media opportunities that enhance immersion and drive growth.
  • Community-Driven Personalization: Integrating feedback loops and user-generated content to create experiences that align with community desires and foster loyalty.
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Irina Malova

Director of Player insights
Wargaming

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John Smith

Head of Product
Amazon Games

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Abhi Shah

Product Leader & Sr Director
2K

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Artie Rogers

Game Director
KingsIsle Entertainment

5:15 pm - 5:45 pm Presentation - Delivering a Monetization Strategy for Long-Term Player Engagement

Nick Chapelas - Live Operations Director, Kabam
  • Next Year is Now: Ensuring your games economy is supportive of your plans for years to come
  • The Payers' Advantage: How to make spending feel great, while maintaining a healthy balance with non-spenders
  • Finger on the Pulse: Adaptability is key, and knowing what players want when they will want it is essential to succeed
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Nick Chapelas

Live Operations Director
Kabam

5:45 pm - 5:55 pm Day 1 Closing Remarks

Networking Drinks

5:55 pm - 8:25 pm Networking Drinks Reception