Disco:MTL is the first summit in North America dedicated exclusively to discoverability and marketing for video games. In this day and age, having a good game is only half of the battle. Without an exceptional strategy for discovery, your game can be lost among the thousands of other games just released.
We don’t want that to happen, which is why Disco:MTL is bringing you action packed talks that will reinvigorate your marketing strategy, connect you with the streamers you need to know, and help your video game stand out from the crowd.
Disco Speakers
Summit Agenda
Friday, July 13th – Streamer Mixer
6:30pm – 9:30pm
We’re giving developers a unique opportunity to connect with streamers in a fun and relaxed environment. The streamers invited will be interviewing local developers and playing their games live. This is a great opportunity to connect with fellow attendees, network with the streamers present, and watch great local games played live. Fun fact: We will be officially launching GamePlay Space’s Twitch channel at this event! You can subscribe now. Confirmed streamers will be announced soon.
If you are not able to attend the Summit but would like to come to the opening mixer, please RSVP here.
Saturday, July 14th – Summit Day
9:00am: Doors Open – coffee and snacks are served
10:00am: Welcoming Remarks by Jason Della Rocca, GamePlay Space
10:15am
Keynote Session: In Conversation with Yacht Club: Digging into Shovel Knight’s Success
Carl-Henrik Skårstedt, Senior Programmer, Yacht Club Games with Tanya X. Short, Captain & Lead Designer, Kitfox Games
The Shovel Knight series has been a phenomenal success with millions of units sold. More importantly, with millions more fans engaged. Delighting fans and building strong customer relations is at the core of Yacht Club’s long term strategy for success. This conversation will dig into some of the specific tools and tactics used to grow and engage a fan base, as well as how to foster a community development ethos in the DNA of the studio.
11:00am:
How a Free Demo Funded Our Game
Philomena Schwab, Co-founder, Stray Fawn Studios
In November 2017 Stray Fawn Studios launched a Kickstarter campaign for Nimbatus – The Space Drone Constructor. The campaign was successful and raised $75,000. However, their game didn’t have a community before the Kickstarter. It all came down to finding an audience and building up a fan base on the fly. But how? In this talk, Philomena will share insights on how Stray Fawn got the word out via social media and news sites, what role influencers can play in campaigns, and how a free demo helped them succeed. Plus, she’ll share how her studio built up 50,000 newsletter subscriptions in the process.
12:00 – 1:00: LUNCH
1:30pm:
How to Make a Stream-Friendly Game Influencers Will Love
Erin Wayne, Director of Community Marketing with Zohaib Ali, Head of Product – Commerce, Twitch
You have probably heard various tips on how to get streamers to discover your game and enjoy it, as well as how to use Twitch to build interest. But how do you cut through the noise in the age of Fortnite? What are creators looking for from indie developers? And what has Twitch created to ensure game developers have the tools to not only reach creators and their viewers, but also make revenue themselves? Join Erin and Zohaib as they walk through how to build relationships with influencers as well as various features Twitch offers to help developers connect with creators and make games more stream-friendly.
2:30pm:
The Joy of Email Marketing
Christopher Zukowski, Founder, Return to Adventure Mountain
Have a mailing list with only a handful of subscribers? Do you only begrudgingly use it when your game launches? Do you consider email an obsolete form of communication? In this talk, Chris will inspire you to rethink how you connect with your fans through the most powerful yet misunderstood form of marketing. Learn how you can use a mailing list to be independent of volatile social media companies, build a following of true fans, and sell more copies of your games.
3:30pm: COFFEE BREAK
4:00pm:
Advanced Reddit Tactics
Elyot Grant, Founder and CEO, Lunarch Studios
Reddit is now the 4th most visited website in the US. However, leveraging Reddit for marketing purposes can be tricky due to the site’s quirky culture and intolerance of spam. In this talk, Elyot will outline a playbook of advanced tactics for success on Reddit. He’ll explain how Lunarch Studios used these tactics to hit the Reddit frontpage 5 times, collected 40,000 email beta signups in a single day, ran a Reddit-powered Kickstarter campaign, and become the #1 top all-time post on /r/bestof (until Barack Obama knocked them down). Additionally, several subversive tactics will be discussed, alongside pitfalls to avoid.
5:00pm:
Frostpunk’s Marketing Strategy: How to Survive Launching Survival Games
Patryk Grzeszczuk, Marketing Director, 11 bit studios
The gaming market has got very competitive in recent years, so even with the best game at hand, to succeed is not an easy task. In this talk, Patryk will discuss strategy and tactics for raising the awareness of your games and how to build the right kind of following. Plus, he’ll share how to convert overall interest into sales, as making games is great but staying afloat is a must.
6:00pm – 8:00pm: Closing Cocktail powered by Unity Technologies
Mingle with fellow attendees and take advantage of our open bar featuring a Unity themed cocktail.
Ready to level up your game marketing?
Summit Location
We will be hosting the summit in our space located at:
GamePlay Space
1435 Rue Saint-Alexandre, Suite #140
Montréal (Quebec) Canada
H3A 2G4
If using the metro, take the Green Line to the Place Des Arts stop, rue Bleury exit.
If using the bus, we are located near bus lines #15, #125, #24, #55, and #80
If you are travelling from out of town, we have a special rate with the W Hotel. Please contact Liv Lunde at liv@gameplayspace.com for more information.
Stay In Touch
To keep up with the latest updates on Disco:MTL 2018, follow us on Twitter, and follow the #discomtl2018 hashtag.
Our Sponsors
Note to all attendees: GamePlay Space reserves the right to record all the activities of the Summit and to distribute its content online or by any other means of distribution. GamePlay Space also reserves the right to take photographs and videos during the event and use them for promotional purposes. By entering the premises, you agree to be filmed, photographed or recorded. You also agree that all material collected by GamePlay Space will be used by GamePlay Space and its partners for promotional purposes throughout the world.