Toolsmiths GDC 2026 Guide
🎮 GDC 2026: Game Tools Developer Guide
At GDC 2026, you’ll have access to an expansive lineup of sessions, tutorials, and events, with many containing “tool” or similar terms. Finding the most relevant ones can be overwhelming.
To help you navigate, I’ve curated a list of sessions specifically tailored for Game Tools Developers.
This guide is your compass through GDC 2026’s vast offerings. Whether attending in person or watching via the GDC Vault, this selection ensures you engage with the most valuable content for your work.
Note: Some highlighted presentations may not be exclusively tool-focused, but they provide valuable insights and fresh perspectives. Understanding how our tools’ users operate is crucial for creating effective and successful tools.
đź› Must-See Sessions
Short on time? Want only Game Dev Tool-focused sessions?
Don’t miss the Tools Summit, Tools Roundtables, and Tools Design Roundtables.
These sessions, organized by Geoff Evans, David Lightbown, and Robin-Yann Storm bring you the best tool-centered discussions from industry experts.
Sessions marked with the Toolsmiths icon are highly recommended for Tools Developers—you’re guaranteed to gain valuable insights.
🔍 Finding Relevant Sessions
To make navigation easier, sessions are tagged with key roles and topics. Use your browser’s Find (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F) feature to search for specific keywords.
🎯 Key Roles
- DCC Tool Dev
- Tool UX/UI Designer
- Pipeline Dev
- ML Dev
- Build Dev
- Tool Lead
- Dev Support/Integration Engineer
- Tools QA
Role Glossary
- DCC Tool Dev – Develops digital content creation tools for artists, designers, and developers.
- Tool UX/UI Designer – Specializes in UX/UI for game development tools and workflows.
- Tools QA – Ensures development tools are reliable, identifying and refining bug reports.
- Pipeline Dev – Optimizes data transformation and workflows between tools and the game.
- ML Dev – Focuses on machine learning-powered applications for game development.
- Build Dev – Manages CI/CD processes, game packaging, DevOps, and infrastructure.
- Dev Support/Integration Engineer – Improves studio-wide tools & workflows, unblocking content creators.
- Tool Lead – Oversees tool and pipeline development, ensuring efficient workflows.
🔑 Searchable Keywords
- Programming
- UX
- Workflows
- Pipeline
- VFX
- Visual Arts
- Production
- Design
- AI
- Procedural
- Machine Learning
- Visual Arts
đź“Ś How to Use This Guide
- Attending GDC? Follow the session links below to build your personal schedule or double-check for must-see sessions.
- Not attending? No worries! You can still watch many of these sessions later via the GDC Vault.
🎬 No matter your focus, you’re sure to find a session that will inspire you to create something great!
Table of Contents
- Tools Roundtables
- Technical Art Roundtables
- Tools Summit
- Automated Testing Roundtables
- Other Roundtables
- Programming
- Pipeline
- Technical Art
- Automation, Automated Testing, and QA
- Machine Learning
- Audio
- Design
- Sponsored Sessions
Tools Technology Roundtables
Tools Technology Roundtable Day 1
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The Tools Technology Roundtables' focus on discussion of best practices, novel techniques, and technical trade-offs for building game development tools and services. Game development tools are constantly evolving, so come to share what works (and what doesn't) at your studio, and listen to others discuss how they keep their creative teams producing awesome games.
Day 1: 'Engineering', focuses on tools programming, testing, deployment, frameworks, scripting, automation, extensibility, diagnostics, and telemetry.
Day 2: 'Assets' focuses on export/import, interchange, persistence, collaboration, search and organization, development models (branching and/or trunking), revision control, and outsourcing.
Day 3: 'Build' focuses on processing assets through to the game in all its forms: build systems, caching, distribution, scalability, optimization, disc mastering and patching.
The Tools Technology Roundtables' focus on discussion of best practices, novel techniques, and technical trade-offs for building game development tools and services. Game development tools are constantly evolving, so come to share what works (and what doesn't) at your studio, and listen to others discuss how they keep their creative teams producing awesome games.
Day 1: 'Engineering', focuses on tools programming, testing, deployment, frameworks, scripting, automation, extensibility, diagnostics, and telemetry.
Day 2: 'Assets' focuses on export/import, interchange, persistence, collaboration, search and organization, development models (branching and/or trunking), revision control, and outsourcing.
Day 3: 'Build' focuses on processing assets through to the game in all its forms: build systems, caching, distribution, scalability, optimization, disc mastering and patching.
- Automation
- Telemetry
- DCC Tool Dev
- Build Dev
- Tools QA
Tools Technology Roundtable Day 2
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The Tools Technology Roundtables focus on discussion of best practices, novel techniques, and technical trade-offs for building game development tools and services. Game development tools are constantly evolving, so come to share what works (and what doesn't) at your studio, and listen to others' take on how to keep their creative teams producing awesome games.
Day 2: 'Assets' focuses on export/import, interchange, persistence, collaboration, search and organization, development models (branching and/or trunking), revision control, and outsourcing.
The Tools Technology Roundtables focus on discussion of best practices, novel techniques, and technical trade-offs for building game development tools and services. Game development tools are constantly evolving, so come to share what works (and what doesn't) at your studio, and listen to others' take on how to keep their creative teams producing awesome games.
Day 2: 'Assets' focuses on export/import, interchange, persistence, collaboration, search and organization, development models (branching and/or trunking), revision control, and outsourcing.
- Programming
- DCC Tool Dev
- Build Dev
Tools Technology Roundtable Day 3
i
The Tools Technology Roundtables focus on discussion of best practices, novel techniques, and technical trade-offs for building game development tools and services. Game development tools are constantly evolving, so come to share what works (and what doesn't) at your studio, and listen to others' take on how to keep their creative teams producing awesome games.
Day 3: 'Build' focuses on processing assets through to the game in all its forms: build systems, caching, distribution, scalability, optimization, disc mastering and patching.
The Tools Technology Roundtables focus on discussion of best practices, novel techniques, and technical trade-offs for building game development tools and services. Game development tools are constantly evolving, so come to share what works (and what doesn't) at your studio, and listen to others' take on how to keep their creative teams producing awesome games.
Day 3: 'Build' focuses on processing assets through to the game in all its forms: build systems, caching, distribution, scalability, optimization, disc mastering and patching.
- Programming
- DCC Tool Dev
- Build Dev
Tool Design Roundtable Day 1
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For day 1:
This Tool Design roundtable is about the UX of in-house and external toolsets. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with Tool Design in the last year.
Examples of topics discussed in previous years are:
1. What user experience techniques have you seen best fit for your toolsets?
2. Is classical UX applicable in tools, or is it very different?
3. What differences, if any, have tool service companies seen with their tool designs?
This years' questions may be different, or similar! Feel free to join, and ask.
For day 2:
This Tool Design roundtable is about the UX of in-house and external toolsets. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with Tool Design in the last year.
Examples of topics discussed in previous years are:
1. What communication channels do you use to inform users about new tool features? E-mail? Meetings? Videos? Gifs?
2. What is a ticketing request pipeline that works really well for you?
3. In what size team did your tool request/ticket pipeline work best?
This years' questions may be different, or similar! Feel free to join, and ask.
For day 3:
This Tool Design roundtable is about the UX of in-house and external toolsets. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with Tool Design in the last year.
Examples of topics are:
1. What user research methods do you use?
2. Do you have a dedicated user researcher on your team?
3. What surprises has your research uncovered in the last year?
For day 1:
This Tool Design roundtable is about the UX of in-house and external toolsets. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with Tool Design in the last year.
Examples of topics discussed in previous years are:
1. What user experience techniques have you seen best fit for your toolsets?
2. Is classical UX applicable in tools, or is it very different?
3. What differences, if any, have tool service companies seen with their tool designs?
This years' questions may be different, or similar! Feel free to join, and ask.
For day 2:
This Tool Design roundtable is about the UX of in-house and external toolsets. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with Tool Design in the last year.
Examples of topics discussed in previous years are:
1. What communication channels do you use to inform users about new tool features? E-mail? Meetings? Videos? Gifs?
2. What is a ticketing request pipeline that works really well for you?
3. In what size team did your tool request/ticket pipeline work best?
This years' questions may be different, or similar! Feel free to join, and ask.
For day 3:
This Tool Design roundtable is about the UX of in-house and external toolsets. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with Tool Design in the last year.
Examples of topics are:
1. What user research methods do you use?
2. Do you have a dedicated user researcher on your team?
3. What surprises has your research uncovered in the last year?
- Pipeline
- Design
- DCC Tool Dev
- Tool UX/UI Designer
- Pipeline Dev
Tool Design Roundtable Day 2
i
For day 3:
This Tool Design roundtable is about the UX of in-house and external toolsets. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with Tool Design in the last year.
Examples of topics are:
1. What user research methods do you use?
2. Do you have a dedicated user researcher on your team?
3. What surprises has your research uncovered in the last year?
For day 3: This Tool Design roundtable is about the UX of in-house and external toolsets. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with Tool Design in the last year. Examples of topics are: 1. What user research methods do you use? 2. Do you have a dedicated user researcher on your team? 3. What surprises has your research uncovered in the last year?
- Design
- DCC Tool Dev
- Tool UX/UI Designer
Tool Design Roundtable Day 3
i
For day 2:
This Tool Design roundtable is about the UX of in-house and external toolsets. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with Tool Design in the last year.
Examples of topics discussed in previous years are:
1. What communication channels do you use to inform users about new tool features? E-mail? Meetings? Videos? Gifs?
2. What is a ticketing request pipeline that works really well for you?
3. In what size team did your tool request/ticket pipeline work best?
This years' questions may be different, or similar! Feel free to join, and ask.
For day 2: This Tool Design roundtable is about the UX of in-house and external toolsets. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with Tool Design in the last year. Examples of topics discussed in previous years are: 1. What communication channels do you use to inform users about new tool features? E-mail? Meetings? Videos? Gifs? 2. What is a ticketing request pipeline that works really well for you? 3. In what size team did your tool request/ticket pipeline work best? This years' questions may be different, or similar! Feel free to join, and ask.
- Pipeline
- Design
- DCC Tool Dev
- Tool UX/UI Designer
- Pipeline Dev
Tools Summit
Using Telemetry (the Right Way) is a Game-Changer for Game Tools
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Telemetry can be a game-changer in helping you develop better tools, but without watching users work, it can also be deeply misleading.
Using real-world examples, this talk offers practical and actionable advice on what telemetry can and cannot tell you, what to consider when adding a telemetry system to your tools, and how to use it to track improvements to the user experience of your tools over time.
Telemetry can be a game-changer in helping you develop better tools, but without watching users work, it can also be deeply misleading.
Using real-world examples, this talk offers practical and actionable advice on what telemetry can and cannot tell you, what to consider when adding a telemetry system to your tools, and how to use it to track improvements to the user experience of your tools over time.
- Telemetry
- DCC Tool Dev
- Tool UX/UI Designer
- Tools QA
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
Spreadsheets Microtalks
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Spreadsheets! Spreadsheets! Spreadsheets! (Now you can't say you haven't been warned)
In these microtalks, spreadsheet gurus will showcase their creations, sharing insights on their origins, workflow, design choices, and the discoveries they made along the way.
Mike Rossmassler will share his process for creating paper prototypes informed by spreadsheets.
Tyler Coleman will discuss how to combine Google Forms & Sheets to create mini paper prototypes using just sheets and survey forms, a low-code solution to test gameplay and UI
Everest Pipkin will discuss using spreadsheets to update websites in realtime, and how this can be utilized both for responsive, flexible webgame development as well as community-sourced solidarity work and resource-building.
Guillaume Pierre will talk about the economy spreadsheet he created for Targon Studios' indie coop horror game Darkwater, simulating every loot drop, every room, every outpost and every district the game procedurally generates.
Ridima Ramesh will share how she drew on the versatility of spreadsheets in the process of developing an immersive strategy simulation; initially to alleviate complexity in early playtesting, and eventually to guide the creation of a companion app that facilitated player decision-making.
Tomo Moriwaki will talk about collaborating on google sheets and how Epic Tavern built directly from the google sheets into the game's data. The spreadsheets were set up to organize the data, but we needed to devise a way to work together on the story of the game in a way that worked for the data but didn't make thinking about the story impossible.
Cheryl Platz will teach you a localization and prototyping magic trick that transforms your Figma files into any language you plug into Google Sheets while demonstrating how spreadsheets can play a role in building a stronger UX design to implementation process.
Spreadsheets! Spreadsheets! Spreadsheets! (Now you can't say you haven't been warned)
In these microtalks, spreadsheet gurus will showcase their creations, sharing insights on their origins, workflow, design choices, and the discoveries they made along the way.
Mike Rossmassler will share his process for creating paper prototypes informed by spreadsheets.
Tyler Coleman will discuss how to combine Google Forms & Sheets to create mini paper prototypes using just sheets and survey forms, a low-code solution to test gameplay and UI
Everest Pipkin will discuss using spreadsheets to update websites in realtime, and how this can be utilized both for responsive, flexible webgame development as well as community-sourced solidarity work and resource-building.
Guillaume Pierre will talk about the economy spreadsheet he created for Targon Studios' indie coop horror game Darkwater, simulating every loot drop, every room, every outpost and every district the game procedurally generates.
Ridima Ramesh will share how she drew on the versatility of spreadsheets in the process of developing an immersive strategy simulation; initially to alleviate complexity in early playtesting, and eventually to guide the creation of a companion app that facilitated player decision-making.
Tomo Moriwaki will talk about collaborating on google sheets and how Epic Tavern built directly from the google sheets into the game's data. The spreadsheets were set up to organize the data, but we needed to devise a way to work together on the story of the game in a way that worked for the data but didn't make thinking about the story impossible.
Cheryl Platz will teach you a localization and prototyping magic trick that transforms your Figma files into any language you plug into Google Sheets while demonstrating how spreadsheets can play a role in building a stronger UX design to implementation process.
- Pipeline
- Tool UX/UI Designer
- Build Dev
- Tools QA
How 'Ghost of Yotei' was Pre-Mixed with the Help of a Sound Sensei
i
This session will showcase how automating asset integration can enable control over the final mix early on in development. Trying to maintain a mix during a game's development is tedious and time consuming work and can be problematic during the final mix if not done correctly. For Ghost of Yotei, Sucker Punch's Audio team decided they would try to solve these problems by creating a tool called Sound Sensei, which would be responsible for maintaining proper asset standards while fitting seamlessly between asset rendering and implementation. We will go over how Sound Sensei works for setting up mix rules, as well as how those rules get automatically applied to the corresponding assets non-destructively, and how this allows for adjusting the mix at any point during development without needing to reopen a DAW.
This session will showcase how automating asset integration can enable control over the final mix early on in development. Trying to maintain a mix during a game's development is tedious and time consuming work and can be problematic during the final mix if not done correctly. For Ghost of Yotei, Sucker Punch's Audio team decided they would try to solve these problems by creating a tool called Sound Sensei, which would be responsible for maintaining proper asset standards while fitting seamlessly between asset rendering and implementation. We will go over how Sound Sensei works for setting up mix rules, as well as how those rules get automatically applied to the corresponding assets non-destructively, and how this allows for adjusting the mix at any point during development without needing to reopen a DAW.
- Automation
- Audio
- DCC Tool Dev
Debugging Audio Systems: Tools, Tactics, and Real-World Stories
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Why can't we hear the right footsteps (or any footsteps) on the other client? Why is that ambient loop only broken after the 30th reload?
This session dives into the messy reality of debugging audio systems in video games, offering practical techniques for solving everything from bizarre one-off glitches to long-standing systemic issues. Through real-world examples and a few battle-tested war stories, the speakers will walk attendees through a toolkit of strategies, ranging from logs, profilers, and breakpoints to naming conventions, documentation habits, and better cross-team communication.
Whether you're deep in engine code or just trying to figure out why your event isn't triggering, this talk aims to demystify the debugging process, helping developers build a more methodical, reliable, and less painful approach to tracking down audio bugs.
Attendees will walk away with practical strategies for identifying, diagnosing, and fixing audio bugs in real-time game systems. Through real-world examples and hands-on workflows, they'll pick up tools and habits to debug more efficiently, communicate better across teams, and ship more stable, polished audio without the guesswork.
Why can't we hear the right footsteps (or any footsteps) on the other client? Why is that ambient loop only broken after the 30th reload?
This session dives into the messy reality of debugging audio systems in video games, offering practical techniques for solving everything from bizarre one-off glitches to long-standing systemic issues. Through real-world examples and a few battle-tested war stories, the speakers will walk attendees through a toolkit of strategies, ranging from logs, profilers, and breakpoints to naming conventions, documentation habits, and better cross-team communication.
Whether you're deep in engine code or just trying to figure out why your event isn't triggering, this talk aims to demystify the debugging process, helping developers build a more methodical, reliable, and less painful approach to tracking down audio bugs.
Attendees will walk away with practical strategies for identifying, diagnosing, and fixing audio bugs in real-time game systems. Through real-world examples and hands-on workflows, they'll pick up tools and habits to debug more efficiently, communicate better across teams, and ship more stable, polished audio without the guesswork.
- Audio
- DCC Tool Dev
Technical Art Roundtables
Technical Artists Roundtable (20th Year)!!! Day 1
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The role of a technical artist has grown from a clean-up artist and data wrangler to someone who is in charge of complex content creation pipelines and asset tracking systems. Increasingly, the lines between programmer and artist are blurring for technical artists. Tool creation, scripting, shader creation, working with both programmers and artists, and managing workflow are all skills required of a modern technical artist. This roundtable brings together technical artists from across the industry to share their knowledge, experiences, and tips for being the best at their jobs.
The role of a technical artist has grown from a clean-up artist and data wrangler to someone who is in charge of complex content creation pipelines and asset tracking systems. Increasingly, the lines between programmer and artist are blurring for technical artists. Tool creation, scripting, shader creation, working with both programmers and artists, and managing workflow are all skills required of a modern technical artist. This roundtable brings together technical artists from across the industry to share their knowledge, experiences, and tips for being the best at their jobs.
- Visual Arts
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
Technical Artists Roundtable (20th Year)!!! Day 2
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The role of a technical artists has grown from a clean-up artist and data wrangler to someone who is in charge of complex content creation pipelines and asset tracking systems. Increasingly, the lines between programmer and artist are blurring for technical artists. Tool creation, scripting, shader creation, working with both programmers and artists, and managing workflow are all skills required of a modern technical artist. This roundtable brings together technical artists from across the industry to share their knowledge, experiences, and tips for being the best at their jobs.
The role of a technical artists has grown from a clean-up artist and data wrangler to someone who is in charge of complex content creation pipelines and asset tracking systems. Increasingly, the lines between programmer and artist are blurring for technical artists. Tool creation, scripting, shader creation, working with both programmers and artists, and managing workflow are all skills required of a modern technical artist. This roundtable brings together technical artists from across the industry to share their knowledge, experiences, and tips for being the best at their jobs.
- Visual Arts
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
Technical Artists Roundtable (20th Year)!!! Day 3
i
The role of a technical artists has grown from a clean-up artist and data wrangler to someone who is in charge of complex content creation pipelines and asset tracking systems. Increasingly, the lines between programmer and artist are blurring for technical artists. Tool creation, scripting, shader creation, working with both programmers and artists, and managing workflow are all skills required of a modern technical artist. This roundtable brings together technical artists from across the industry to share their knowledge, experiences, and tips for being the best at their jobs.
The role of a technical artists has grown from a clean-up artist and data wrangler to someone who is in charge of complex content creation pipelines and asset tracking systems. Increasingly, the lines between programmer and artist are blurring for technical artists. Tool creation, scripting, shader creation, working with both programmers and artists, and managing workflow are all skills required of a modern technical artist. This roundtable brings together technical artists from across the industry to share their knowledge, experiences, and tips for being the best at their jobs.
- Visual Arts
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
Automated Testing Roundtables
Automated Testing Roundtable Day 1
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Day 1: Process
Automated testing provides a team with stability across development, allowing early feedback, fast iteration and empowering QA. Yet investing in automation has a bad reputation in the industry, where just-ship-it is the mantra. Maybe, as the market becomes increasingly competitive, its time has finally come.
Day 1 consists of a discussion about the people that write the tests and the workflows used to reinforce them. How does the process work in your studio? Are the engineers responsible for automated tests, or QA? Are QA silo'd or integrated? What could be better? What doesn't work?
These roundtables bring people together from all experience levels and budgets to discuss how they currently, or would like to, use automated testing of any form. See autotestingroundtable.com for more details and to join our discord!
Day 1: Process
Automated testing provides a team with stability across development, allowing early feedback, fast iteration and empowering QA. Yet investing in automation has a bad reputation in the industry, where just-ship-it is the mantra. Maybe, as the market becomes increasingly competitive, its time has finally come.
Day 1 consists of a discussion about the people that write the tests and the workflows used to reinforce them. How does the process work in your studio? Are the engineers responsible for automated tests, or QA? Are QA silo'd or integrated? What could be better? What doesn't work?
These roundtables bring people together from all experience levels and budgets to discuss how they currently, or would like to, use automated testing of any form. See autotestingroundtable.com for more details and to join our discord!
- Automation
- QA
- Tools QA
- Dev Support/Production Engineer
Automated Testing Roundtable Day 2
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Day 2: Legacy
Automated testing provides a team with stability across development, allowing early feedback, fast iteration and empowering QA. Yet investing in automation has a bad reputation in the industry, where just-ship-it is the mantra. Maybe, as the market becomes increasingly competitive, its time has finally come.
On Day 2 we prefer to talk about introducing automated testing to an organization. Do you have a culture or a codebase that doesn't currently embrace automated testing? Are you having trouble getting people on-board, or maybe it was very easy and you can share why? Grand failures are just as interesting as successes!
These roundtables bring together people of all experience levels and budgets to discuss how they currently, or would like to, use automated testing of any form. See autotestingroundtable.com for more details and to join our discord!
Day 2: Legacy
Automated testing provides a team with stability across development, allowing early feedback, fast iteration and empowering QA. Yet investing in automation has a bad reputation in the industry, where just-ship-it is the mantra. Maybe, as the market becomes increasingly competitive, its time has finally come.
On Day 2 we prefer to talk about introducing automated testing to an organization. Do you have a culture or a codebase that doesn't currently embrace automated testing? Are you having trouble getting people on-board, or maybe it was very easy and you can share why? Grand failures are just as interesting as successes!
These roundtables bring together people of all experience levels and budgets to discuss how they currently, or would like to, use automated testing of any form. See autotestingroundtable.com for more details and to join our discord!
- Automation
- QA
- Tools QA
- Dev Support/Production Engineer
Automated Testing Roundtable Day 3
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Day 3: Implementation
Automated testing provides a team with stability across development, allowing early feedback, fast iteration and empowering QA. Yet investing in automation has a bad reputation in the industry, where just-ship-it is the mantra. Maybe, as the market becomes increasingly competitive, its time has finally come.
On Day 3 we prefer to discuss the many faces of automation, from locally-run functional and unit tests, to server-driven continuous integration, and even external device farms. How do you do automated testing in your team? What works well for you? More interestingly, what didn't work and why?
These roundtables bring together people of all experience levels and budgets to discuss how they currently, or would like to, use automated testing of any form. See autotestingroundtable.com for more details and to join our discord!
Day 3: Implementation
Automated testing provides a team with stability across development, allowing early feedback, fast iteration and empowering QA. Yet investing in automation has a bad reputation in the industry, where just-ship-it is the mantra. Maybe, as the market becomes increasingly competitive, its time has finally come.
On Day 3 we prefer to discuss the many faces of automation, from locally-run functional and unit tests, to server-driven continuous integration, and even external device farms. How do you do automated testing in your team? What works well for you? More interestingly, what didn't work and why?
These roundtables bring together people of all experience levels and budgets to discuss how they currently, or would like to, use automated testing of any form. See autotestingroundtable.com for more details and to join our discord!
- Automation
- QA
- Tools QA
- Dev Support/Production Engineer
Other Roundtables
Global Pipelines Roundtable
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As production demands grow and workflows diversify, developing and maintaining a robust, adaptable pipeline is more critical than ever. This casual roundtable invites pipeline developers, TAs, and technical leads to discuss evolving pipeline trends, common challenges across studios, and share practical strategies for building efficient, scalable systems. Topics span from the VFX Reference Platform to cloud-native workflows, storage strategies, and MLOps integration. Join this conversation to exchange ideas and experiences with peers who are shaping the future of production technology.
As production demands grow and workflows diversify, developing and maintaining a robust, adaptable pipeline is more critical than ever. This casual roundtable invites pipeline developers, TAs, and technical leads to discuss evolving pipeline trends, common challenges across studios, and share practical strategies for building efficient, scalable systems. Topics span from the VFX Reference Platform to cloud-native workflows, storage strategies, and MLOps integration. Join this conversation to exchange ideas and experiences with peers who are shaping the future of production technology.
- Pipeline
- Machine Learning
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Build Dev
The OpenUSD Roundtable Day 1
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USD stands for 'Universal Scene Description', and it is a 3D file format Pixar created over a span of many years and movies, and was released open source to the public in 2016. Although technically it is more of an API than a file format, which is an ongoing discussion into the terminology and use of USD.
In this session, attendees can gather to talk about USD. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with USD.
Questions can be submitted during the roundtable. For example, these may include topics such as:
1. What are issues you have bumped into when implementing USD into your pipeline?
2. What would be required for USD to be more widely adopted?
3. How can studios, and vendors, best share Schemas?
Questions can be oriented towards technical issues, design, and artistic workflows, with day 1 having a larger focus on artistic workflows, and day 2 having a larger focus on technical issues.
USD stands for 'Universal Scene Description', and it is a 3D file format Pixar created over a span of many years and movies, and was released open source to the public in 2016. Although technically it is more of an API than a file format, which is an ongoing discussion into the terminology and use of USD.
In this session, attendees can gather to talk about USD. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with USD.
Questions can be submitted during the roundtable. For example, these may include topics such as:
1. What are issues you have bumped into when implementing USD into your pipeline?
2. What would be required for USD to be more widely adopted?
3. How can studios, and vendors, best share Schemas?
Questions can be oriented towards technical issues, design, and artistic workflows, with day 1 having a larger focus on artistic workflows, and day 2 having a larger focus on technical issues.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
The OpenUSD Roundtable Day 2
i
USD stands for 'Universal Scene Description', and it is a 3D file format Pixar created over a span of many years and movies, and was released open source to the public in 2016. Although technically it is more of an API than a file format, which is an ongoing discussion into the terminology and use of USD.
In this session, attendees can gather to talk about USD. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with USD.
Questions can be submitted during the roundtable. For example, these may include topics such as:
1. What are issues you have bumped into when implementing USD into your pipeline?
2. What would be required for USD to be more widely adopted?
3. How can studios, and vendors, best share Schemas?
Questions can be oriented towards technical issues, design, and artistic workflows, with day 1 having a larger focus on artistic workflows, and day 2 having a larger focus on technical issues.
USD stands for 'Universal Scene Description', and it is a 3D file format Pixar created over a span of many years and movies, and was released open source to the public in 2016. Although technically it is more of an API than a file format, which is an ongoing discussion into the terminology and use of USD.
In this session, attendees can gather to talk about USD. Come and meet, discuss, and find out what everyone has been doing with USD.
Questions can be submitted during the roundtable. For example, these may include topics such as:
1. What are issues you have bumped into when implementing USD into your pipeline?
2. What would be required for USD to be more widely adopted?
3. How can studios, and vendors, best share Schemas?
Questions can be oriented towards technical issues, design, and artistic workflows, with day 1 having a larger focus on artistic workflows, and day 2 having a larger focus on technical issues.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
Innovative Tools for the Innovative Indies Roundtable: Gamedev in a Distributed World (Presented by the IGDA)
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Game development has been transformed in the last 5 to 10 years, especially for indie teams. Even AAA studios are struggling to adapt. Indies are agile enough to adapt their operational strategies to use the latest tools to increase the efficiency and quality of their game development pipeline. This session, hosted by the IGDA Indie SIG, will discuss the best tools and strategies for indie game developers to succeed in this new environment. Attendees will be encouraged to provide input on the strategies they plan to use and we will all learn together.
Game development has been transformed in the last 5 to 10 years, especially for indie teams. Even AAA studios are struggling to adapt. Indies are agile enough to adapt their operational strategies to use the latest tools to increase the efficiency and quality of their game development pipeline. This session, hosted by the IGDA Indie SIG, will discuss the best tools and strategies for indie game developers to succeed in this new environment. Attendees will be encouraged to provide input on the strategies they plan to use and we will all learn together.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
Programming
Cinematic on a Shoestring: The Technical Design Behind 'Mouthwashing'
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In this session, Jeffrey Tomec explores the technical side of building a cinematic narrative experience around a writer's vision. He breaks down Mouthwashing's 'film-first' development workflow, where scenes are rapidly built from a screenplay. Multiple scenes from the game are dissected to showcase the tools and techniques used throughout development. He also vents about how painful the dialog system is to work with—and why you should make a better one.
In this session, Jeffrey Tomec explores the technical side of building a cinematic narrative experience around a writer's vision. He breaks down Mouthwashing's 'film-first' development workflow, where scenes are rapidly built from a screenplay. Multiple scenes from the game are dissected to showcase the tools and techniques used throughout development. He also vents about how painful the dialog system is to work with—and why you should make a better one.
- Pipeline
- Programming
- DCC Tool Dev
- Build Dev
Etudes and Actors: Owlcat's Tooling for Highly Branched Narrative
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Owlcat Games is famous for making sprawling RPGs with tons of player choice and reactivity. Such games often have hundreds or even thousands of individual variables to represent current narrative state: quests, previous decisions, etc. Essentially a bunch of global variables managed with ad-hoc logic.
This approach scales poorly, and so we designed a better system, which organizes game state into a hierarchy of sub-states that are automatically turned on and off while taking into account potential conflicts.
This talk will share the experience of building and using this 'Etude'-based system, and show examples of using it in both Unity and Unreal engines.
Owlcat Games is famous for making sprawling RPGs with tons of player choice and reactivity. Such games often have hundreds or even thousands of individual variables to represent current narrative state: quests, previous decisions, etc. Essentially a bunch of global variables managed with ad-hoc logic.
This approach scales poorly, and so we designed a better system, which organizes game state into a hierarchy of sub-states that are automatically turned on and off while taking into account potential conflicts.
This talk will share the experience of building and using this 'Etude'-based system, and show examples of using it in both Unity and Unreal engines.
- Programming
- DCC Tool Dev
- Build Dev
Camera Deobscura: Building a Flexible Camera System
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Video game cameras are notoriously difficult to implement well, but are crucial to get right. Having a solid foundation for a camera system may not guarantee that your game will receive rave reviews for its cameras, but it's an important starting point. This talk will walk through the architecture and implementation details necessary for building a camera system that is capable of supporting various types of cameras, applicable across a variety of game genres.
Specific topics include view representation, blending methods, priority handling, designer-friendly content authoring, spatial and temporal interpolation, value smoothing, and debugging tools.
Video game cameras are notoriously difficult to implement well, but are crucial to get right. Having a solid foundation for a camera system may not guarantee that your game will receive rave reviews for its cameras, but it's an important starting point. This talk will walk through the architecture and implementation details necessary for building a camera system that is capable of supporting various types of cameras, applicable across a variety of game genres.
Specific topics include view representation, blending methods, priority handling, designer-friendly content authoring, spatial and temporal interpolation, value smoothing, and debugging tools.
- Programming
- DCC Tool Dev
Lasers, Mimic Masks and Squid Battles: The Technology Evolution of 'I Expect You To Die'
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I Expect You To Die is a spy themed VR puzzle game that launched as a free demo in 2015 and has since grown into an award winning trilogy. This talk will focus on the content creation pipeline and how it evolved across these games. From using monolithic classes, rigid finite state machines and singleton patterns to adopting a more modular, event driven architecture that fundamentally changed how the game was developed. Using in-engine footage and code samples, this presentation will demonstrate how improvements to the content pipeline helped the team craft bigger and more ambitious levels to fulfill the super spy fantasy.
I Expect You To Die is a spy themed VR puzzle game that launched as a free demo in 2015 and has since grown into an award winning trilogy. This talk will focus on the content creation pipeline and how it evolved across these games. From using monolithic classes, rigid finite state machines and singleton patterns to adopting a more modular, event driven architecture that fundamentally changed how the game was developed. Using in-engine footage and code samples, this presentation will demonstrate how improvements to the content pipeline helped the team craft bigger and more ambitious levels to fulfill the super spy fantasy.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
'DEATH STRANDING 2': Making of Voxel 3D UI Map
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This talk presents a complete overview of the technical process behind the creation the 3D UI Voxel map for Death Stranding 2 developed by Kojima Productions. It walks through every stage of development from early game design and production requirements to capturing and processing open-world level data, as well as the voxel rendering technique used to visualize the map. This presentation explains how the 3D UI map was built without relying on artist created assets to be visually rich and memory-efficient while meeting strict performance constraints. It highlights the custom tools and workflows designed to process large scale open world data, the methods used to convert that data into engine ready assets, and the rendering strategies that made efficient voxel rendering possible.
This talk presents a complete overview of the technical process behind the creation the 3D UI Voxel map for Death Stranding 2 developed by Kojima Productions. It walks through every stage of development from early game design and production requirements to capturing and processing open-world level data, as well as the voxel rendering technique used to visualize the map. This presentation explains how the 3D UI map was built without relying on artist created assets to be visually rich and memory-efficient while meeting strict performance constraints. It highlights the custom tools and workflows designed to process large scale open world data, the methods used to convert that data into engine ready assets, and the rendering strategies that made efficient voxel rendering possible.
- Programming
- DCC Tool Dev
Lessons from Building UI/UX in '2XKO'
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2XKO is the newest title from Riot Games, a free-to-play fighting game featuring characters from the League of Legends universe. In this talk, Engineering & Product Lead, Anran Li, and Senior Software Engineer, Hyungjin Shin, share hard-earned lessons from building the UI/UX architecture on 2XKO. This session explores how the team transitioned from a patchwork of interfaces to a unified and flexible UI system designed for a forever game. Attendees will learn how the team navigated timing technical infrastructure investments, solved for multi-platform challenges, and rolled out these changes without blocking development or compromising player experience. They share both the general mindset for architecting systems that endure beyond launch, as well as specific case studies into how 2XKO built their UI.
2XKO is the newest title from Riot Games, a free-to-play fighting game featuring characters from the League of Legends universe. In this talk, Engineering & Product Lead, Anran Li, and Senior Software Engineer, Hyungjin Shin, share hard-earned lessons from building the UI/UX architecture on 2XKO. This session explores how the team transitioned from a patchwork of interfaces to a unified and flexible UI system designed for a forever game. Attendees will learn how the team navigated timing technical infrastructure investments, solved for multi-platform challenges, and rolled out these changes without blocking development or compromising player experience. They share both the general mindset for architecting systems that endure beyond launch, as well as specific case studies into how 2XKO built their UI.
- Programming
- Tool UX/UI Designer
- Build Dev
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
Pipeline
Flipping the Script: Overhauling Sucker Punch's Writing Pipeline for 'Ghost of Yotei'
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Before Sucker Punch had even finished shipping our previous game, Ghost of Tsushima, we knew we desperately needed to improve our writing processes for the next project. Integrating scripts required massive amounts of manual busywork, and writers had little context on how their work would actually be used in the game. So for Ghost of YĹŤtei, we took a big swing and decided to build a new tool from scratch which let writers write their scripts directly into mission rigging - hoping this could eliminate the busywork and get writers more closely integrated into the design process. As it turned out, not only did it end up massively helping both writers and designers, but the tool quickly expanded to help manage recording, auditing, script reviewing, and localization. So come learn what we did and why it worked, as well as where we stumbled along the way and what we learned from it.
Before Sucker Punch had even finished shipping our previous game, Ghost of Tsushima, we knew we desperately needed to improve our writing processes for the next project. Integrating scripts required massive amounts of manual busywork, and writers had little context on how their work would actually be used in the game. So for Ghost of YĹŤtei, we took a big swing and decided to build a new tool from scratch which let writers write their scripts directly into mission rigging - hoping this could eliminate the busywork and get writers more closely integrated into the design process. As it turned out, not only did it end up massively helping both writers and designers, but the tool quickly expanded to help manage recording, auditing, script reviewing, and localization. So come learn what we did and why it worked, as well as where we stumbled along the way and what we learned from it.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Build Dev
The Scalable Game Asset-Assisted Production Pipeline of 'Honor of Kings'
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Driven by the demand for immersive and visually stunning experiences, developers face the challenge of creating detailed assets efficiently and cost-effectively across multiple platforms. Traditional asset creation methods are time-consuming and expensive, making them inadequate for this evolving landscape.
This presentation explores how AI techniques, such as differentiable rendering and Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC), enhance asset production quality and efficiency. Specifically, within our game Honor Of Kings and other titles, we utilize Differential Shading Language (Slang) for material fitting, optimizing textures for low-end devices, and incorporating tools for artists to swiftly iterate designs. Innovations in geometry processing, including Software Occlusion Culling and Level of Detail (LOD) simplification, leverage rendering loss and visual importance to maintain high-quality visual experiences while reducing resource consumption.
By adopting these cutting-edge AI technologies, we significantly improve the creation and deployment of game assets, addressing the diverse challenges of modern game development.
Driven by the demand for immersive and visually stunning experiences, developers face the challenge of creating detailed assets efficiently and cost-effectively across multiple platforms. Traditional asset creation methods are time-consuming and expensive, making them inadequate for this evolving landscape.
This presentation explores how AI techniques, such as differentiable rendering and Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC), enhance asset production quality and efficiency. Specifically, within our game Honor Of Kings and other titles, we utilize Differential Shading Language (Slang) for material fitting, optimizing textures for low-end devices, and incorporating tools for artists to swiftly iterate designs. Innovations in geometry processing, including Software Occlusion Culling and Level of Detail (LOD) simplification, leverage rendering loss and visual importance to maintain high-quality visual experiences while reducing resource consumption.
By adopting these cutting-edge AI technologies, we significantly improve the creation and deployment of game assets, addressing the diverse challenges of modern game development.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
Technical Art
How We Draw a 3D Sprite World: The Stylized Art of 'Never's End'
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The team at Hypersect wanted to stand out from the competition with the art style of its tactical RPG, Never's End, by solving the problem of rendering a true 3D world as if it was hand-drawn 2D pixel art. In this session, Ryan Juckett (game director and lead engineer) will share details about the game's art pipeline and rendering technology powered by Hypersect's proprietary game engine. Characters and the environment are fully 3D modeled allowing a level of fidelity not possible in a true 2D sprite engine. While maintaining a hand-animated sprite illusion, Never's end allows for full camera control, dynamic lighting, complex materials such as liquids, skeletal based animation of dynamic clothing and weapons, and more.
The team at Hypersect wanted to stand out from the competition with the art style of its tactical RPG, Never's End, by solving the problem of rendering a true 3D world as if it was hand-drawn 2D pixel art. In this session, Ryan Juckett (game director and lead engineer) will share details about the game's art pipeline and rendering technology powered by Hypersect's proprietary game engine. Characters and the environment are fully 3D modeled allowing a level of fidelity not possible in a true 2D sprite engine. While maintaining a hand-animated sprite illusion, Never's end allows for full camera control, dynamic lighting, complex materials such as liquids, skeletal based animation of dynamic clothing and weapons, and more.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
Mastering Massive Worldbuilding: Production and Optimization of Ultra-Large Scale Maps
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Based on the successful massive worldbuilding practices of Mecha BREAK, this session will be talking about how Wenya confronted with significant environmental production challenges.
Wenya will provide an in-depth analysis of how her team achieved efficient production and optimization of ultra-large-scale maps.
Based on the successful massive worldbuilding practices of Mecha BREAK, this session will be talking about how Wenya confronted with significant environmental production challenges.
Wenya will provide an in-depth analysis of how her team achieved efficient production and optimization of ultra-large-scale maps.
- Pipeline
- Build Dev
The Dynamic Weather Systems of 'Borderlands 4: How They Can Apply to Games Without Dynamic Weather
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A visual and technical showcase describing how Borderlands 4 (BL4) leverages built-in UE5 features, along with custom extensions, to create a flexible, extendable and performant weather system for its open world environment.
Gearbox provides a behind-the-scenes look into the components that establish BL4's fully dynamic and localized weather. For example, how weather forecasts can be directed by artists using a suite of custom tools to emulate different climate conditions, how a custom render pass to apply weather effects to surfaces was used, and more. The speaker is an Associate Technical Art Director with 18+ years of game industry experience.
A visual and technical showcase describing how Borderlands 4 (BL4) leverages built-in UE5 features, along with custom extensions, to create a flexible, extendable and performant weather system for its open world environment. Gearbox provides a behind-the-scenes look into the components that establish BL4's fully dynamic and localized weather. For example, how weather forecasts can be directed by artists using a suite of custom tools to emulate different climate conditions, how a custom render pass to apply weather effects to surfaces was used, and more. The speaker is an Associate Technical Art Director with 18+ years of game industry experience.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
Illuminating Roco's Legacy: Scalable Global Illumination from Theory to Practice
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This session demonstrates how, with advanced global illumination technologies as the foundation, and through close collaboration between art and technical teams — the team reimagines the classic browser game Roco Kingdom as a 64-square-kilometer open-world cross-platform experience. While retaining the original art style, developers leverage technological innovations to overcome key limitations in memory, bandwidth, and performance. This enables delivery of dynamic day-night lighting effects across multiple platforms and devices, while maintaining visual consistency as much as possible.
In addition, this presentation will focus on sharing the various technical challenges encountered during the implementation of global illumination in an open-world, cross-platform game — along with the team's corresponding solutions, strategies, and insights.
This session demonstrates how, with advanced global illumination technologies as the foundation, and through close collaboration between art and technical teams — the team reimagines the classic browser game Roco Kingdom as a 64-square-kilometer open-world cross-platform experience. While retaining the original art style, developers leverage technological innovations to overcome key limitations in memory, bandwidth, and performance. This enables delivery of dynamic day-night lighting effects across multiple platforms and devices, while maintaining visual consistency as much as possible.
In addition, this presentation will focus on sharing the various technical challenges encountered during the implementation of global illumination in an open-world, cross-platform game — along with the team's corresponding solutions, strategies, and insights.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
Automation, Automated Testing, and QA
Test Automation is an Essential Investment for All
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The games industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Budgets are squeezed, player expectations are sky high, and the market is increasingly competitive. In this environment, can automated tests and other quality engineering approaches help?
Test automation is still not a widely-accepted practice in the industry, but those developers who are pioneering it have discovered the many benefits it can bring. These include:
- Increased stability, allowing earlier playtesting
- Faster iteration speed, enabling more creativity
- And an empowered QA role, freeing testers from error-prone monotony
Hear from a panel of four automation experts from a range of industry backgrounds across budgets, platforms and genres: Branka Billante (ex-Blizzard), Andrew Fray (Alphabear, Rollerdome), Henry Golding (Sea of Thieves) and Matt Ng (Minecraft) will discuss what test automation can do for video game development, the successes they've seen across their careers, as well as the mistakes they've made
The games industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Budgets are squeezed, player expectations are sky high, and the market is increasingly competitive. In this environment, can automated tests and other quality engineering approaches help?
Test automation is still not a widely-accepted practice in the industry, but those developers who are pioneering it have discovered the many benefits it can bring. These include:
- Increased stability, allowing earlier playtesting
- Faster iteration speed, enabling more creativity
- And an empowered QA role, freeing testers from error-prone monotony
Hear from a panel of four automation experts from a range of industry backgrounds across budgets, platforms and genres: Branka Billante (ex-Blizzard), Andrew Fray (Alphabear, Rollerdome), Henry Golding (Sea of Thieves) and Matt Ng (Minecraft) will discuss what test automation can do for video game development, the successes they've seen across their careers, as well as the mistakes they've made
- Automation
- QA
- Tools QA
Automating 'Marathon': How Bungie Went from 10 Automated Tests to Over 100 New, Reliable Tests to Deliver a High-Quality, Stable, Live-Service Game
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This presentation provides a brief history of client automation at Bungie, from Destiny to Marathon. We give an in-depth view of the 'blackboards' system leveraged to improve our ability to verify data at runtime and write automation for feature areas of Marathon, expanding our coverage from 10 to over 100 automation tests. Demonstrate how using a simple state machine can provide a strong foundation for stability and leverage that for hardware evaluation. Finally, we discuss how we're using automation to speed up development of Marathon as a live-service game through regression testing and how we're working to improve communication between QA, engineering, and design teams.
This presentation provides a brief history of client automation at Bungie, from Destiny to Marathon. We give an in-depth view of the 'blackboards' system leveraged to improve our ability to verify data at runtime and write automation for feature areas of Marathon, expanding our coverage from 10 to over 100 automation tests. Demonstrate how using a simple state machine can provide a strong foundation for stability and leverage that for hardware evaluation. Finally, we discuss how we're using automation to speed up development of Marathon as a live-service game through regression testing and how we're working to improve communication between QA, engineering, and design teams.
- Automation
- Tools QA
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
From the Ground Up: Rethinking Quality in Games
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Quality can no longer be just about finding bugs. As games grow larger and systems more complex, the way we think about Quality must shift. In this talk, we will share how teams at Ubisoft are changing the game by blending tech and testing, upskilling roles, and using automation and data to focus on what really matters. Expect real stories, honest lessons, and a clear look at how we are raising the bar for modern Quality teams. If you are wondering what Quality teams should look like today and where it's headed next, this talk is for you.
Quality can no longer be just about finding bugs. As games grow larger and systems more complex, the way we think about Quality must shift. In this talk, we will share how teams at Ubisoft are changing the game by blending tech and testing, upskilling roles, and using automation and data to focus on what really matters. Expect real stories, honest lessons, and a clear look at how we are raising the bar for modern Quality teams. If you are wondering what Quality teams should look like today and where it's headed next, this talk is for you.
- Automation
- Build Dev
- Tools QA
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
Machine Learning
Build Faster, Iterate More: AI-Powered Prototyping with the Model Context Protocol (MCP)
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In this talk, Brent Vincent and Lynn Gong will showcase the power of leveraging Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and clients that are poised to revolutionize game development. The session explores how these AI-enabled tools act as a universal middleware, bridging the gap between large language models and game engine functionality. Through practical, data-backed examples, the speakers demonstrate how MCP can be leveraged to automate tasks ranging from content creation and quality assurance to complex build pipelines. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the architectural principles behind MCP and its direct application in creating more efficient and agile development workflows.
In this talk, Brent Vincent and Lynn Gong will showcase the power of leveraging Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and clients that are poised to revolutionize game development. The session explores how these AI-enabled tools act as a universal middleware, bridging the gap between large language models and game engine functionality. Through practical, data-backed examples, the speakers demonstrate how MCP can be leveraged to automate tasks ranging from content creation and quality assurance to complex build pipelines. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the architectural principles behind MCP and its direct application in creating more efficient and agile development workflows.
- Programming
- Machine Learning
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Build Dev
Zenith: Diffusion Model Driven Map Generation
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This session introduces Zenith, a hybrid pipeline that automates the creation of multi-layered top-down maps from 3D environments. By combining procedural geometry extraction with a multi-encoder ControlNet architecture, Zenith generates walkable areas and stylized layers—line art, shadows, and highlights—using depth, normals, and detail conditioning. By unifying multiple diffusion models, Zenith delivers visually consistent results without requiring large training datasets. We will explore how it enhances efficiency, share insights from artist feedback, and discuss practical lessons for integrating diffusion models into game development.
This session introduces Zenith, a hybrid pipeline that automates the creation of multi-layered top-down maps from 3D environments. By combining procedural geometry extraction with a multi-encoder ControlNet architecture, Zenith generates walkable areas and stylized layers—line art, shadows, and highlights—using depth, normals, and detail conditioning. By unifying multiple diffusion models, Zenith delivers visually consistent results without requiring large training datasets. We will explore how it enhances efficiency, share insights from artist feedback, and discuss practical lessons for integrating diffusion models into game development.
- Pipeline
- Automation
- Procedural
- Machine Learning
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
LifeAfter: AIGC Paradigm Change in Mobile Game Art Production
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This session unveils a systematic approach to effectively implementing AI in game development production pipelines, addressing the gap between emerging AIGC technologies and practical applications. Drawing from real-world implementation in 'LifeAfter,' we'll explore principles for successful AI integration: establishing effective human-AI collaboration workflows, building value-oriented technical services, and creating cross-domain integration strategies. Through concrete case studies, we'll demonstrate how AI asset optimization toolchains and intelligent workflow transformations delivered over $6 million in cost savings and 50% efficiency improvements. Attendees will learn how to develop scientific evaluation frameworks for AI initiatives, overcome common implementation challenges, and build production-ready solutions across creative design, art production, asset management, and performance optimization. Join us to transform cutting-edge AI possibilities into substantial business value for your game development process.
This session unveils a systematic approach to effectively implementing AI in game development production pipelines, addressing the gap between emerging AIGC technologies and practical applications. Drawing from real-world implementation in 'LifeAfter,' we'll explore principles for successful AI integration: establishing effective human-AI collaboration workflows, building value-oriented technical services, and creating cross-domain integration strategies. Through concrete case studies, we'll demonstrate how AI asset optimization toolchains and intelligent workflow transformations delivered over $6 million in cost savings and 50% efficiency improvements. Attendees will learn how to develop scientific evaluation frameworks for AI initiatives, overcome common implementation challenges, and build production-ready solutions across creative design, art production, asset management, and performance optimization. Join us to transform cutting-edge AI possibilities into substantial business value for your game development process.
- Machine Learning
- Visual Arts
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Build Dev
AI Models for 2D Generation
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Ubisoft La Forge shares its pioneering work in generative AI for 2D image creation, built through close collaboration between artists and R&D teams. This session explores Ubisoft's research around a creator-first approach that respects artistic intent while addressing real production challenges such as accelerating visual ideation and reducing iteration cycles or repetitive tasks. From data preparation to training and human evaluation methods, attendees will gain insights into how Ubisoft has developed workflows using proprietary data, internal and open-source tools. They will also understand how models can be fine-tuned with minimal data, making them accessible to smaller studios. The talk will showcase various AI models developed at Ubisoft and how they are integrated into game production pipelines to support artists working on concept arts, texturing and materials creation.
Ubisoft La Forge shares its pioneering work in generative AI for 2D image creation, built through close collaboration between artists and R&D teams. This session explores Ubisoft's research around a creator-first approach that respects artistic intent while addressing real production challenges such as accelerating visual ideation and reducing iteration cycles or repetitive tasks. From data preparation to training and human evaluation methods, attendees will gain insights into how Ubisoft has developed workflows using proprietary data, internal and open-source tools. They will also understand how models can be fine-tuned with minimal data, making them accessible to smaller studios. The talk will showcase various AI models developed at Ubisoft and how they are integrated into game production pipelines to support artists working on concept arts, texturing and materials creation.
- Machine Learning
- Visual Arts
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
Floating Torsos No More! AI-Powered Animation in 'Horizon Worlds'
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When users immerse themselves in Horizon Worlds, they crave an authentic experience that simulates real human interaction. This talk covers the journey of transforming 'floating torsos' into fully embodied avatars driven by Codebook Matching, a cutting-edge AI animation model. This talk examines the challenges of delivering a multi-modal (VR, 1p, 3p), multi-platform (Quest, Mobile, PC), AI-driven animation system that achieves natural human-like motion, especially in regards to momentum, phase transitions, and inertia. These include: gameplay considerations like root-motion driven character movement, animation techniques for capturing and processing data, model refinement and optimizations, and asset management for on-device deployment. This talk dispels beliefs about embedded AI-animation systems: that they are slow to integrate, performance is prohibitively expensive, or inaccessible for animators. Instead, it highlights the success of taking a cutting-edge AI technique from R&D into a shipped product within an ambitious 1-year timeline.
When users immerse themselves in Horizon Worlds, they crave an authentic experience that simulates real human interaction. This talk covers the journey of transforming 'floating torsos' into fully embodied avatars driven by Codebook Matching, a cutting-edge AI animation model. This talk examines the challenges of delivering a multi-modal (VR, 1p, 3p), multi-platform (Quest, Mobile, PC), AI-driven animation system that achieves natural human-like motion, especially in regards to momentum, phase transitions, and inertia. These include: gameplay considerations like root-motion driven character movement, animation techniques for capturing and processing data, model refinement and optimizations, and asset management for on-device deployment. This talk dispels beliefs about embedded AI-animation systems: that they are slow to integrate, performance is prohibitively expensive, or inaccessible for animators. Instead, it highlights the success of taking a cutting-edge AI technique from R&D into a shipped product within an ambitious 1-year timeline.
- Machine Learning
- Visual Arts
The Future of Game Knowledge: Search Less. Ship More.
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At Ubisoft, knowledge is scattered across Confluence, Jira, GitLab, video platforms, and dozens of team silos. This fragmentation makes it harder to ramp up, debug, plan, or even stay aligned. So we built DocGPT: an internal, production-grade assistant designed to help teams search, understand, and reuse Ubisoft's knowledge using natural language.
Our goal was simple: reduce context switching and make internal knowledge more accessible. We co-developed our tech with production teams. Then it scaled. Fast!
Today, DocGPT supports workflows across multiple Ubisoft productions. It helps testers generate test cases from Design docs. It assists new developers with step-by-step guidance or by explaining custom pipeline code. It even supports managers by surfacing project status and Jira insights in plain English.
In this talk we'll share honest lessons from our rollout — from organizational acrobatics to surprising wins that reshaped our roadmap.
At Ubisoft, knowledge is scattered across Confluence, Jira, GitLab, video platforms, and dozens of team silos. This fragmentation makes it harder to ramp up, debug, plan, or even stay aligned. So we built DocGPT: an internal, production-grade assistant designed to help teams search, understand, and reuse Ubisoft's knowledge using natural language. Our goal was simple: reduce context switching and make internal knowledge more accessible. We co-developed our tech with production teams. Then it scaled. Fast! Today, DocGPT supports workflows across multiple Ubisoft productions. It helps testers generate test cases from Design docs. It assists new developers with step-by-step guidance or by explaining custom pipeline code. It even supports managers by surfacing project status and Jira insights in plain English. In this talk we'll share honest lessons from our rollout — from organizational acrobatics to surprising wins that reshaped our roadmap.
- Pipeline
- Machine Learning
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Build Dev
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
- Dev Support/Production Engineer
Reinforcement Learning in 'FC26': Shipping Human-Like Goalkeepers with a Designer-First Approach
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In this talk, we will explore the integration of a designer-first reinforcement learning approach into EA SPORTS FC 26. The approach focuses on creating human-like AI behaviors for the game's goalkeeper. Unlike traditional reinforcement learning methods that demand extensive resources and time, our new approach enables game developers to train AI agents overnight. This talk will highlight how we address common issues when applying reinforcement learning to game production, such as fixing undesired behaviors, and how to build a robust testing system featuring over 300 'unit-test' scenarios, ensuring continuous validation. Our new goalkeeper AI not only outperforms the legacy game's built-in AI with a 10% improvement in ball saving rate, but trains 50% faster than standard reinforcement learning methods, while being less robotic than other DRL or traditional AI approaches. During the talk we will show several videos comparing the performance of the goalkeeper trained with reinforcement learning and the old game's CPU AI. The videos will also showcase the difference in quality between the two approaches, demonstrating that our approach produces more human-like behavior. By sharing these insights, we aim to demonstrate how reinforcement learning can be successfully applied in video game production for player-facing gameplay to create realistic and engaging AI, targeting developers' needs.
In this talk, we will explore the integration of a designer-first reinforcement learning approach into EA SPORTS FC 26. The approach focuses on creating human-like AI behaviors for the game's goalkeeper. Unlike traditional reinforcement learning methods that demand extensive resources and time, our new approach enables game developers to train AI agents overnight. This talk will highlight how we address common issues when applying reinforcement learning to game production, such as fixing undesired behaviors, and how to build a robust testing system featuring over 300 'unit-test' scenarios, ensuring continuous validation. Our new goalkeeper AI not only outperforms the legacy game's built-in AI with a 10% improvement in ball saving rate, but trains 50% faster than standard reinforcement learning methods, while being less robotic than other DRL or traditional AI approaches. During the talk we will show several videos comparing the performance of the goalkeeper trained with reinforcement learning and the old game's CPU AI. The videos will also showcase the difference in quality between the two approaches, demonstrating that our approach produces more human-like behavior. By sharing these insights, we aim to demonstrate how reinforcement learning can be successfully applied in video game production for player-facing gameplay to create realistic and engaging AI, targeting developers' needs.
- Pipeline
- Machine Learning
SoftMax: Neural Simulation of Skeletal Physics
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This session presents a production-proven Neural Simulation system for skeletal physics, as seen on dozens of characters in the action game FateTrigger. The presenters explain how they overcame the notorious performance bottleneck of real-time secondary physics simulations (hair, cloth, accessories) for a large cast of characters. Their deep learning solution delivers high-fidelity, stable physics for a fraction of the cost—just 0.02-0.13ms on a single CPU core—making complex simulations viable while maintaining smooth, high-framerate gameplay. The talk explores the entire production pipeline, from its meticulously designed network architecture with quantization-aware training, to its high-performance custom C++ inference engine and a dynamic, load-balanced LOD system. It demonstrates that neural physics is no longer a research concept but a powerful solution for achieving superior performance while scaling to a higher volume of dynamic character simulations.
This session presents a production-proven Neural Simulation system for skeletal physics, as seen on dozens of characters in the action game FateTrigger. The presenters explain how they overcame the notorious performance bottleneck of real-time secondary physics simulations (hair, cloth, accessories) for a large cast of characters. Their deep learning solution delivers high-fidelity, stable physics for a fraction of the cost—just 0.02-0.13ms on a single CPU core—making complex simulations viable while maintaining smooth, high-framerate gameplay. The talk explores the entire production pipeline, from its meticulously designed network architecture with quantization-aware training, to its high-performance custom C++ inference engine and a dynamic, load-balanced LOD system. It demonstrates that neural physics is no longer a research concept but a powerful solution for achieving superior performance while scaling to a higher volume of dynamic character simulations.
- Pipeline
- Machine Learning
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
Audio
From Sibelius to Game: Crafting Adaptive Music for 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance'
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This talk explores the technical and creative processes behind the music of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, where I served as a music programmer, and soundtrack contributor. Using our proprietary Sequence Music Engine and music logic module, we authentically scored the game's 1400s Bohemia setting with segment-based adaptive music driven by in-game variables. Our workflow centers around the notation program Sibelius and our custom tool Converdi, which streamlines the production by converting the score symbols to preliminary MIDI streams per individual VSTs and by extracting the precise timing data necessary for the segment transitions. This enabled us to spend more time on the creative aspects of music and less time on production and implementation.
This talk explores the technical and creative processes behind the music of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, where I served as a music programmer, and soundtrack contributor. Using our proprietary Sequence Music Engine and music logic module, we authentically scored the game's 1400s Bohemia setting with segment-based adaptive music driven by in-game variables. Our workflow centers around the notation program Sibelius and our custom tool Converdi, which streamlines the production by converting the score symbols to preliminary MIDI streams per individual VSTs and by extracting the precise timing data necessary for the segment transitions. This enabled us to spend more time on the creative aspects of music and less time on production and implementation.
- Automation
- DCC Tool Dev
Design
The Modular and Expressive World Art of 'Keeper'
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The Modular and Expressive World Art of Keeper will be a detailed run-through of the environment art development pipeline for the game. It will go over using Adobe Modeler (VR) for game environment art, the teams proprietary tech for asset instance variation, their painterly foliage brush stroke application, and their mesh morphing tech.
The Modular and Expressive World Art of Keeper will be a detailed run-through of the environment art development pipeline for the game. It will go over using Adobe Modeler (VR) for game environment art, the teams proprietary tech for asset instance variation, their painterly foliage brush stroke application, and their mesh morphing tech.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Build Dev
Invisible Cameras: Reimagining Cinematography in Real-Time Game Engines
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As digital storytelling becomes increasingly cinematic, the role of virtual cameras is rapidly transforming the landscape of games and entertainment.
Presented by the Society for Game Cinematics, this session will explore how cameras (tools once constrained by physical limitations) are now virtual, dynamic, and shaped by gameplay, procedural systems, and user interactivity. Creators from AAA, indie, and solo backgrounds will present practical approaches to procedural cameras, seamless narrative-driven camera choices, scalable camera architectures for small teams, and virtual production workflows that empower individual creators.
Through case studies and real-world examples, presenters will examine how traditional cinematography principles are upheld, challenged, or completely redefined when 'shooting' in a digital world, and how modern camera systems are reshaping storytelling across diverse productions. Attendees will gain insight into how cinematic cameras are crafted for interactive experiences, how aesthetics and narrative intentions are balanced with technical constraints, and where virtual cinematography is headed next.
As digital storytelling becomes increasingly cinematic, the role of virtual cameras is rapidly transforming the landscape of games and entertainment.
Presented by the Society for Game Cinematics, this session will explore how cameras (tools once constrained by physical limitations) are now virtual, dynamic, and shaped by gameplay, procedural systems, and user interactivity. Creators from AAA, indie, and solo backgrounds will present practical approaches to procedural cameras, seamless narrative-driven camera choices, scalable camera architectures for small teams, and virtual production workflows that empower individual creators.
Through case studies and real-world examples, presenters will examine how traditional cinematography principles are upheld, challenged, or completely redefined when 'shooting' in a digital world, and how modern camera systems are reshaping storytelling across diverse productions. Attendees will gain insight into how cinematic cameras are crafted for interactive experiences, how aesthetics and narrative intentions are balanced with technical constraints, and where virtual cinematography is headed next.
- Design
- Procedural
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Build Dev
Sponsored Sessions
AI-Powered UGC Creation in Peace Elite (Presented by LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS)
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This session explores how AI technologies empower large-scale UGC creation in Peace Elite, enabling players to build complex content with minimal technical barriers. The talk presents four practical AI-driven UGC workflows currently applied in production. First, AI-assisted brick assembly allows players to input images or text, with the system intelligently selecting and assembling predefined building bricks into structures that match user intent. Second, the session covers AI-generated UGC avatars, including automatic model creation, rigging, and vision-based motion capture for animation and runtime driving. Third, it introduces 3D scene generation, where AI converts user inputs into images, performs semantic scene understanding, and transforms results into interactive 3D game environments. Finally, the talk demonstrates AI-based 3D relief generation, converting 2D line art into depth-enhanced height maps to enrich model surface detail. Together, these systems showcase scalable AI solutions for UGC ecosystems in live games.
This session explores how AI technologies empower large-scale UGC creation in Peace Elite, enabling players to build complex content with minimal technical barriers. The talk presents four practical AI-driven UGC workflows currently applied in production. First, AI-assisted brick assembly allows players to input images or text, with the system intelligently selecting and assembling predefined building bricks into structures that match user intent. Second, the session covers AI-generated UGC avatars, including automatic model creation, rigging, and vision-based motion capture for animation and runtime driving. Third, it introduces 3D scene generation, where AI converts user inputs into images, performs semantic scene understanding, and transforms results into interactive 3D game environments. Finally, the talk demonstrates AI-based 3D relief generation, converting 2D line art into depth-enhanced height maps to enrich model surface detail. Together, these systems showcase scalable AI solutions for UGC ecosystems in live games.
- Technical
- Build Dev
The Future of Facial Rigging: RigX and the Next Era of Digital Humans (Presented by 2DNAC)
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Marko Š. presents RigX, a revolutionary pipeline that transforms how digital characters are created for high-end games and cinematic productions. Attendees will see firsthand how RigX shatters traditional limitations, enabling artists to produce characters of all styles—from hyper-realistic humans to stylized or cartoony designs—faster and more efficiently than ever before.
The session features a short, high-quality rendered example followed by a live demonstration, showing RigX's seamless handling of facial animation, rigging, and performance in real-time. Marko discusses key features, shares practical tips for implementing RigX in advanced production pipelines, and answers audience questions. This session emphasizes innovation, efficiency, and the creative possibilities RigX opens for modern character creation across games, film, AR/VR, and interactive experiences.
Marko Š. presents RigX, a revolutionary pipeline that transforms how digital characters are created for high-end games and cinematic productions. Attendees will see firsthand how RigX shatters traditional limitations, enabling artists to produce characters of all styles—from hyper-realistic humans to stylized or cartoony designs—faster and more efficiently than ever before.
The session features a short, high-quality rendered example followed by a live demonstration, showing RigX's seamless handling of facial animation, rigging, and performance in real-time. Marko discusses key features, shares practical tips for implementing RigX in advanced production pipelines, and answers audience questions. This session emphasizes innovation, efficiency, and the creative possibilities RigX opens for modern character creation across games, film, AR/VR, and interactive experiences.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
Building the Dark Fantasy Materials of DOOM: The Dark Ages (Presented by Adobe)
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Explore the material creation pipeline behind DOOM: The Dark Ages as Kat Tamburello guides you through the procedural systems and artistic strategies that enabled a small team to build a dark fantasy world. This session examines how the team built an extensive library of tiling materials using Substance-based workflows to support the dynamic damage reveal system, rapid iteration on multiple biomes, and the massive scale of the Dragon and Atlan map. Attendees will gain insight into how these techniques streamlined production, ensured visual consistency, and empowered the team to meet the ambitious scope and complexity demanded by the world of DOOM: The Dark Ages.
Explore the material creation pipeline behind DOOM: The Dark Ages as Kat Tamburello guides you through the procedural systems and artistic strategies that enabled a small team to build a dark fantasy world. This session examines how the team built an extensive library of tiling materials using Substance-based workflows to support the dynamic damage reveal system, rapid iteration on multiple biomes, and the massive scale of the Dragon and Atlan map. Attendees will gain insight into how these techniques streamlined production, ensured visual consistency, and empowered the team to meet the ambitious scope and complexity demanded by the world of DOOM: The Dark Ages.
- Pipeline
- Procedural
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Build Dev
- Dev Support/Production Engineer
Responsible AI (Presented by VILLAIN Studios)
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AI is an incredible accelerant for early-stage creativity. It excels at rapid prototyping, sketching concepts, exploring level layouts, generating quest variants, and helping engineers debug. But when it comes to a game's final creative expression—the characters players bond with, the stories that move them, the art that defines a world, and the music that anchors emotion—the work must remain unmistakably human. Anything less flirts with plagiarism.
Mark Long and Don Norbury outline how VILLAIN Studio applies 'responsible AI' on their upcoming title FRONTIER, using automation as a force multiplier while preserving the integrity of human authorship. Their framework blends ethical guardrails, transparent pipelines, and creative oversight to ensure AI supports developers without replacing them. The result is a production model that protects originality, empowers artists, and uses AI where it's strongest: speeding iteration so teams can create better, faster, and more boldly.
AI is an incredible accelerant for early-stage creativity. It excels at rapid prototyping, sketching concepts, exploring level layouts, generating quest variants, and helping engineers debug. But when it comes to a game's final creative expression—the characters players bond with, the stories that move them, the art that defines a world, and the music that anchors emotion—the work must remain unmistakably human. Anything less flirts with plagiarism.
Mark Long and Don Norbury outline how VILLAIN Studio applies 'responsible AI' on their upcoming title FRONTIER, using automation as a force multiplier while preserving the integrity of human authorship. Their framework blends ethical guardrails, transparent pipelines, and creative oversight to ensure AI supports developers without replacing them. The result is a production model that protects originality, empowers artists, and uses AI where it's strongest: speeding iteration so teams can create better, faster, and more boldly.
- Pipeline
- Automation
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
- Dev Support/Production Engineer
Fast Pre-Production for Gameplay & Cinematics (Presented by Cartwheel)
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Pre-production is where ideas move, or stall. In this session, Cartwheel shares how AI-assisted motion tools can dramatically speed up early exploration for gameplay and cinematic teams. We'll walk through real examples of going from reference to usable animation in minutes, generating fast blockouts for combat moves, traversal, cutscenes, and character moments without disrupting existing Maya, Blender, or Unreal pipelines.
Attendees will learn where AI fits today, where it doesn't, and how teams are using rapid motion prototypes to test ideas earlier, reduce iteration time, and unblock downstream departments. We'll cover practical workflows, common pitfalls, and how studios of all sizes are integrating lightweight AI tools into their pre-production stack to move faster without sacrificing creative control.
Pre-production is where ideas move, or stall. In this session, Cartwheel shares how AI-assisted motion tools can dramatically speed up early exploration for gameplay and cinematic teams. We'll walk through real examples of going from reference to usable animation in minutes, generating fast blockouts for combat moves, traversal, cutscenes, and character moments without disrupting existing Maya, Blender, or Unreal pipelines.
Attendees will learn where AI fits today, where it doesn't, and how teams are using rapid motion prototypes to test ideas earlier, reduce iteration time, and unblock downstream departments. We'll cover practical workflows, common pitfalls, and how studios of all sizes are integrating lightweight AI tools into their pre-production stack to move faster without sacrificing creative control.
- Technical
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
Test Every Idea, Build the Best One: Amplify Creative Exploration Without Developer Bottlenecks (Presented by Bezi)
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Traditionally, prototyping has been a filtering process. Designers pitch ideas, developers evaluate feasibility, and only a handful make it to playable form. The rest? Shelved because there isn't time. At the same time, developers spend time building prototypes that never make it to production instead of focusing on the architecture, systems and polish required to ship.
This session explores how teams use tools like Bezi to change that dynamic. By removing technical bottlenecks, designers can translate ideas directly into playable mechanics in minutes, not days. Designers get creative freedom. Developers get to focus on production-quality work. More experimentation, more creative exploration, better games.
Traditionally, prototyping has been a filtering process. Designers pitch ideas, developers evaluate feasibility, and only a handful make it to playable form. The rest? Shelved because there isn't time. At the same time, developers spend time building prototypes that never make it to production instead of focusing on the architecture, systems and polish required to ship.
This session explores how teams use tools like Bezi to change that dynamic. By removing technical bottlenecks, designers can translate ideas directly into playable mechanics in minutes, not days. Designers get creative freedom. Developers get to focus on production-quality work. More experimentation, more creative exploration, better games.
- Technical
- DCC Tool Dev
- Build Dev
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
Angry Birds meets GenAI: Transforming Rovio's Asset Creation with AWS (Presented by Amazon Web Services)
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Explore how Rovio, the creator of Angry Birds, is reimagining game asset creation using AWS's generative AI services. Using Angry Birds Dream Blast as a real example, this session explores how GenAI—powered by Amazon SageMaker and Amazon Bedrock—fits into live game production, enabling faster content creation while maintaining art direction and brand consistency.
Explore how Rovio, the creator of Angry Birds, is reimagining game asset creation using AWS's generative AI services. Using Angry Birds Dream Blast as a real example, this session explores how GenAI—powered by Amazon SageMaker and Amazon Bedrock—fits into live game production, enabling faster content creation while maintaining art direction and brand consistency.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Tool Lead/Engineering Producer
AI + Games: More Creativity in Production, Deeper Fun in Gameplay (Presented by Meshy)
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Presented by Meshy AI CEO Ethan Hu and friends, this session dives into two ways AI is transforming games: (1) 'AI-empowered production' — using 3D AI tools like Meshy to help developers build better games, and (2) 'AI-native games' — using AI to invent entirely new kinds of gameplay.In the first part, Ethan will share a 2026 perspective on what works (and what doesn't) when using 3D generative AI as your game-development copilot, and where the technology is headed next. Speakers will also demo real workflows showing how Meshy's 3D AI is used in game development and education.In the second part, we'll talk about adding an 'AI engine' into games themselves. Speakers will showcase creative ways to weave AI into gameplay to make games more dynamic, surprising, and fun.
Presented by Meshy AI CEO Ethan Hu and friends, this session dives into two ways AI is transforming games: (1) 'AI-empowered production' — using 3D AI tools like Meshy to help developers build better games, and (2) 'AI-native games' — using AI to invent entirely new kinds of gameplay.In the first part, Ethan will share a 2026 perspective on what works (and what doesn't) when using 3D generative AI as your game-development copilot, and where the technology is headed next. Speakers will also demo real workflows showing how Meshy's 3D AI is used in game development and education.In the second part, we'll talk about adding an 'AI engine' into games themselves. Speakers will showcase creative ways to weave AI into gameplay to make games more dynamic, surprising, and fun.
- Technical
- DCC Tool Dev
- Build Dev
From Code to Game: Empowering Developers with JetBrains Rider and TeamCity (Presented by JetBrains)
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Your ideas, your code, your game. JetBrains tools are here to make the journey smooth, fast and enjoyable.
Together, let's see how JetBrains Rider helps you write the code you need. With impressive engine-specific inspections, Rider will suggest best practices in Unity and Unreal Engine. AI functionality can help learn new APIs or handle boilerplate for you. Rich debugging helps you understand how your game is working, on desktop, mobile or console. And integration with serialised data bridges the gap between the editor and your code. We'll learn some tips and tricks and see what's new, including exciting new Godot support.
And we'll see how TeamCity simplifies continuous integration and keeps your development pipeline running like clockwork.
This session will show you how JetBrains helps you bring your game ideas to life, faster and smarter than ever.
Your ideas, your code, your game. JetBrains tools are here to make the journey smooth, fast and enjoyable.
Together, let's see how JetBrains Rider helps you write the code you need. With impressive engine-specific inspections, Rider will suggest best practices in Unity and Unreal Engine. AI functionality can help learn new APIs or handle boilerplate for you. Rich debugging helps you understand how your game is working, on desktop, mobile or console. And integration with serialised data bridges the gap between the editor and your code. We'll learn some tips and tricks and see what's new, including exciting new Godot support.
And we'll see how TeamCity simplifies continuous integration and keeps your development pipeline running like clockwork.
This session will show you how JetBrains helps you bring your game ideas to life, faster and smarter than ever.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Dev Support/Production Engineer
Scaling 3D Creation at Roblox with Amazon SageMaker HyperPod (Presented by Amazon Web Services)
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Roblox is investing in AI-powered tools to transform how creators build 3D content. In this session, learn how Roblox partnered with AWS to accelerate large-scale training of 3D models using Amazon SageMaker HyperPod. The talk will cover how this collaboration enabled faster experimentation, improved training efficiency, and expanded capabilities for Roblox creator tools. The team will share practical lessons from running production-scale generative AI workloads, including how they balanced performance, cost, and time-to-market.
Roblox is investing in AI-powered tools to transform how creators build 3D content. In this session, learn how Roblox partnered with AWS to accelerate large-scale training of 3D models using Amazon SageMaker HyperPod. The talk will cover how this collaboration enabled faster experimentation, improved training efficiency, and expanded capabilities for Roblox creator tools. The team will share practical lessons from running production-scale generative AI workloads, including how they balanced performance, cost, and time-to-market.
- Programming
- DCC Tool Dev
- Build Dev
Agentic LiveOps: From Concept to Production (Presented by Amazon Web Services)
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Agentic systems are creating new opportunities in LiveOps, from player segmentation to automated game operations. Amazon Bedrock AgentCore provides the foundation teams need to move from prototype to production with confidence. In this session, we demonstrate how AgentCore simplifies multi-agent orchestration, provides built-in security controls, enables comprehensive monitoring, and supports robust evaluation frameworks. Using real-world LiveOps examples, you'll see how teams can build scalable, production-grade agents while maintaining the reliability and observability that LiveOps demands. Whether you're building your first agent or scaling existing automation, you'll leave with a practical framework for deploying agentic AI in production gaming environments.
Agentic systems are creating new opportunities in LiveOps, from player segmentation to automated game operations. Amazon Bedrock AgentCore provides the foundation teams need to move from prototype to production with confidence. In this session, we demonstrate how AgentCore simplifies multi-agent orchestration, provides built-in security controls, enables comprehensive monitoring, and supports robust evaluation frameworks. Using real-world LiveOps examples, you'll see how teams can build scalable, production-grade agents while maintaining the reliability and observability that LiveOps demands. Whether you're building your first agent or scaling existing automation, you'll leave with a practical framework for deploying agentic AI in production gaming environments.
- Automation
- Build Dev
- Dev Support/Production Engineer
Through the Looking Glass: The Art of South of Midnight (Presented by Adobe)
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Paulette Richardson and Chad Emond from Compulsion Games will share insights into the handcrafted art style behind the environments and characters of South of Midnight. Paulette will talk about the texturing process for props and environments using Substance 3D Designer and Substance 3D Painter. Chad will follow with a look at the characters of South of Midnight, taking you through the team's character pipeline and showcasing how Substance 3D Painter was used during the texturing process.
Paulette Richardson and Chad Emond from Compulsion Games will share insights into the handcrafted art style behind the environments and characters of South of Midnight. Paulette will talk about the texturing process for props and environments using Substance 3D Designer and Substance 3D Painter. Chad will follow with a look at the characters of South of Midnight, taking you through the team's character pipeline and showcasing how Substance 3D Painter was used during the texturing process.
- Pipeline
- DCC Tool Dev
- Pipeline Dev
- Dev Support/Production Engineer
Other
Check out the other guides from previous years: