Session Name: | Embedded Game Journalism: Building Transparency and Trust with the Press (and Your Audience) |
Speaker(s): | Jeff Pobst |
Company Name(s): | Hidden Path Entertainment |
Track / Format: | Business, Marketing & Management |
Overview: |
Two years ago, during GDC 2013, Jeff Pobst (CEO, Hidden Path Entertainment) met Russ Pitts (then of Polygon.com) and finalized their agreement on an unusual plan. Russ would be granted full access to every member of the development team and be an embedded reporter at the studio during the development of Defense Grid 2. With total access to every member of the development team, Pitts provided total transparency about the making of DG2 over a series of multiple articles and most recently, a full-length book. For Jeff and the development team, this level of openness would come with great risk, but also an immense opportunity to connect with their potential audience, promote awareness of what goes into making a modern video game and establish expectations in a way that no other studio ever has. Join Jeff Pobst to learn more about this unique arrangement, the opportunity, the hesitation, the challenges, the benefits, the untold stories that result from being completely transparent during development. |