Interested in gaining knowledge and expertise in the games industry? This podcast explores the latest insights into external development in the areas of Art, Co-development, Audio, QA, and Localization across all platforms. Each episode features conversations with industry leaders who are shaping the future of video game development. Published monthly. External Development Summit (XDS) is the only annual, international games industry event with a primary focus on external development for art ...
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XDS24 | Best Practices in Co-Development: Lessons Learned the Hard Way
1:11:33
1:11:33
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1:11:33In this live recording from their XDS24 presentation, Jay Arrera, Production Director at Pipeworks (Developer), and Jay Minn, Senior Technical Producer at Wizards of the Coast (Publisher), share what worked—and what didn’t—in their recent collaboration on Magic: Spellslingers and throughout their careers. Stay tuned after the presentation as Philip…
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XDS24 | People Power: How an Emphasis on Individuals Builds Stronger Collaborations
49:26
49:26
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49:26In this session recorded live at XDS 2024, Nicole West, Co-Founder and Head of Operations at West Studio, shares her insights on the transformative impact of recognizing and nurturing individual talent within creative teams. Drawing from her rich experience across video games, animation, and feature films, Nicole explores how prioritizing personal …
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XDS 24 | Seizing Opportunities for Growth and Change in External Development
36:54
36:54
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36:54Recorded live at XDS 2024, this episode brings together a powerhouse panel to explore the future of external development in gaming. The panel shares powerful insights into fostering stability and highlights the transformative potential of external development. Their conversation leaves us not only with a clear view of today’s challenges but also wi…
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XDS24 | Bridging Cultures: Learning from Cross-Cultural Partnerships in External Development
57:04
57:04
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57:04In this episode, Juney Dijkstra, Operations Director at XDI, Electronic Arts, moderates a thought-provoking panel discussion recorded at XDS 2024. The panel dives into the nuances of cross-cultural partnerships, exploring key topics such as introductory meetings, negotiation, relationship management, and conflict resolution. Our expert panelists sh…
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Paige Bailey | XDS24 Fireside Keynote
1:03:36
1:03:36
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1:03:36Tune in to an insightful fireside chat featuring Paige Bailey, Engineering Lead for GenAI Developer Experience at Google, and host Joe Nickolls, CEO of Timbre Games Studio. Paige has a deep understanding of the generative AI landscape, having previously served as an applied machine learning engineer at Microsoft and GitHub, and a product lead for G…
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Marc-Alexis Côté | XDS24 Fireside Keynote
59:56
59:56
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59:56Tune in to this engaging executive fireside chat featuring Marc-Alexis Côté, VP & Executive Producer at Ubisoft, as he shares valuable insights on the games industry with Joe Nickolls, CEO of Timbre Games Studio. Marc-Alexis discusses his career journey, the evolution of today’s gaming landscape, and the crucial role of external development in driv…
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SPECIAL | Women@XDS - Amplifying women’s voices in the External Development Community
45:35
45:35
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45:35Welcome to this special inaugural episode of the Women@XDS, where we unite and amplify women's voices in the external development community. Join Carla Rylance, Caroline Calaway, Nikki Roth, and Tara Phillips as they share their inspiring journeys as women in external development post-pandemic, celebrate the trailblazing women who have shaped our i…
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XDS Ignite 2024 | Strategic Outreach: Navigating from Communication to Production in External Dev
45:28
45:28
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45:28During XDS Ignite 2024, Harish Rao, Manager of Outsource Art & Concept at Sony PlayStation, led a panel discussion on the effective transition from initial communication to production in external development. During the session, industry leaders provided insights on overcoming challenges such as timezone mix-ups and policy misunderstandings. The di…
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XDS Ignite 2024 | Creating an Environment for Effective Communication
34:28
34:28
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34:28At XDS Ignite 2024, Shiew Yeu Loh, Senior Outsourcing Manager at Riot Games, delivered an insightful presentation on cultivating effective communication environments, particularly between Western and non-Western teams. Shiew Yeu discusses significant cultural differences: Western teams prioritize open discussions and individual contributions, where…
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Lost In Transition: How Outsource Manager Turnover Impacts Devs & Vendors Alike
33:16
33:16
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33:16What makes a great external development manager and why is it so important? Tune in to this podcast episode featuring Tara Phillips, Art Service Line Director at Keywords Studios, as she moderates the September XDS 2023 panel presentation. "Lost In Transition: How Outsource Manager Turnover Impacts Developers and Vendors Alike.” Developers and vend…
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2024 XDS Insights Report | Guest Author Abigail Canavese discusses key observations
27:49
27:49
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27:49Many call it the game industry's latest big disruptor, but where does Artificial Intelligence fit within the landscape of external development? Get ready to dive deeper into this year’s XDS Insights Report with guest author Abigail Canavese, Assistant Director of Co-Development Success, Virtuos. In this episode, Abigail unpacks the current and futu…
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Resilience in Action: How External Development Companies Navigate Crisis
36:06
36:06
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36:06Join us for the insightful XDS 2023 panel presentation, "Resilience in Action: How External Development Companies Navigate Crisis," moderated by Claas Grimm, CFO of Sharkmob. The panel features external development companies with Ukrainian roots sharing their experiences of navigating the adversities of the Russian war of aggression and economic tu…
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Unlocking the Power of External Partnerships Collaboration
40:24
40:24
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40:24How do you strike a balance between keeping the artist happy and motivated while keeping the studio happy and cost efficient? This episode introduces the September XDS 2023 presentation “Unlocking the Power of External Partnerships Collaboration,” delivered by industry pros Erik Pettersson, Lead Outsource Artist, EA DICE, and Kim Aava, now Art Dire…
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Dave Sanderson | What The Airline Industry Can Teach Us About Ext Dev Strategy
40:45
40:45
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40:45Efficiency Is Everything: What The Airline Industry Can Teach Us About External Development Strategy This episode includes the XDS 2023 presentation delivered by Dave Sanderson, Director of External Development, Phoenix Labs. Dave examines several strategies airlines use to optimize their operations, and in doing so reveals valuable insights into h…
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Marija Radulovic-Nastic | XDS Executive Fireside Chat
32:53
32:53
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32:53In this episode of our podcast, we provide a positive outlook and insightful commentary on the present state of the gaming industry. We then introduce our XDS 2023 Fireside chat, which took place in Vancouver, featuring special guest - Marija Radulovic-Nastic, who serves as the Chief Technology Officer for Electronic Arts. The chat is hosted by Joe…
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Molly Mason-Boule | XDS Executive Fireside Chat
34:39
34:39
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34:39Join Chris Wren as he reflects on the successful XDS 2023 event and offers a glimpse into what's new for XDS in 2024, including XDS Spark. Exciting developments are on the way! Then listen on for the XDS 2023 Fireside Chat with Molly Mason-Boule, Games COO of Riot Games that follows. Joe Nickolls, VP of Sumo Digital North America and Managing Direc…
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Nigel Franks | Why Growing a Studio and Innovation Are Harder Than They Should Be
46:26
46:26
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46:26Innovation is a lot harder than one may think. Nigel Franks, Studio Director of Production at Snowed In Studios, shares his reflections on this topic and how the struggles of expanding a business are not unique. Nigel’s award-winning presentation delivered at XDS 2022 follows. You might need a notepad for this one – as Nigel discusses how textbook …
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Sam Carlisle | Is your team brave enough to try the Movie Method?
51:58
51:58
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51:58Game Development and the Movie Method: What we'd like it to be, versus what it is and it'd take to be successful. Guest Sam Carlisle, Sr. Director, External Partner Relations, Xbox Games Studios, contemplates the benefits and challenges in shifting to The Movie Method in game development. The audio presentation that follows was delivered at XDS 202…
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Dave Sanderson | Hard Pivot: Changing ExDev Strategies Post-Acquisition
45:31
45:31
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45:31Dave Sanderson, Director of External Development at Phoenix Labs, talks with Chris Wren about why he loves his role and expands on the concept of whether External Development and outsourcing are viable options to grow a company. Dave’s audio presentation that follows was delivered at XDS 2022. In January 2020, Phoenix Labs was acquired by Garena, t…
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Carla Rylance | External Development Essentials: Diversifying with Confidence
52:43
52:43
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52:43Chris Wren chats with Carla Rylance, Head of External Production, Behaviour Interactive, on why her presentation, Diversifying with Confidence, should be a go-to reference for Service Providers courting new clients. Carla’s audio presentation that follows was delivered at XDS 2022. It helps Developers and Publishers diversify with confidence by pre…
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XDS23 Insights Report | Guest Author Caroline Calaway discusses key observations
42:01
42:01
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42:01Welcome to our first XDS Podcast! In our introductory episode, host Chris Wren chats with this year’s Insights Report guest author Caroline Calaway, Senior Producer, Riot Games. This year’s survey explored the impact geopolitical instability of various types has had on external development, in addition to the realities of inflation and changes in r…
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