adminDevelop:Brighton 2026 will bring game industry professionals together from July 14 to 16, with its first announced speakers representing studios and organisations including Respawn Entertainment, PlayStation Studios and EA Full Circle. The initial programme covers business, discoverability, indie development and game audio, giving attendees an early look at the subjects planned for the conference.
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Develop:Brighton 2026 speakers and session themes
The first speaker announcement includes practical topics for people working across game development and publishing. Session subjects range from external partnerships and recruitment to marketing, project decisions and sound design. As the programme develops, attendees can use these themes to identify talks most relevant to their roles and interests.
Business track: partnerships, project decisions and hiring
Rikki Vitello of EA Full Circle will discuss working with external development partners. Mark Shaw from Flix Entertainment will explore how to recognise the sunk cost fallacy in a game project, while recruitment veteran Liz Prince of Amiqus will cover hiring under the UK Employment Rights Act.
These sessions address different parts of running a development business. Teams considering external support may find it useful to think in advance about communication and responsibilities. The discussion of sunk costs is relevant when assessing whether continuing a project still makes sense, while the recruitment session focuses on hiring within the stated UK legal context.
Discoverability track: marketing before and after launch
Najmah Salam of Panda Cat Games will present on carrying out a marketing content strategy without losing focus. Jarvs Tasker of Happy Volcano will share tips for improving a Steam page’s visibility. Mike Gallagher of Untitled Ad Lab will examine why much PC game marketing fails after launch.
Together, these topics span content planning, store-page presentation and post-launch promotion. Developers preparing for a release can consider how each activity fits into a broader marketing plan rather than treating visibility as a single task.
Indie track: finding the right development approach
Michael Meaden of Athena Worlds will speak about balancing “big team process” with an indie mindset. Alyx Jones of Silver Script Games will discuss making and shipping her passion project. Michael Rose of No More Robots and Vlambeer veteran Rami Ismail are also scheduled to give a talk, although a description has not yet been provided.
The announced sessions offer perspectives on both production methods and completing a personal project. Indie developers may find it helpful to consider which processes support their teams and which might add unnecessary overhead.
Audio track and PlayStation Studios conversation
Respawn Entertainment’s Nick Laviers will share lessons from 30 years of working in game audio. Jagex’s Ashton Mills and Andrew Dodds will discuss visual approaches to creative sound design. PlayStation Studios’ Martin Stig Andersen is also set to appear in conversation with Rob Bridgett.
These sessions bring together long-term audio experience, creative sound design and a conversation format. Attendees interested in game audio can compare the announced topics with their own production needs as more programme details become available.
What to know about Develop:Brighton 2026
Develop:Brighton 2026 is scheduled for July 14–16. The first speaker announcement outlines several tracks, but not every session has a full description yet. Check the programme as further details are announced to confirm talk information and plan around the subjects most relevant to you.
With speakers from Respawn Entertainment, PlayStation Studios, EA Full Circle and other organisations, Develop:Brighton 2026 has an initial line-up spanning business, marketing, indie development and audio. Its announced sessions provide a useful early guide to the conference’s range of topics.
