Index Gaming Summit 2022

#indexgamingsummit

Video games have come a long way since the days of Atari’s “Pong.” With advancements in game design, the inclusion of social networking, and the introduction of intricate economies, gaming has transcended into mainstream culture. Today there are 3B gamers worldwide, generating $175B in annual revenue, more than music and box office combined.

With new innovations like cloud gaming, web3, and the Metaverse around the corner, it’s never been a more dynamic time to talk about the future of this industry. At the inaugural Index Gaming Summit we will talk to leaders across the Index portfolio – Roblox, Discord, King, Supercell, Dream Games, and Rec Room, just to name a few – and other industry leaders including Axie Infinity and Polygon Studios, about what we can expect from gaming in the years to come.

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Speakers

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Caroline Hyde
Co-host, BloombergTV
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Sebastian Knutsson
Co-founder & former CCO, King
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Dan Sturman
CTO, Roblox
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Dean Takahashi
Lead Writer, GamesBeat
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Ilkka Paananen
Co-founder & CEO, Supercell
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Elizabeth Hamren
COO, Discord
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Jeff "Jiho" Zirlin
Co-founder, Sky Mavis / Axie Infinity
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Ryan Wyatt
CEO, Polygon Studios
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Jenova Chen
CEO, That Game Company
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Maneet Khaira
Co-founder & CEO, Backbone
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Soner Aydemir
Co-founder & CEO, Dream Games
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Nick Fajt
Co-founder & CEO, Rec Room

Agenda

9:00am PDT / 5:00pm BST

Welcome

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Sofia Dolfe

Partner, Index Ventures

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Damir Becirovic

Partner, Index Ventures

9:05am PDT / 5:05pm BST

Secrets to Building Iconic IP

At their best, games become a home for players to experience and express themselves for years on end. But what makes a great game great? Soner Aydemir (Co-Founder & CEO, Dream Games) and Jenova Chen (CEO, ThatGameCompany) discuss how to approach game design, find your target audience, and create memorable and enduring game experiences. 

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Soner Aydemir

Co-founder & CEO, Dream Games

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Jenova Chen

CEO, ThatGameCompany

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Sofia Dolfe

Partner, Index Ventures (Moderator)

9:40am PDT / 5:40pm BST

Into the Metaverse

'Ready Player One' set the stage for the Metaverse in 2011 and we're now on the cusp of realizing that future… or has it already arrived? Daniel Sturman (CTO, Roblox) joins Caroline Hyde (Co-Host, Bloomberg TV) to discuss all things Metaverse; whether it already exists through Roblox today, what challenges lie ahead as it becomes more prevalent, and how it will augment future interactions.

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Dan Sturman

CTO, Roblox

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Caroline Hyde

Co-host, BloombergTV (Moderator)

10:10am PDT / 6:10pm BST

Gaming – The New Social Network

Games are the new shopping mall. It's where friends interact with one another, discussing all sorts of topics regardless of whether or not they relate to the game itself. Elizabeth Hamren (COO, Discord) and Nick Fajt (Co-Founder & CEO, Rec Room) discuss how games have evolved to fit this need, the differences between social gaming platforms and incumbent social media platforms, and what problems need to be addressed as gaming emerges as the future forum for socialization.

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Elizabeth Hamren

COO, Discord

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Nick Fajt

Co-founder & CEO, Rec Room

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Danny Rimer

Partner, Index Ventures (Moderator)

10:45am PDT / 6:45pm BST

Cloud Gaming

Fortnite isn’t available on the App Store… but you can still play it on your phone today? With new services from Xbox, PlayStation, Amazon, and NVIDIA, as well as an M&A race to own the best gaming content, it’s clear that cloud gaming has finally arrived. Maneet Khaira (Co-Founder & CEO, Backbone) shares his perspective on how gameplay is evolving and why the next decade of gaming will be defined by the cloud.

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Maneet Khaira

Co-founder & CEO, Backbone

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Damir Becirovic

Partner, Index Ventures (Moderator)

11:15am PDT / 7:15pm BST

Blockchain / Web3 Gaming

2021: Web3 is eating the world!
2022: Web3 is dead.

The past couple of years have shown both tremendous growth and highlighted tailwinds for blockchain gaming. Ryan Wyatt (CEO, Polygon Studios) and Jeff "Jiho" Zirlin (Co-Founder, Sky Mavis) join Dean Takahashi (Lead Writer, GamesBeat) to discuss the merits of blockchain gaming, how to operate in today's dynamic market, and their predictions for the future of this segment.

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Ryan Wyatt

CEO, Polygon Studios

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Jeff "Jiho" Zirlin

Co-founder, Sky Mavis / Axie Infinity

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Dean Takahashi

Lead Writer, GamesBeat (Moderator)

11:45am PDT / 7:45pm BST

Closing Fireside Chat

After dominating mobile app charts for the past 10 years, Ilkka Paananen (Co-Founder & CEO, Supercell) and Sebastian Knutsson (Co-founder & former CCO, King) reflect on their learnings and share perspectives on operating in today's environment of remote work, Web3, and new form factors.

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Ilkka Paananen

Co-founder & CEO, Supercell

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Sebastian Knutsson

Co-founder & former CCO, King

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Stephane Kurgan

Venture Partner, Index Ventures (Moderator)

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