The Steam Review

The Game Developers Conference is Steam’s E3 (or Leipzig if you want to be picky) and as usual there are several sessions relating to it scheduled, this year predominantly in the wider context of the indie-to-AAA development path discussed a few days ago.

Console/PC Distribution Gatekeepers

Jason Holtman, Valve / Steam (and others)

This vital panel talks to the employees who evaluate submissions for some of the major indie game distribution channels on both console and PC, talking about how to pitch your game to get on these services, exactly what the gatekeepers are looking for, approaches to royalties, and much more.

Your Own Game Studio in Six Months: Bootstrapping Core Through Casual

Charlie Cleveland, Unknown Worlds Entertainment / Natural Selection

Forget all about years of contracting, flaky investors and precarious publisher deals to try to get your studio funded. Stick to what you know and like best: making great games. Instead of wasting years writing a business plan, finding business partners, doing unsatisfying contract work or trying to convince investors and publishers to let you make your “dream” game, make a casual game, retain your independence and fund your future development yourself.

The First Year of Media Molecule

Mark Healey and Alex Evans, Media Molecule / Rag Doll Kung Fu

Media Molecule is a new independent studio, working on an unannounced game exclusively for PS3. The central theme of this talk is how Media Molecule has bridged the apparent contradiction between maintaining a lean team while maintaining a very high ambition. Founders Alex Evans and Mark Healey look at how they have taken the studio from its starting point of four friends who decided to make a game to, just over a year on, a thriving developer that is on track to deliver its first full price game.

Transcripts of GDC sessions, even summaries of points, have proved elusive in the past — anyone going and want to help out?