Join for two days of online content and networking focused on the metaverse, the tech leading us to there, and implications for the industry.
Following the success of GamesBeat Summit 2020, VentureBeat is excited to bring the community back for a continued discussion online.
We are diving deeper into the discussions we started at GamesBeat Summit 2020 on the metaverse. This is an event that will draw leading thinkers in the game industry and elsewhere on how and when the metaverse will come. Will it be an accidental thing like the spontaneous community around Animal Crossing, or a deliberate, engineered universe built by companies such as Roblox or Epic Games? The Metaverse seemed like pie-in-the-sky for so many decades, but now, during the pandemic, it feels like we’re nearly there. We’ll explore this topic in a variety of dimensions, from both a gaming and transformative technology perspective.
8:20 AM – 8:40 AM PT
Into the metaverse with Dean Takahashi, Lead Writer at GamesBeat at VentureBeat
8:40 AM – 9:00 AM PT
The Stepping Stones to the Oasis with Hironao Kunimitsu, Founder & Chairman at gumi & Founder of Thirdverse; moderated by Dean Takahashi, Lead Writer of GamesBeat at VentureBeat
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM PT
Ready Player 10 with Dave Baszucki, CEO & Founder at Roblox; moderated by Dean Takahashi, Lead Writer of GamesBeat at VentureBeat
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM PT
Why We Need an Open Metaverse with Tim Sweeney, CEO & Founder at Epic Games; interviewed by Dean Takahashi, Lead Writer of GamesBeat at VentureBeat
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM PT
Blueprints for the Open metaverse with Dean Abramson, Founder & Chief Architect at RP1; Sean Mann, Co-founder & CEO of RP1; Toby Tremayne, CTO at Crucible; moderated by Ryan Gill, Co-founder & CEO at Crucible
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM PT
Investing in the metaverse with Peter Levin, Managing Director at Griffin Gaming Partners; Sam Englebardt, Managing Partner at Galaxy Interactive; Ian Livingstone CBE, Co-founder & Partner at Hiro Capital; moderated by Eric Goldberg, Managing Director of Crossover Technologies
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM PT
Virtual Beings and the metaverse with Edward Saatchi, Founder at Fable Studio, Akash Nigam, CEO and Co-founder at Genies, moderated by Dean Takahashi, Lead Writer at GamesBeat at VentureBeat
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM PT
Will VR Unlock the Promise of the metaverse with Jesse Schell, CEO at Schell Games; Cathy Hackl, Futurist, and Author of The Augmented Workforce; moderated by Stephanie Llamas, Head of Research & Strategy, Games and XR at SuperData, a Nielson Company
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM PT
Making the metaverse personal with Mike Pondsmith, Founder at R. Talsorian Games and creator of Cyberpunk; moderated by Geoff Keighley, CEO at The Game Awards
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM PT
Roundtable: Monetizing the metaverse with Steve Peterson,
CEO of StoryPHORCE Entertainment
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM PT
Notes From Our Science Fiction Future with Rony Abovitz of Sun and Thunder; Richard Taylor, Creative Director at Weta Workshop; moderated by Ted Schilowitz, Futurist, Paramount Pictures
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM PT
Making Friends in the metaverse with Lauren Bigelow, Chief Product Officer at Together Labs; Meaghan Fitzgerald, Head of Experiences, Product Marketing at Facebook Reality Labs; Jessica Freeman Head of Marketing, Minecraft at Microsoft; moderated by Shasta Nelson, Friendship Expert
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM PT
Breaking the 4th Wall with Bruce Grove, CEO at Polystream; Elina Arponen, CEO & Founder at Quicksave Interactive; Si Lumb, Futurist; moderated by Wanda Meloni, CEO & Principal Analyst at M2 Insights
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM PT
Tools of the metaverse with Timoni West, VP, XR Tools at Unity; Dr. Danny Lange, Senior Vice President of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Unity; moderated by Charlie Fink, XR Consultant, Author, Columnist
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM PT
The Metaverse & Transmedia Narratives: Rising Opportunities with Jeff Gomez, CEO at Starlight Runner Entertainment; Mark Long, CEO of Neon Media
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM PT
Blockchain and the metaverse with Arthur Madrid, CEO at The Sandbox; moderated by Dean Takahashi, Lead Writer at GamesBeat at VentureBeat
3:30 PM – 4:15 PM PT
Town Hall Closing Session with Tim Sweeney Founder & CEO at Epic Games; Hironao Kunimitsu, Founder & Chairman at gumi & Founder of Thirdverse; Jesse Schell, CEO at Schell Games; Mike Pondsmith, Founder of R. Talsorian Games; moderated by Dean Takahashi, Lead Writer at GamesBeat at VentureBeat
4:15 PM – 5:15 PM PT
Reception and Networking
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM PT
Introduction by Mike Minotti of VentureBeat’s GamesBeat
8:45 AM – 9:15 AM PT
The Future Economy of the Metaverse with John Burris, Chief Strategy Officer at Together Labs
9:15 AM – 9:45 AM PT
The Evolution of Bots and Future Predictions with Alon Dayan, Founder of Unbotify at Adjust; moderated by Dean Takahashi, Lead Writer of VentureBeat’s GamesBeat
9:45 AM – 10:15 AM PT
Metaverse Startups with Frederic Descamps, CEO & Co-founder at Manticore Games; Raph Koster, CEO at Playable Worlds; moderated by Jason Wilson, Managing Editor of VentureBeat’s GamesBeat
10:15 AM – 10:45 AM PT
5G and the metaverse with Ronan Dunne, CEO at Verizon Consumer Group; John Hanke, Founder, and CEO of Niantic Inc.; moderated by Joost van Dreunen, Author of OneUp
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM PT
From Storytelling to Storyliving in the metaverse with Vicki Dobbs Beck, Executive in Charge at ILMxLab; Siobhan Reddy, Studio Director at Media Molecule; moderated by Jamil Moledina, CEO at Hexagram
11:15 AM – 11:45 AM PT
How to Build the Metaverse with John Linden, CEO at Mythical Games; Chris Swan, Publishing Director at Unit 2 Games; Jacob Navok, Co-founder & CEO at Genvid Technologies; moderated by Wanda Meloni, CEO & Principal Analyst at M2 Insights
11:45 AM – 12:15 PM PT
Diversity & the metaverse with Stanley Pierre-Louis, President & CEO at Entertainment Software Association; moderated by Dean Takahashi, Lead Writer of GamesBeat at VentureBeat
12:15 PM – 12:45 PM PT
EVE Online: A Metaverse Blueprint with Hilmar Pétursson, CEO at CCP Games; interviewed by Mike Vorhaus, CEO at Vorhaus Advisors
12:15 PM – 12:45 PM PT
Roundtable: Blockchain and the metaverse with James Zhang of Concept Art House/Fifth Era and Arthur Madrid, CEO at The Sandbox
12:15 PM – 12:45 PM PT
Roundtable: Indies and the metaverse with Kate Edwards, CEO at Geogrify
12:45 PM – 1:15 PM PT
Listen to the metaverse with Philip Rosedale, CEO & Co-founder at High Fidelity; Andy Vaughan, Sr. Developer Relations Manager at Dolby; moderated by Mike Minotti of VentureBeat’s GamesBeat
1:15 PM – 1:45 PM PT
Enterprise and the metaverse with Richard Kerris, GM Media & Entertainment – Head of Worldwide Developer Relations at NVIDIA; Raffaella Camera, XR Strategist, former Global Head of Innovation & Strategy at Accenture XR; Christoph Fleischmann, CEO at Arthur; moderated by Kyle Wiggers, Staff Writer at VentureBeat
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM PT
The Ethics of the metaverse with Richard Bartle of University of Essex; moderated by Hendrik Lesser, CEO at Remote Control Productions
2:15 PM – 2:20 PM PT
Closing Session
2:20 PM – 3:20 PM PT
Networking
CEO
Epic Games
Founder & CEO
Roblox
Founder & Chairman, gumi & Founder, Thirdverse
CEO
Schell Games
CEO & Co-founder
High Fidelity
CEO & Co-founder
Manticore Games
CEO
Polystream
Founder
Fable Studio
Executive in Charge
ILMxLAB
CEO
Vorhaus Advisors
CEO
CCP
CEO & Co-founder
Genies
CEO
Verizon Consumer Group
Founder
R. Talsorian Games
Chief Strategy Officer
Together Labs
CTO
Crucible
CPO
Together Labs
CEO
Hexagram
Co-founder & Partner
Hiro Capital
Co-founder & CEO
Genvid Technologies
CEO
Neon Media
CEO
Starlight Runner Entertainment
Founder & Chief Architect, RP1
Co-founder & CEO
RP1
Co-founder & CEO
Crucible
Founder & CEO
Playable Worlds
CEO
Remote Control Productions
President & CEO
Entertainment Software Association
CEO
Mythical Games
Founder & CEO
Niantic Inc.
CEO & Co-founder
Quicksave Interactive
CEO & Principal Analyst
M2 Insights
CEO
Pixowl
Studio Director
Media Molecule
Chief Technical Officer of Unbotify
Adjust
Senior Developer Relations Manager, Dolby
Futurist & Author of The Augmented Workforce
GM M&E, Head of Worldwide Dev. Relations, NVIDIA
Head of Marketing
Minecraft
Managing Director
Griffin Gaming Partners
Managing Director
Crossover Technologies
Friendship Expert & Author of The Business of Friendship
Futurist
Paramount Pictures
Author
OneUp
Publishing & Live Game Director
Unit 2 Games
VP, XR Tools
Unity
Managing Partner
Galaxy Interactive
Managing Partner
Gamma Law
Creative Director
Weta Workshop
XR Consultant, Author, Columnist
Head of Strategy and XR
SuperData
Head of Product Mrkting, Experiences
Facebook Reality Labs
XR Strategist, former Global Head of Innov. & Strategy, Accenture XR
SVP of Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Unity
Futurist