PG CONNECTS x GAME CONNECTION COLLABORATION

As any fan of classic merge games will know, two things combined are always better than one. Which means that games industry professionals in San Francisco should be overjoyed to learn that two already epic independent game shows are combining this year to create one giant new show on March 18th-19th.

Following on from the legendary London event in January, Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco was already shaping up to be a strong return to the city, but now it’s looking even stronger as we’ve agreed a deal with Games Connection America to combine with their event. And given that attendees to PG Connects also get a week-long patch to the full Meet-to-Match San Francisco, that’s a match-3!

Game Connection is one of the industry’s oldest and most prestigious conferences, first launching in Lyon back in 2001 before expanding internationally into San Francisco from 2004 onwards. Much like PG Connects, the events have always had a strong focus on business networking and knowledge sharing. While mobile game makers do attend, typically, the focus has been on the PC and console industry, with key platforms, developers, publishers and service companies all coming together.

Historically the event had taken place on GDC-week at the Oracle Park (home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team), but this year it’ll now be combining with PG Connects San Francisco at The Hibernia to make one jumbo event uniting all parts of the games industry on Monday and Tuesday of conference week.

PG Connects San Francisco x Game Connection will include all the great stuff you’ve come to love from both shows. You’ll enjoy two days of track content covering everything from industry trends and fund-raising to game developer tools and tales, growth and monetisation tips, plus practical AI (of course) alongside other future technologies that could change the game! These talks will be delivered by over 75 industry experts, including representatives of the top-grossing mobile games such as Monopoly Go! creator Scopely, Candy Crush maker King and Honor of Kings publisher Tencent Games, plus Zynga/Take 2, Samsung, Netflix, Hasbro and many more!

There’s a well-stuffed expo to explore featuring representatives from the cream of PC, console and mobile companies. We have strong regional representations and showcases including organised delegations from Switzerland, Costa Rica, Turkey and UK, plus a packed Indie Zone supporting the innovative small companies who may well be creating the next big thing!

Of course, business meetings are the beating heart of both shows, with over 750 professional developer, publisher, platform and service-providing delegates expected for you to network with in the venue. What’s more, attendees will also be able to connect with anyone from the roughly 2,000 MeetToMatch: San Francisco Edition participants. You can invite them into the Hibernia for meetings, and arrange more meetings with all of these across the whole week, including later on during GDC week.

And that’s not all! Aside from scheduled meetings, we also offer plenty of other opportunities to connect via the fabulous fringe events, including the Big Indie Pitch (Mobile and PC), Publisher SpeedMatch and Investor Connector, plus the UK Games Showcase and of course the networking after party on Monday night!

All of this takes place at the Hibernia, a grand old venue (and ex-bank – you can even pop into the vault), that’s a short walk from Union square and Moscone and near the main hotel district.

There’s more to talk about, but we hope by combining the best of both worlds we can make PG Connects San Francisco x Game Connection an essential part of your games industry calendar.