The GamesBeat Summit is next week  — May 5 and May 6 — and it brings together 180 senior gaming executives from all segments of the game-platform ecosystem. It’s invitation-only, and the intimate event is one of the most important gatherings in the gaming industry, with peers openly strategizing and debating a blueprint for industry challenges and opportunities ahead.

This is no ordinary event. No massive ballrooms. No hordes of people. Taking place at the beautiful Cavallo Point Lodge just north of San Francisco, the GamesBeat Summit combines keynote sessions, fireside chats, closed-door boardroom sessions, and plenty of networking downtime for partnering and even deal-making.

You can see the full agenda right here. Have a read and you’ll understand why this event is a must-attend for industry leaders.

A few tickets are still available. Request an invite here. 

GamesBeat Summit agenda

May 5, 2015 

12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Cruise on the Bay hosted by the “European Alliance”

We are kicking off GamesBeat Summit in style … on a boat! Get out of the office for some early networking with Hutch, MAG, Delinquent, flaregames, GetSocial, Pollen VC, and Next Games, who have joined together to bring you this special opportunity. Attendance is limited to the first 50 people who respond. Invitations will be sent via email.

2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

General Registration | Wine & Cheese Reception

3 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.

Opening Remarks

Speaker: Dean Takahashi (GamesBeat)

3:10 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.

Mobile and AR/VR: The market growth awakens

Speaker: Tim Merel (Digi-Capital)

3:20 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.

Bold ideas from decades in gaming

Speaker: Nolan Bushnell (Inventor & entrepreneur)

3:40 p.m. – 4 p.m.

What comes next in democratizing game development

Speaker: John Riccitiello (Unity Technologies)

Moderator: Dean Takahashi (GamesBeat)

4 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.

Building beyond Gotham

Speaker: David Haddad (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)

Moderator: Dean Takahashi (GamesBeat)

4:20 p.m. – 4:40 p.m.

The right tech for mobile gaming

Speaker: Thomas Hartwig (King)

Moderator: Dale North (VentureBeat)

4:40 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Smaller studio, scrappy games — but a big roar

Speaker: Peter Levin (Lionsgate)

Moderator: Steve Peterson ([a]list)

5 p.m. – 5:20 p.m.

Disrupting Samsung’s Galaxy apps with a facelift and alternative platform

Speaker: Mihai Pohontu (Samsung)

Moderator: Dean Takahashi (GamesBeat)

5:20 p.m. – 5:40 p.m.

The next big deals

Speaker: Rick Thompson (Signia Venture Partners)

Moderator: Dean Takahashi (GamesBeat)

5:40 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Closing Remarks

Speaker: Dean Takahashi (GamesBeat)

5:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.

Opening Night Reception hosted by King

6:45 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Attendee Dinner

8 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Dessert Reception

May 6, 2015 

7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m.

Breakfast

8:45 a.m. – 8:55 a.m.

Opening Remarks

Speaker: Dean Takahashi (GamesBeat)

8:55 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Zeptolab: The transformation story

Speaker: Misha Lyalin (ZeptoLab)

9:15 a.m. – 9:35 a.m.

What new game experiences will cloud supercomputing create?

Speaker: Yoichi Wada (Shinra Technologies) and Jacob Navok (Shinra Technologies)

Moderator: Dale North (VentureBeat)

9:35 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.

Fewer, Better, Bigger games

Speaker: Kent Wakeford (Kabam)

Moderator: Ian Sherr (CNET)

9:55 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Gaming the culture wars: Adversity as a catalyst for industry maturity

Speaker: Kate Edwards (IGDA)

Moderator: Stewart Rogers (VentureBeat)

10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Morning Break

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Boardroom Session: Platforms – From games as products to games as services, and the underlying plumbing

Chairs: Jules Urbach (OTOY), Thomas Hartwig (King), Mihai Pohontu (Samsung)

Facilitator: Michael Chang (NCSoft)

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Boardroom Session: International expansion – The world is a village

Chairs: Klaas Kersting (Gameforge), Teemu Huutanen (Next Games)

Facilitator: Dale North (GamesBeat)

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Boardroom Session: Brands and franchises

Chairs: Sunny Dhillon (Signia Venture Partners), Chris Akhavan (Glu Mobile)

Facilitator: Keith Boesky (Boesky & Co.)

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Boardroom Session: Monetization, user acquisition and retention

Chairs: Gil Shoham (Supersonic), Lisa Marino (RockYou)

Facilitator: John Koetsier (VentureBeat)

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Boardroom Session: Understanding gamers

Chairs: Dmitri Williams (Ninja Metrics), Terence Fung (Storm8)

Facilitator: Stewart Rogers (VentureBeat)

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Boardroom Session: Deals – Follow the money

Chairs: Michael Metzger (MESA Global), Jay Eum (TransLink Capital), Phil Sanderson (IDG Ventures)

Facilitator: Tim Merel (Digi-Capital)

11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Lunch

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Boardroom Session: Platforms – From games as products to games as services, and the underlying plumbing

Chairs: Jules Urbach (OTOY), Thomas Hartwig (King), Mihai Pohontu (Samsung)

Facilitator: Dean Takahaski (GamesBeat)

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Boardroom Session: International expansion – The world is a village

Chairs: Klaas Kersting (Gameforge), Teemu Huuhtanen (Next Games)

Facilitator: Dale North (GamesBeat)

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Boardroom Session: Brands and franchises

Chairs: Sunny Dhillon (Signia Venture Partners), Chris Akhavan (Glu Mobile)

Facilitator: Keith Boesky (Boesky & Co.)

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Boardroom Session: Monetization, user acquisition and retention

Chairs: Gil Shoham (Supersonic), Lisa Marino (RockYou)

Facilitator: John Koetsier (VentureBeat)

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Boardroom Session: Understanding gamers

Chairs: Dmitri Williams (Ninja Metrics), Terence Fung (Storm8)

Facilitator: Stewart Rogers (VentureBeat)

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Boardroom Session: Deals – Follow the money

Chairs: Michael Metzger (MESA Global), Jay Eum (TransLink Capital), Phil Sanderson (IDG Ventures)

Facilitator: Tim Merel (Digi-Capital)

2 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

Afternoon Break

2:15 p.m. – 2:35 p.m.

Turning around RockYou

Speaker: Lisa Marino (RockYou)

2:35 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.

The internationalization of mobile games

Speaker: Andrew Sheppard (GREE)

Moderator: Margaret Wallace (Playmatics)

2:55 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Crowdsourcing a platform: How players and developers shaped PlayStation’s 4 success

Speaker: Adam Boyes (Sony Computer Entertainment Group)

Moderator: Dale North (VentureBeat)

3:15 p.m. – 3:35 p.m.

Marvel’s bold path into digital games

Speaker: Peter Phillips (Marvel Entertainment)

Moderator: Dean Takahashi (GamesBeat)

3:35 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.

The video game industry’s path forward together – Unity and divergence

Speaker: Mike Gallagher (Entertainment Software Association)

Moderator: Ian Sherr (CNET)

3:55 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Five lessons learned from building a MOBA for touchscreens

Speaker: Kristian Segerstrale (Super Evil Megacorp)

4:15 p.m. – 4:35 p.m.

Capturing wider audiences via Google Play and Android TV

Speaker: Jamil Moledina (Google Play)

4:35 p.m. – 4:55 p.m.

Is China’s game industry too hot?

Speaker: Jeff Lyndon (iDreamsky)

Moderator: Tim Merel (Digi-Capital)

4:55 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Closing Remarks

Speaker: Dean Takahashi (GamesBeat) and Dale North (VentureBeat)

5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.

Closing Night Reception

Snag one of the few tickets left. Request an invite here.

Thanks to our sponsors, including RockYou, Samsung, King, Supersonic, MAG, Delinquent, Hutch, GetSocial, Pollen VC, Next Games, and Flaregames.