GDC Europe 2013 – PS4 tech & Ubisoft ‘Child of Light’ studio reveal talks added


GDC Europe 2013
Organizers of GDC Europe 2013 have announced its latest talks for this August’s Cologne event, including Ubisoft’s Patrick Plourde revealing his ‘small project in triple-A studio’ Child Of Light; Sony with newly-revealed public details on the PlayStation 4’s shading language; and Execution Labs’ Jason Della Rocca on startup funding options.
These talks are part of the business, programming, and design tracks in GDC Europe 2013, which will take place Monday through Wednesday, August 19th-21st at the Cologne Congress-Centrum Ost in Cologne, Germany – just ahead of (and co-located with) the massive 275,000 person Gamescom event.
Those interested in the graphics shader pipeline for Sony’s upcoming console will want to attend SCEA engineers Chris Ho and Richard Stenson’s talk, ‘PlayStation Shading Language for PS4.’
The two will discuss the degree of cross-compatibility that the shading language will have with the PC, and the “hardware-oriented extensions that will enable PS4 developers to ‘Push the Boundaries of Play.'”
In a special reveal session, Ubisoft Montreal creative director Patrick Plourde (lead design on two Assassin’s Creed titles and creative director on Far Cry 3), will speak about making ‘Small Projects in AAA Studios’ by showcasing a new game, Child Of Light.
As the talk description explains:
“After working for many years on some of the biggest productions in the triple-A game industry, Patrick challenged himself to create a game that would be the opposite: a small team, a small budget, and an intimate scope. The result was a game called Child of Light.”
This lecture covers the personal challenges of moving from large productions to intimate games, and the unique challenges and opportunities of producing a small title within the walls of Ubisoft Montreal.
Finally, those studios or solo developers exploring funding options may want to check out Execution Labs co-founder Jason Della Rocca’s talk, ‘Startup Funding: Indie Options, Approaches, and Realities.’ Here, the former IGDA executive director will explore newer options such as venture capital, crowdfunding, grants, and incubators and will suggest best approaches for each depending on the current state of one’s project or company.
More talks will be revealed throughout the weeks leading up to GDC Europe in August.