Beyond Games, a new interactive transmedia festival debuts this Spring over 5 days with speakers from Epic, Rovio, Maze Theory, Charisma.ai and Archie Comic Publications

Experience the latest presentations on the groundbreaking frontiers where games, music, film, sport, social media, marketing, art, influencers and fashion all meet .

Beyond Games, a new digital festival that explores the intersection of games, music, media, and the wider creative industries, premieres next month with industry pioneers including Epic, Rovio, Maze Theory, Charisma.ai and Archie Comic Publications.

Beyond Games will explore the transformative power of technology which is blurring the lines between gaming and traditional entertainment, to create a new kind of convergent transmedia. The expo will navigate the new digital landscape and plot a vision of the future with a week-long online conference: five days filled with debates, panels and round-tables offering unique perspectives on shattering the boundaries from transmedia pioneers, field experts and thought leaders. Beyond Games, hosted by the team behind the world-famous Pocket Gamer Connects, will be dedicated to the emerging opportunities across the rapidly evolving areas of creative convergence.

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Explore, connect, repeat.

Beyond Games grew from the swell of entertainment strands woven together through technology to create unique and thrilling experiences across platforms. This convergence has grown from games technologies organically becoming the choice underlying technology for numerous other creative productions, from movies and music to comics and beyond. Where previously, an artist performed on a physical stage, technology now offers the capability to explode onto millions of screens worldwide; sequel announcements can boom through gaming landscapes and game technology is rolled out to advance virtual filming sets.

“It’s the chance to celebrate the transformative potential of interactive media and the pioneering work being carried out within the games industry, which is going a long way to helping power the next generation of creators across all industries. We created this event to encourage thought-leaders, strategists and decision-makers across unexplored sectors – from art to music to comics and more – to discover what’s next for interactive technologies and to meet new partners with distinct visions to grow businesses across industry lines.” said Dave Bradley, COO of Steel Media.

Already, the scope of innovation has stretched, with announcements and showcases inside game worlds such as Animal Crossing; a growing number of interactive TV shows, including Black Mirror; the Unreal engine powering virtual sets for TV shows like The Mandalorian; and increased exposure to immersive technology, particularly through social media. The opportunities to create shared experiences in new ways, across industry lines are at their most exciting and Beyond Games will be the first expo to bring together eclectic and rapidly converging industries, introducing them to the potential of gaming.

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Already expanding from its original plans due to the swelling audience demand, Beyond Games has over 80 cross-industry expert speakers lined up, featuring the likes of Storm in a Teacup, Epic Games and Graphite Music to name a few. With the opportunity to delve into tracks like Mapping the MetaVerse, Travels in Transmedia and Future Visions, meeting industry disruptors and visionaries, attendees will discover the cutting edge of entertainment. From junior designers seeking further inspiration, to C-level executives digging deep for insight into the future of their business, Beyond Games is the space to break ground on new entertainment formats with the potential to take creative industries to new heights.

2021 is the year of creative convergence and Beyond Games is the transmedia event the technology, creative and gaming industries have been crying out for.