In my time as the Content Director of the Odyssey Group at Valnet, I’ve had the privilege of attending a variety of shows in the gaming industry. These events come in all shapes and sizes, from massive trade shows like Gamescom in Cologne to smaller-scale community gatherings here in Montreal. The one thing they all have in common is an energy that electrifies the entire event. There is nothing quite like meeting friends and colleagues from remote work and getting a chance to talk shop face-to-face, or striking up a conversation with a stranger and realizing you’re both trying to solve the same problem.
Conferences, trade shows, workshops; there is nothing like a gathering of professionals excited to see their industry thrive. This applies equally to creative roles as it does to finding new business partners and opportunities. Content Creation, Socials, B2B, B2C, Hiring — every field under the sun can learn something from meeting peers face-to-face and hearing what new opportunities and prospects are percolating behind the scenes.
Taking the time to gather with your community is essential. Not only are these kinds of events —especially the international ones— the “water cooler” of the industry, but they’re also a chance to see how everyone around you is tackling their own challenges. They’re an opportunity to assess the state of the industry, connect, and collaborate to make it better than before. These kinds of conversations happen across traditional editorial as well as BizDev. In editorial our earned opportunities can be as simple as a fascinating quote from an industry figurehead, or as meaningful as a PR connection we didn’t have before. With Advertising and Paid Media, we’ve developed entire media campaigns from chats with advertising or PR teams about what audience they’re trying to reach. We love the opportunity to showcase our reach and capabilities, but we also love games and relish the chance to get the word out on major titles.
A rising tide lifts all boats.
Valnet Celebrates Gaming as a Diamond Partner at MIGS
Earlier this year, Valnet and the Odyssey Group decided to attend MIGS 2024 as a Diamond Partner and sponsor. The Montreal International Gaming Summit (MIGS) got its start back in 2004 and has become a staple of the business of creating games. It’s also the longest-running B2B video game event in Canada. MIGS is well-known for fostering collaboration across different disciplines in the space, promoting indie games from around the world, and helping teams tackle production challenges through panels with developers, publishers, and other speakers from the industry.
After our first meeting with Jason Lepine (CEO of XP Gaming), we quickly moved ahead with the partnership. We all agreed that Valnet, as a publishing leader from Montreal, not only needed to attend such an important event in our city but also contribute to the culture being built here at home.
At the start of MIGS 2024, I said a few words on behalf of Valnet, GameRant, and TheGamer during the opening ceremony. I spoke about the first time I attended MIGS when I was a freelance writer early in my career, trying to learn what kinds of games were being developed in my city. I described that “even when it was a much smaller show, I was so amazed and inspired to see all the incredibly talented people in the city and the impressive games being built by teams big and small. Almost a decade later, it’s an honor to be here with Valnet, sponsoring such an important event to our community.” And it really was an honor to speak at an event that has been so important to so many people in the gaming industry.
Interviewing Developers at MIGS
During the show, Patrik Slater (Odyssey Video Lead) and Peter Hunt Szpytek (Senior Video Producer) worked together to interview indie game developers from around the show. MIGS provided us with a phenomenal interview space complete with a background for our sites, and we met with designers, producers, and solo creators from around the world. Not only that, but Peter also hosted a panel on the main stage with Montreal-based developer Red Barrels, known for the Outlast franchise (a popular survival-horror IP). The panel was called, “Trauma Bonding: How The Outlast Trials became the next logical evolution in the franchise” and it explored how to take a series known for its single-player games, and evolve it into a multiplayer experience that still captures the feeling of the original that fans expect.
Naturally, our sites can only cover so many games, so picking and choosing what we cover long-term is a critical part of our roadmap. Events like these give our teams strategic insight into what games are coming out in the near future, and a sense for what kinds of players will resonate with each title. Even more importantly, these meetings give us the chance to actually speak with the teams and cultivate important relationships. Learning about a game directly from a developer gives so much more insight than a simple Press Release or Trailer. This is especially critical for indie games since it’s a competitive space, and the teams rarely have access to the kinds of established IP that major game studios have in their archives.
International Coverage in 2024 and Beyond
Of course, our presence at industry events doesn’t start and stop with MIGS. Game Rant, TheGamer, and all of our gaming sites have teams spread across the world who attend events at home and abroad. In 2024, the Odyssey portfolio of sites attended over 30 events worldwide, including Gamescom, CES, Summer Games Fest, the BAFTAs, Tokyo Game Show, The Game Awards, and many more. Every year brings new games to see, new creators to meet, and new opportunities to explore. Naturally, as we attend more and more showcases, we’ve received more invites to events worldwide. Regularly attending and covering events has made us a trusted partner in the industry.
- Our teams from Game Rant and TheGamer were invited to participate in the Megaton Musashi World Cup in Japan.
- In 2024, TheGamer attended The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) and took the opportunity to interview actors and developers from the industry on the Red Carpet.
- In 2022, Anthony Taormina, the Editor-in-Chief of Game Rant, had the opportunity to attend the Super Nintendo World Grand Opening at Universal Studios Hollywood.
The list goes on, but it’s critical to note that expertise in this kind of coverage is developed over years, it doesn’t happen on its own.
I hope to see you all at the next event!
