2020 was a year of challenges for external development.  But as we reflect on the past twelve months, it’s clear that there was no challenge our partnerships and our industry couldn’t overcome.

Early indications from the XDS Industry Insights Report survey shows that the majority of service providers witnessed little to no impact on their ability to offer services, despite the harsh pivot to WFH measures.  However, ongoing travel restrictions are a significant source of concern, with many service providers uncertain if how they work with clients will ever return to “normal”.

Those same WFH measures created a spike in player demand, causing developers to leverage their external partners more than ever. The insatiable need for content combined with increased pressure to support new and legacy platforms has many developers turning to external partners in order to drive down costs and shore up their ability to scale headcount.

In 2020, developers and service providers alike faced the ongoing challenges of discovering talent, building relationships, effective training, achieving high quality, and above all remaining competitive.  This year promises to be no different.

We’re excited to soon announce our plans for XDS in 2021. I can say with certainty the event will return to address these hard problems, and foster this community that we have all helped to build.

We look forward to seeing you at XDS this year!

Chris Wren
Chair, XDS Advisory Committee