Established in 2013, External Development Summit (XDS) is the only annual, international games industry event with a primary focus on external development for art, animation, audio, software engineering, QA and localization.
XDS gathers hundreds of international attendees from over 40 countries to advance the practice of external development for the games industry with four days of structured networking in Vancouver, Canada, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. XDS is considered to be a professionals-only event.
From the first keynote to the final remarks, XDS focuses on four core values:
- Knowledge Sharing
- B2B Networking
- Collaboration
- Industry Stewardship
We look forward to seeing you September 3-6, 2024 in Vancouver, Canada!
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Who attends XDS?
As a professionals-only event, XDS attendees include a concentrated group of game developers and service providers from over 40 countries. Individuals in attendance are the influencers and decision makers for external development for their respective organizations. XDS aims to maintain a balanced ratio of buyers to sellers.
Developers/
Publishers
Companies that exclusively develop their own IP, and/or publish games. These companies are clients to Service Providers.
NOTE: Does not include Service Providers that develop their own IP.
Service Providers
A 3rd party company that provides work-for-hire or full SKU development services for clients.
NOTE: It is possible these companies also develop their own IP, however they are still considered to be in the Service Provider category.
Middleware Providers
A 3rd party company that provides tools and technologies that support the practice of external development. This could include tools for remote review, communication, project management, file transfer, etc.
XDS also welcomes those from the media, film, TV and animation to discover the benefits of attending and expand their network!