Amir Satvat is a leading voice in games, known for helping over 3,500 gamers find jobs through free, transparent resources. A passionate community builder, he does this alongside his role as Business Development Director at Tencent Games in North America. With nearly 20 years of experience at Amazon, Goldman Sachs, and more — and degrees from Wharton, Penn, NYU, and Boston College — Amir brings deep insight into industry trends. His mission is to make games more open and supportive for all. Through his data and dedication, Amir Satvat’s Games Community is reshaping how people access opportunity in the industry.

Leanne has been making video games for over 20 years. Starting in Indie development in the UK working on titles such as Scrabble, Risk and Magic the Gathering. After that she worked at a 3rd party publishing division in Japan for a couple of years, then returned to the UK to join Electronic Arts. It was here that Leanne married her love for cars and games by heading up multiple Need for Speed titles. Moving to Los Angeles, Leanne joined Riot Games, where she created and ran Riot Forge - Riots 3rd party development and publishing label working with external developers to create League of Legends single player story games.
Most recently Leanne was Head of External game development and publishing at Netflix where she helped create the strategy and foundations for Netflix Games. She was responsible for sourcing and running a portfolio of 150+ games, working with a variety of developers from all around the world to bring games to Netflix members. Now Leanne is heading up games at Annapurna, where she oversees publishing, development, and creative
Leanne is a passionate ambassador for Women In Game and focuses on encouraging women to join the industry and creating diversity in teams through mentorship, panels and events.

Joe is the co-founder and CEO of Timbre Games Studio based in Vancouver. With over 2 decades of experience Joe has spent time leading teams at EA Sports, Microsoft, Capcom, and prior to Timbre Games was the VP of Maxis Studios / Electronic Arts overseeing The Sims.

External Development veteran and XDS Advisory Committee member who started in the games industry as an artist. Began working with external teams at Sumo Digital in 2007, before becoming Outsource Manager; successfully guiding Sumo’s fledgling India studio into a fully integrated partner, while overseeing their rapidly expanding external development program. Took a central position at Xbox Games Studios in 2014 to support and guide their Global Studios with External Development Partnerships.

In 2024, after 10 years at Xbox he left to co-found XDS Spark with Chris Wren. A platform designed to bring service providers and buyers together while advancing and advocating for external developments exciting future.

Caroline brings over 11 years of expertise in the games industry, specializing in external development, fostering healthy partnerships, and spearheading initiatives for positive social impact. As a Senior Game Producer at Riot Games, she was a key member of the central external development team, focusing on relationship management with Riot's external game dev partners. Previously at EA, Caroline honed her skills in both game production and external development best practices. Known for her leadership and innovative approach, Caroline is passionate about building partnerships, driving social impact through gaming and implementing methodologies that are both efficient and human-centric through creative problem-solving.

David Lam is a seasoned games industry veteran with over two decades of experience, showcasing a remarkable trajectory from character artist to senior leadership roles. After establishing his career at Electronic Arts on major franchises like SSX, NBA Street, Need for Speed, FIFA, and NHL, David progressively took on greater responsibilities. He served as Senior Art Manager at BioWare, overseeing art development across multiple studios, and later as Senior Producer at Turn 10 Studios, managing external development for the Forza franchise. His leadership continued at Riot Games as Director of Art Management for League of Legends, and as Executive Producer at NetEase, leading their North American central content team. David also contributed significantly as co-chair of the XDS Advisory Board for two years. He currently holds the position of Associate Director of Outsourcing at Blizzard Entertainment.

Nikki Roth, a Technical Art Manager, transforms content in innovative ways for innovative applications through real-time technology. Drawing from a background in competitive gymnastics and diving, she specializes in capturing movement and translating creativity into immersive experiences. With a career spanning EA, Lucasfilm, Apple, Google, and Meta, she's worked across games, film, Virtual Production, Simulation, AR, VR, and UX. Nikki actively pushes the boundaries of real-time technology and is dedicated to fostering collaborative, diverse teams through internal and external partnerships.

Dave Sanderson is a 20-year veteran of the entertainment industry, holding lead roles in business and creative development across the spectrum of games, film, and television. Dave has specialized in external development since 2015 and joined the XDS Advisory Committee in 2020. In 2024, Dave joined Scopely, leading ExDev on an unannounced global title.

Phil is the Co-Dev and Outsource Lead for Amazon Games. He has over 30 years of game development experience as a Content Creator, Art Director and Program Manager. Phil guides the strategy and implementation of external development across Amazon Games, supporting all development teams, disciplines and central groups. He manages partner relationships, and builds the systems and processes that lead to successful engagements.ience as a Content Creator, Art Director and Program Manager. Phil guides the strategy and implementation of external development across Amazon Games, supporting all development teams, disciplines and central groups. He manages partner relationships, and builds the systems and processes that lead to successful outcomes.

At Snowed In Studios, Nigel is part of the management team that planned the growth of the studio from 25 to 200 game developers over five years. A project manager by training, Nigel has scaled up studios and game dev teams since 1994 in the US and Canada. Nigel was the producer for Next Level Games’ first console titles, development director at EA Black Box for the Need for Speed series, and he ran development for over 30 TV streaming apps including the Disney and NFL platforms. He holds an MBA from the University of Ottawa.

Juney is the XDI Operations Director at Electronic Arts, where she supports the XDI team, enabling 50+ EA franchises & central teams like FC, Battlefield, The Sims, Apex Legends and Frostbite through finding, signing and optimising external development engagements with uniquely diverse partners worldwide. She is also the Founder & Director of the Game Production Community, a 6.000+ member B2B game industry community of producers, project managers and leaders focused on exchanging knowledge & experiences in pursuit of sustainable, diverse, and profitable game development practices.

Nathalia joined Wildlife Studios in 2019 to create the company’s External Development team and establish its processes. Since then, she has helped grow the team, overseeing workflows, creating bridges with other internal departments, and managing 100+ partners from different game art disciplines, QA and UXR. She has worked on all the company’s live games and is now focused on helping create new games by building successful relationships with external partners.

Travis is the Senior Business Development Manager for Snowed In Studios, a Co-Development Studio part of Keywords. With 15 years of Business Development experience across a spectrum of industries, he knows what it takes to stand out and capture attention. Notable deals & partners worked with include Blizzard, Bethesda, and more.

On top of his role with Snowed In, Travis has made a commitment to help foster local game development and help bridge the gap between the creative and business side of the industry.

Maria Falcão is a Brazilian Business Development Manager with over five years of experience in the Latin American game industry, working across a wide range of projects — from AAA and AA to casual games. With a background in marketing spanning more than eight years, she transitioned into business development two years ago, where she now focuses on building real, long-term connections and fostering collaborations that drive mutual success with partners around the globe.
Over the course of her career, Maria has led cross-functional teams, mentored professionals, and helped guide the growth of creatives within the industry — a reflection of her commitment to talent development and inclusive leadership.
Maria is passionate about supporting talent in her home country and is actively involved in initiatives like Women in Games and local mentorship programs that help Brazilian creatives showcase their skills to the world.
Outside of work, you’ll likely find her immersed in The Sims or enjoying a cozy evening in Stardew Valley — games that reflect her love for creativity and storytelling.

With over 14 years of experience as game developer in the video game industry, Vladislav Osipov has built a strong reputation for overseeing the integration of external teams across multiple departments. They have collaborated extensively with engineering, art, design, and QA teams to ensure high-quality deliverables and streamline workflows. Vladislav Osipov excels at managing complex projects, fostering strong partnerships with external partners, and ensuring alignment between creative and technical goals to bring the game’s vision to life. He currently works for the ZeniMax Online Studios Team as a Lead Outsourcing Manager.

Anthony Batu is an accomplished production leader in the video game industry, currently serving as an Outsourcing Manager at ZeniMax Online Studios. With more than 10 years of experience spanning game development, external production, and quality assurance, Anthony has been instrumental in orchestrating the successful delivery of globally recognized titles. His expertise lies at the intersection of creative collaboration and operational excellence, where he leads cross-functional teams and vendor partnerships to achieve world-class gaming experiences.

Jimmy is the Outsource Development Director at Full Circle, where he helps build skate. by partnering with teams around the world. He has nearly 15 years of experience in External Development—beginning on the outsourcing side in business development, pitching studios and crafting solutions, and now booking vendors and balancing burn rates from the inside. Part producer, part diplomat, and part creative matchmaker, Jimmy thrives on bringing people together across studios, cultures, and time zones. He believes great games are built on strong partnerships—and maybe a few spreadsheets.

Alexis focuses on fostering meaningful partnerships and long-term partnerships in the games industry. As Business Development Director at GameOps, she leads global partnerships and growth strategies for the Philippines-based service provider supporting global studios through QA, Player Support, and LiveOps. As Director for Industry Development at the Game Developers Association of the Philippines, she promotes cross-border collaboration and regional capabilities. She is also the Co-founder and Executive Director of GameDev Summit, a platform designed to elevate SEA’s role in the global games ecosystem. At MEE Games, she serves as Head of BD and Strategic Partnerships, empowering Philippine indie developers through access to mentorship, funding, and strategic support.

Kate Mitchell is the Global Director of Quality Assurance at Side, bringing over 19 years of experience in game quality assurance and business development. Having worked with both developers and service providers across the industry, she now leads Side’s global QA division -- driving innovation, standardization, and team growth across 12+ international sites. Kate champions proactive testing, cross-functional collaboration, and integrating AI and automation to elevate quality standards. Her vision focuses on uniting technology and human expertise to shape the future of QA in gaming.

Daphné is Production Director at Virtuos Montréal, where she leads multi-disciplinary teams and drives co-development initiatives with top-tier global partners. With a strong background in external development and a deep understanding of creative pipelines, she brings expertise across complex projects, gameplay-oriented mandates, and art pipelines. Passionate about building efficient processes and empowering teams, she focuses on ensuring alignment, collaboration, and delivery excellence throughout every stage of development.

I have been working in external development for more than 10 years and am currently the External Development Director at EA's Full Circle Studio. I started as an asset artist for vendor studios, and after joining development teams, I focus heavily on improving communication and production practices between internal and external teams.

James Matthes is the CEO and Audio Director of Pressure Cooker Studios, a 720sqm, 20 people strong creative facility in Africa, with film credits across Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon.
His studio’s gaming work includes Manor Lords, Semblance, and Ancient Dungeon VR, with Legends of Orisha and a number of other titles currently in development.
James is passionate about elevating African creativity on the world stage and evolving the Western cinematic sound in the industry. With a strong network across continents, he is on a mission to close the gap between Africa and the world by building world-class infrastructure, fostering talent, and driving collaboration in order to build a platform for talent to flourish.

Sabrina Mah is a multidisciplinary game developer working as a Program Consultant on the Gaming team at GLAAD, a nonprofit organization harnessing the power of media to accelerate understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Her past roles in game development include QA, Production, and Narrative at studios The Coalition and Respawn Entertainment.
Sabrina utilizes her broad industry experience to improve character representation effectively within the unique challenges of game development. Whilst also acting as the Narrative Producer, she led the award-winning authenticity efforts on Catalyst, Conduit, and Alter from Apex Legends. In her free time, she studies computer science, and is currently learning C++.

Maria, Executive Producer & Co-Founder at Team from Earth
With over 10 years in game art outsourcing, Maria specializes in production setup, studio operations, and client partnerships. She has led teams on titles like Dead Space (2023), Apex Legends, Diablo IV, Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, and Ready or Not.

Maria believes that passion and excellence drive progress. Through her work and mentorship, she strives to raise industry standards, foster sustainable growth, and build stronger, more collaborative creative communities.

Chris Wood is the co-founder and CEO of Tanglewood Games, a leading Unreal Engine external development studio based in his home town of Hartlepool, UK. Since 2017, Chris has grown Tanglewood Games into a world-class engineering provider, working on major titles like Hogwarts Legacy, Train Sim World 5, and Quidditch Champions.

With over two decades in the industry, Chris has consistently driven technical innovation in Unreal Engine (starting with his work on Wheelman's traffic system, 2006). He has remained uncompromising in delivering expert service, to global companies including Tencent, Sega and Avalanche Software - leading to Tanglewood Games becoming an Unreal Engine Gold Service Partner in 2025.

With a decade of expertise in both people and project management, including the last seven years at EA, Steve has extensive experience in fostering collaboration, building influence, and driving results with both direct and indirect reports. He understands the challenges of navigating diverse teams with multiple stakeholders to deliver both personal and professional results. He is excited to lead this discussion on a topic that closely impacts everyone in the external development community.

Started his career working as an artist in an Outsourcing studio in Mexico where he got the chance to work on several indie and AAA titles across different platforms and engines. Then moved to Europe where he has worked as an Producer/Outsource Manager in different development studios like Starbreeze, CD Projekt Red, IO Interactive, Avalanche Studios and now EA DICE where he is Lead External Development Artist focusing on CoDev, supporting and guiding multidisciplinary external teams to work alongside internal teams and reach project goals.

Tina Merry is a seasoned game industry leader with over 20 years of experience shipping titles across platforms and managing global, distributed teams—including more than a decade at Electronic Arts. As CEO of Simply Sweet Games, she is dedicated to creating inclusive, accessible experiences for diverse and often-overlooked audiences. Tina is deeply committed to equity, sustainability, and developing the next generation of inclusive leaders. She brings proven expertise in remote team leadership and cross-cultural collaboration, with a focus on creative excellence, operational scale, and building welcoming, high-performing teams.

With over six years in the gaming industry, Abigail began her journey as part of the XDS team. This experience ignited her passion for fostering relationships between developers and service providers. In 2022, she joined the External Development Intelligence (XDI) team at EA as a Development Manager, where she continues to build these crucial connections.

Abigail has a strong passion for leadership and continually seeks innovative ways to bridge the gap between diverse talents on the develop and service provider sides. She is committed to lifelong learning, always striving to enhance her skills and knowledge to better support her team and the projects she works with.

Currently, Abigail supports EA's sports franchises, contributing to the delivery of world-class games.

Jacqueline Clarke builds games by first building the teams behind them. For more than a decade in external development she has led cross-continental groups – spanning AAA to indie projects - ensuring artists, engineers, and producers stay aligned on a shared creative and commercial vision. Known for translating nebulous ideas into clear, actionable roadmaps, she combines strategic rigor with empathetic leadership, keeping both momentum and morale high.

Outside of work, Jacqueline is an avid traveler, a dedicated yogi, a lifelong seeker of great food, and live music, often all in the same day. Conversational in several languages, she’s always up for a spirited debate - ideally over a pint or a perfectly spicy Bloody Mary.

Curtis Cherrington is a veteran of the video game industry with deep expertise in external development, having led strategic partnerships at EA, THQ, Disney, Midway, and now Virtuos. He specializes in scaling global production pipelines and building elite external teams. Curtis is also an emerging voice in the intersection of AI and game development, exploring how generative tools and intelligent systems can enhance creativity and collaboration. At XDS, he shares practical insights on future-proofing external development through the integration of AI technologies such as large language models (LLMs), machine learning-driven production tools, predictive project analytics, and intelligent vendor management systems.

Leah Hoyer is the founder and CEO of Level Headed Games, where she and the distributed team are creating an innovative cooperative online video game. Prior to her new venture, Ms. Hoyer was GM and Vice President of Creative for Wizards of the Coast’s New IP Studio. She has developed and produced television series, video games, and interactive experiences for some of the world’s most beloved entertainment companies (Disney, Xbox, Telltale Games, Bungie) for over twenty years.

Leah is passionate about supporting diverse voices in entertainment and working to make everyone feel that gaming is for them.

Yann Le Tensorer is Vice President of Technology at Room 8 Group, bringing 30 years of experience in developing games, engines, studios, and companies. He was Lead Programmer of the first two original Rayman games at Ubisoft, co-founded and served as CEO of the studio “Tiwak” that created and co-developed the AAA title “Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter”, and has led the creation of four AAA proprietary game engines. Yann has also held technical and managing director roles at multiple European studios, driving innovation and execution across a wide range of projects.

Sloane has spent her entire 'adult' life working in video games. With a passion for creature design and a dual degree in communications and fine art, she started in business development for external dev studios straight out of college. After moving from 2D and 3D production, to high-end cinematics, to blockchain games and then 4 years at PlayStation, she has finally landed at Layer - a powerful team specializing in gameplay capture trailers, post-production and creative direction. Having seen the industry from both sides of the table, she is excited to share what she's learned at XDS this year!

Creative entrepreneur and strategic leader with a track record of building and scaling high-performing teams. I founded VOLTA and spent nearly two decades growing it into a global reference in game art, leading to its acquisition by Keywords Studios. There, I helped drive 700%+ revenue growth across key regions. I operate at the intersection of vision and execution, blending creative instinct with business acumen. After closing that chapter, I’ve set out to build something new through entrepreneurship, strategic advisory, or collaboration with teams that share a sense of integrity and ambition. I remain committed to mentorship, creative impact, and long-term, sustainable growth.

Dmitri M. Johnson is a producer and Co-Founder of Story Kitchen, acclaimed for adapting video games into hit films and series. He founded dj2 Entertainment, producing the billion-dollar Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and adapting titles like Tomb Raider, Life is Strange, It Takes Two, SIFU, and more. He champions authentic, fan-first storytelling that bridges games and Hollywood. Currently, he’s producing Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft S2, the live-action Tomb Raider series, Sonic 4, and more. Story Kitchen holds first-look deals with Amazon MGM Studios for TV and DreamWorks Animation for film.

Mike Goldberg is Co-Founder of Story Kitchen – with a TV 1st look deal at Amazon MGM as well as an animated film 1st look deal at DreamWorks Animation. Previously considered the foremost agent for non-traditional IP with a track record of closing 80+ Game-to-Film/TV deals. As an agent, he represented legacy videogame co’s Sega & Atari in addition to the NY Yankees, Macmillan Publishers, Andrews McMeel Publishing & the “Master of Horror” John Carpenter. Revolutionary deals included the now iconic JOHN WICK franchise as well as Universal’s ‘franchise-starters’ VIOLENT NIGHT, w/ David Harbour, and NOBODY, w/ Bob Odenkirk.

Julia Bianco is Co-Founder and COO of The Halp Network, a Black- and female-owned creative services studio that advances inclusive storytelling through cultural consulting, casting, and production. Her team guides AAA and indie partners, including Nintendo, Riot, Supergiant, Insomniac, and Epic Games, from audition to launch. Career highlights include The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Hades II. Julia’s casting on Tell Me Why set a new benchmark for transgender representation. A BAFTA North America board member and chair of the Games Committee, as well as author of The Art & Business of Acting for Video Games, she speaks globally on authentic performance and advocates for equitable pipelines.

Dan Ayoub is a seasoned games industry leader with over 25 years of experience across creative development and business strategy. From shaping the Halo franchise at 343 Industries to driving digital innovation at Microsoft and now Hasbro, Dan has built studios, led global teams, and launched high-impact IPs. Equally fluent in creative vision and commercial execution, he thrives at the intersection of storytelling, technology, and market strategy. Passionate about the power of play, Dan champions bold ideas, strong teams, and experiences that resonate with players and partners alike

Mali McGehee is the Department Head of XDI at Electronic Arts, where she leads global external development, ensuring investment protection and operational excellence. She drives seamless project execution aligned with EA's strategic goals, through third party partnerships and internal stakeholder alignment. Her work supports the creation of engaging, high-quality experiences for global audiences.

Rory brings over 20 years of experience in creative and business leadership. He was a lead designer at Sony Online Entertainment and High Moon Studios where he worked on beloved properties like Planetside 2, Darkwatch, and The Bourne Conspiracy. Rory now leads BBI’s creative ambitions, studio strategy and business relationships, having contributed to the Homeworld franchise, Minecraft, Hardspace Shipbreaker and collaborations with studios ranging from Blizzard to Respawn.

Pete Fabiano is a Production Director on Marathon at Bungie. Amongst his areas of purview is External Development, establishing relevant partnerships and getting support for teams in meaningful ways. Before his time at Bungie, Pete worked at Capcom Japan for 13 years on franchises such as Resident Evil and Monster Hunter. This varied background offers a unique vantage point, allowing him to leverage Japanese development methodologies with contemporary Western studio practices.

Elliot is the Director of Business Development at VOLTA and is responsible for leading revenue growth, client engagement and strategic business planning for the studio. He has spent the last 12 years of his career in the video game industry and with a background in both production and marketing, he is able to bring a unique mix of expertise and business acumen to build meaningful, results-driven partnerships with many of the industries leading developers.

Before joining VOLTA Elliot worked at Beenox for Activision contributing to multiple of their major franchises including Call of Duty, Skylanders, Guitar Hero, and TMNT.

Originally from England, Elliot holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Central Lancashire and when not at work, you’ll find him outside enjoying time with his family, friends and dog.

Chuck Byas is a Studio Operations Director at Liquid Development, where he’s spent over a decade helping bring games to life for top studios around the world. With a background in account management, production strategy, and creative collaboration, Chuck knows how to keep projects moving and teams aligned. He’s passionate about building strong partnerships and making the game dev process smoother for everyone involved. Whether it’s AAA titles or indie gems, Chuck brings a grounded, real-world perspective to every conversation about making games.

Eric Barrios is Director of External Development at Respawn Entertainment, where he’s spent 5+ years building a high-performing, expert-driven Ex Dev organization. With two decades in game development and leadership roles at multiple studios, Eric specializes in driving scalable content pipelines, elevating partner collaboration, cultivating/sustaining a healthy departmental culture and challenging the industry’s traditional assumptions about outsourcing.

20+ years of experience helping to create products including AAA Video Games and telecommunications solutions like DRM systems, cell phone VoIP/PTT and Social Networks. Involved in several game, console, animated movies and rendering related projects. Experience on video game development, content pipeline, 3D tools, Render Engines for PC, Mac and Mobile, Mobile 3D CAD products, console development for Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Nowadays serving as VP of Technology working closely with our teams to close any gap on technology as well as strong focus on R&D, Cloud, AI, AR/VR, CoDevelopment Engineering, Art and Production. Credited in several video games including Dauntless and the EA Fifa series.