IGEA has officially announced the Games Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) 2025 schedule, confirming a range of speakers set to deliver in-depth talks, covering various aspects of game development, and the wider games industry.
One of the headline keynote speakers for GCAP 2025 is Jordan Mochi, solo developer of the AGDA award-winning Conscript. Mochi will deliver a candid talk providing ‘a grounded and personal look into the multi-year journey behind Conscript‘ focussed on adaptation and learning. Notably, Mochi developed the game with no prior background in game development, instead self-teaching himself every aspect of game creation.
Jenny Windom, a specialist in marketing, community, content creation, and production who is most known for hosting Wholesome Games, will also deliver a keynote talk. Windom will discuss her experiences in the games industry, with a focus on calculated risk-taking, and the importance of open-minded discovery.
Lis Moberly, creative lead of 20th Century Games at Disney will also share insight from a long career in the games industry, working for Obsidian Entertainment, WB Avalanche, and Chuhai Labs as a writer and narrative designer. Her GCAP 2025 talk focusses on why ‘the games industry forgot how to make video games,’ and what can be done to right the ship.
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Josh Sawyer is another keynote headliner, whose career charts multiple iconic studios and video games, from Black Isle Studios (Icewind Dale) to Obsidian Entertainment (Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, Pentiment). His talk will focus on his career, and all the notable changes he’s seen in the games industry over the last three decades.
Of course, beyond these keynotes, there are also a range of other strong talks taking place at GCAP 2025, with insights provided by veterans from across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond. For a brief rundown of highlights, here’s a few major, must-see talks from the event.
GCAP 2025: Conference highlights
- 40 years of progress: Carmen Sandiego in 2025 (Daniel Fisher) – ‘In the current game industry climate, taking older IP’s and reimagining or reviving them is a common bet. Often, rose tinted nostalgia and modern gameplay innovation clash during development. Learn what the Gameloft Brisbane design team discovered during their journey to bring Carmen Sandiego 40 years into the future.’
- We Are All Wrong: Mythbusting Game ‘Failures’ (Emre Deniz) – ‘Before reading on, answer this question: Why did Concord fail? Your guess is wrong. All of our guesses are wrong. The video games industry is littered with opinions on why games “fail” and even with hindsight, these opinions are generally completely without evidence, and largely incorrect, until now.’
- Triple-A Recipes for Success for Indie-Sized Teams (Penelope Murphy) – ‘If too many cooks spoil the broth, how are AAA games ever made? Communication, direction and design play huge parts in a successful release and some AAA recipes for success can scale to any team. So what’s the secret recipe?’
- From Player to CEO: Reviving Neopets for a New Era (Dominic Law) – ‘What happens when a lifelong fan becomes the leader of a beloved but aging gaming brand? Join Dominic Law, CEO of Neopets, as he shares his extraordinary journey from a 12-year-old player taking care of his Neopets to becoming the driving force behind the revitalisation of one of the most iconic virtual worlds of the early 2000s.’
- The Rise and Fall of The Flame in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Donald Barrett) – ‘During this session, Donald is discussing how “The Flame” side quest arc was developed from its rough, early iterations to its epic completion. “The Flame” was developed into a massive quest arc that involved an entirely new enemy faction, an ally npc and a boss npc that were fully supported by all departments.’
You can browse the full list of GCAP 2025 talks and start penning your own schedule via the GCAP website. As previously announced, this year’s conference takes place from 6-8 October 2025 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, Australia.
