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GDC Summits offer an unparalleled opportunity to dive deep into specific game development disciplines, guided by industry leaders who are at the forefront of innovation. Taking place over two intensive days, Monday and Tuesday, these focused sessions provide actionable insights and advanced knowledge that will directly impact your work, all while connecting you with a global community of peers who share your passion. Attending a GDC Summit is not just about learning—it's about gaining the tools and connections needed to advance your career and make a lasting impact in the industry. 

Driving Success in Live Service Game Design and Strategy  

The Live Service Games Summit at GDC 2025 is a two-day event for developers and publishers looking to master the core pillars of live service games: acquisition, engagement, retention, and monetization, including insights tailored to the Free-to-Play business model.

Covering all genres, platforms, and stages of a game's lifecycle, this summit provides in-depth discussions on best practices for launching and sustaining live service games. Through postmortems, innovative monetization strategies, Free-to-Play dynamics, and community-building techniques, attendees will gain actionable insights to enhance player experiences, boost revenue, and manage the evolving challenges of live game operations.

Two-Day Summit | Monday & Tuesday | March 17-18, 2025
Pass Access: All Access Pass, Summits Pass
Conference Tracks: Business & Marketing, Design

Who Attends

This summit is ideal for developers, producers, product managers, and business strategists working on live service games across all platforms or genres. You will benefit from in-depth discussions on user acquisition, engagement techniques, monetization strategies, and the latest trends in live game operations, regardless of your experience level or region. 

Networking & Collaboration

Connect with a global network driving the future of live service games. The summit provides opportunities to collaborate with developers, publishers, and industry innovators, sharing real-world insights from both successful and challenging live service game launches. Together, we’ll navigate the evolving landscape of live services and unlock new strategies for growth. 

Summit Takeaways

Learn best practices for multi-region and multi-platform launches, soft launches, and building loyal player communities. Discover how to integrate monetization without disrupting the player experience, as well as techniques for user acquisition and retention. Leave with strategies to boost engagement, increase revenue, and apply data-driven analytics to inform design decisions. 

2025 Session Highlights

Reinventing 'Candy Crush Soda' for the Next 10 years

Abigail Rindo (VP Head of Creative for Candy Crush Soda Saga, King)

Paul Hellier (Vice President of Technology for Candy Crush Soda Saga, King)

One Billion Plays: The Next Generation Meets 'Sonic' on 'Roblox'

Joe Ferencz (CEO & Founder, Gamefam)

Anatomy of a Hit Word Game: 'Wordscapes Solitaire' Postmortem

Steven Meretzky (VP of Design, PeopleFun)

Theodore McCormick (Lead Game Designer, PeopleFun)

Live Service Games Summit Advisors

Lindsey Williamson Christy

Phoenix Labs

 

Seth Sivak

Proletariat Inc.

Steve Meretzky

PeopleFun

Nika Nour 

Genvid Entertainment 

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Connecting the Global Game Development Community