Rave Reviews for Sold Out External Development Summit (XDS) 2016

VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - September 29, 2016) - External Development Summit (XDS), the only annual, international games industry event held in Canada with a primary focus on external development for art, animation, audio, software engineering, QA and localization – celebrates the success of the fourth annual, sold out event. 500 delegates consisting of developers & publishers, service providers, middleware providers and country representatives from 36 countries attended XDS 2016. The 3-day event kicked off on September 7^th at the Westin Bayshore Hotel, with an introduction and opening remarks from Vancouver City Councillor, Andrea Reimer. Twenty-one high-caliber presentations, multiple networking events, and over 1500+ B2B meetings between industry professionals and service providers (held through a proprietary meeting application, XDS Connect), has resulted in rave reviews.

Alex Stein, Lead Artist/Outsourcing Art Manager at Treyarch/Activision has said "I thought XDS 2015 was the pinnacle, but 2016 has shown we haven't reached the ceiling yet. Opportunities to meet with service providers you're already working with, and meet those you're considering – while discussing challenges, solutions, and best practices with your industry peers – is beyond "unique," or "exciting." Simply put, XDS is essential, and anyone who chooses not to take advantage is doing a great disservice to themselves and their companies."

Mirroring this sentiment, Glass Egg Digital Media's COO, Guillaume Monier (one of XDS 2016's Presenting Sponsors) stated that "XDS 2016 was the best year to date and XDS continues to be one of our favourite events of the year" going on to say that "Vancouver in September is beautiful and we'll be back".

While September in Vancouver does indeed have historically favorable weather conditions, it also has a convenient time zone and a thriving video games industry. "It is crucial for our video games industry to have a Vancouver-hosted global video games conference where local studios and talent can meet international creators and decision makers. It's important to business development to make as many connections as possible," said Nancy Mott, Sector Manager of Digital Entertainment & Interactive (DE&I) at the Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC). "You see a lot of that at XDS, which is why we've supported them for the third year running. There is incredible energy and participation and we've seen deals being made on the spot." In addition to bringing back its popular "Speed Dating" event for business development, the VEC sponsored this year's Level Up: Vancouver Pavilion, where Vancouver companies displayed projects and services.

XDS Organizers want to give a special thank you to Presenting Sponsors; Glass Egg Digital Media, as well as Keywords Studios (along with all other sponsors, exhibitors and attendees), and are already planning ways to build upon 2016's successes to continue to exceed expectations of attendees for XDS 2017, which will take place at the Westin Bayshore Hotel once again in early September of next year.

For more information, visit:

Website: www.xdsummit.com

Facebook: http://bit.ly/XDSFacebook

Twitter: https://twitter.com/xdsummit

XDS 2016 Wrap Video: https://youtu.be/5PkWxlJsQIo

About XDS

External Development Summit (XDS) is the only annual, international games industry event held in Canada with a primary focus on external development for art, animation, audio, software engineering, QA and localization. XDS is a professionals only event and brings together a niche community of game developers and publishers, vendors, middleware providers, and trade organizations to advance the industry through collaboration, sharing of best practices, networking and the delivery of a high-calibre, educational program.

XDS Advisory Committee

The XDS Advisory Committee is made up of industry leaders who are interested in supporting cooperative advancement of external development within the games (and entertainment) industry. These professionals volunteer their time to ensure the program is excellent in content and educational value.