Taking place at London’s Ham Yard Hotel on 14 January 2016, the day is split into two distinct parts – the Hype conference and the Edge Awards ceremony.
The inaugural Hype will showcase some of the most keenly anticipated games of 2016, talk to their creators, and deliver discussions, interviews and features focused on charting a course for the ever-evolving videogame industry. Bandai Namco Entertainment UK’s forthcoming Dark Souls III will feature in a dedicated area where the game will be playable for attendees.
Headlining Hype is a keynote interview with Phil Harrison, the game industry pioneer renowned for his work at Sony and Microsoft and more recently alongside innovators such as Gaikai and Supercell, who will be discussing videogaming's future at a critical point in its evolution, with VR, AR and other emerging technologies changing the rules for interaction.
Also lined up are Simon Byron (Curve Digital), Paul Kilduff-Taylor (Mode 7), Dan Marshall (Size Five Games) and Caspian Prince (Puppygames).
Joining world-leading game creators are some of the industry’s finest writers and critics including Mark Brown (Game Maker's Toolkit), Nathan Brown (Edge), Keza MacDonald (Kotaku UK), Simon Parkin (Death By Video Game) and Steven Poole (Trigger Happy), say the organisers.
Bandai Namco Entertainment UK is confirmed as the headline sponsor of the inaugural conference, and as part of its association with the event, Dark Souls III, one of the most anticipated games of 2016, will be playable.
Lee Kirton, Bandai Namco Entertainment UK’s PR and Marketing Director, says, “Edge is one of the most respected and credible gaming media brands in the world and we are delighted to announce this partnership for their Hype Conference.
“This is an event for a discerning, dedicated audience, which is why we have chosen to feature Dark Souls III at the event.”
Declan Gough, Head of Future’s Content and Marketing, Film, Games and Music Portfolio, says, "We're excited to be launching this new Edge event at a point at which so much innovation is happening in the videogame industry. We have a first-class line-up of speakers, and we're working with some incredible game developers for announcements we'll be making in the run up to the event. We've been asked time and again to create an event like this, and we're building something that Edge readers won't want to miss.
“We also welcome Bandai Namco Entertainment UK as partners. We are delighted they are involved in our inaugural event and will be featuring Dark Souls III at the event.”
A full schedule, including details of all games scheduled for the event, will appear at the Hype website, www.hypeevent.co.uk, where tickets are available to buy now.
Taking place in the evening, this year’s Edge Awards will be live onstage for the first time in their history at an exclusive, invitation-only event.
Recognising the greatest videogame industry achievements of 2015, this year’s Edge Awards feature an expanded set of categories, including Storytelling, Mobile Game Of The Year, and individual recognition for the best PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and PC titles.
A full list of nominees will be announced in issue 288 of Edge, on sale December 17.
