Lewis | ICO Partners 🔜 GDC

Project Operator to The Operator (GDC) Project Operator to The Operator A post mortem of supporting a solo developer to find launch success

Curious about my #GDC talk? Now that it's done, you can find the full presentation here 👇
docs.google.com/presentation...

I'm really glad. It was fantastic.

10/10 would absolutely recommend 👍

19. San Francisco folks are ridiculously warm and welcoming. Incredibly kind & they work bloody hard. It's a city with a great feeling, even if some spots are...unique 😅

20. It's very nerve wracking to be a speaker, but after 30 seconds it's surprisingly fun.

21. Already planning my next talk.

17. I'm really not great at meeting new people and small talk - I genuinely think GDC broke that curse for me. I won't worry about that again.

18. I didn't think anyone would come to my talk - it was packed and that's a big win for me. Even nicer to be mobbed for questions after the talk.

15. Union Square is a cracking base - it was a shame the UKIE booth was so far out from the Mascone.

16. The Buena gardens opposite the Mascone is a fantastic place - I met loads of lovely people there who were by themselves.

11. The GDC meet to match-style system felt confusing and difficult to navigate. I ended up getting my appointments the old fashioned way via personal DMs.

12. San Francisco is unbelievably expensive.

13. The Mission has incredible burritos.

14. China Town's noodles live rent free in my head.

9. The overall GDC infrastructure was great - easy to find your way around, lovely team members more than happy to go out of their way to help.

10. GDC does a really good job as a speaker of trying to give you important information, but it often felt email overload.

8. The vibe is very different to something like Gamescom. Very collaborative, supportive but also there's actually time to form relationships rather than see journalists or publishers for a matter of minutes while they quickly test a build.

5. There's an overriding sense & feeling of Devs helping Devs because the typical financial support structure isn't there.

6. Almost every developer I spoke to was struggling to find funding - often for small amounts.

7. The VIP area was a great location to meet clients. I'm told it's new.

3. The new branding genuinely works on the street and on the presentation deck. It's very striking.

4. I can't say whether it was busier than other years, but many presentations I checked on were busy and nearby hotel lobbies were packed.

1. @trentkusters.bsky.social was instrumental in me really understanding an all-new approach to presentations. It'll stick with me forever (hugely grateful).

2. A massive thanks also to @icotom.icopartners.com & @kroniksan.bsky.social for providing me with the opportunity.

My first trip to #GDC and talk is over. Here's some immediate thoughts 👇

@icotom.icopartners.com absolutely cooking me on texts

My GDC talk tomorrow :')

I have! I think it's a remarkable game that people will come to appreciate.

Man I just don't understand what's happening I put the plug in the socket and it falls out or hangs at 80% on the edge of death

Is it too late to ask for a meeting, guns or no guns?

Can't get my head around US plugs. Why does every plug just fall out the socket? 😭

Incredibly cheap for participation and if wishlist returns are over 600, good value for the current landscape. Future Game Show can be over $30,000 for a 1 minute trailer. With the exception of NewGame+ and IGN Fan Fest, almost all the landscape is now paid at incredibly high rates.

Good read from Morgan

Much lighter than I thought. Felt quality, slightly different shoulder button plastic. Track pads are amazing as always. Just feels fantastic.

Nice start to my first morning at GDC checking out Valve's new hardware. The GabeCube and controller are both incredibly impressive. Everything running flawlessly, even Cyberpunk (medium and high mixed settings).

I'm absolutely loving it. Somewhere between Apex and Hunt, wrapped in ridiculous styling.

Thoughts and prayers at this difficult time

It's Monday and I'm already having an existential crisis.

Would love to meet Bex for an in-real-life catch-up.

Hmm that's like, 16 degrees. It's currently 7 degrees here today. Is it shorts and t-shirt weather? 😁