7月17—18日，首屆Blockchain Gamer Connects和Pocket Gamer Connects在香港數碼港圓滿結束，來自45個國家的750多名代表參加了本次遊戲大會！
與Animoca Brands和數碼港合作舉辦的會議和博覽會吸引了來自全國各地以及海外的遊戲業內人士，共有來自45個國家的750多名代表參加。將近一半的與會者（48.6％）來自香港，15.5％來自中國大陸，6.6％來自美國，4.4％來自韓國，3.3％來自日本，2.6％來自英國。東南亞的新興市場也有很好的代表性，來自新加坡，菲律賓，越南，馬來西亞和泰國的強勁表現（超過7.7％），而俄羅斯和歐洲大陸共同帶來了7.8％的參會人數，以及中東和澳大利亞等也有代表。
在這兩天中，共有131位發言者分享了他們對移動，電子競技和區塊鏈遊戲的見解。包括Yuichiro Saito（Cygames），Allison Bilas（JoyPac），Sandeep Nailwal（Matic Network）和Huabin Ling（Cocos2dx）的主題演講。
在演講室外，與會者使用免費會議系統安排了超過280小時的一對一採訪及商務活動。此外還有精選會議（投資者聯結器和釋出商SpeedMatch），它們是在主舞臺後順利舉行的僅限邀請的聚會，彙集了來自全球各地的工作室，出版商和投資者。
非常大的獨立開發者Pitch中有20位參賽者，最終的贏家是Minidragon，一家成立於2013年的初創公司，總部位於香港數碼港。
共有390家公司加入本次手遊大會以及區塊鏈遊戲大會。
贊助商和支持者
本次白金贊助商是數碼港和Animoca Brands，他們共同組織了此次活動。該活動還得到了Xsolla，Lab Cave，App Annie的支援; UPLTV，Genvid，JoyPac，Matic Network，PlasmaPlay，Minimob，iMoney，Cocos-BCX，Bino Viz; Bluzelle，Upland和Cocos2d。
下一步
下一個國際會議的目的地是10月1—2日舉行的第六屆赫爾辛基Pocket Gamer Connects，並於11月2日和3日舉行了首屆Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan，而在2020年該系列將於1月20—21日返回倫敦。
The temperature outside may have been in the high 30s, but that was nothing compared to the white-hot talks and meetings taking place inside Hong Kong’s awesome Cyberport venue over 17-18 July, at Steel Media’s inaugural Blockchain Gamer Connects and Pocket Gamer Connects in East Asia.
The conference and expo, hosted in association with Animoca Brands and Cyberport, pulled in the great and the good of the games industry from across the region - as well as overseas - with over 750 delegates registering in total from 45 countries. Less than half of the attendees (48.6%) were from Hong Kong, with 15.5% travelling from mainland China, 6.6% from the United States, 4.4% from Korea, 3.3% Japan and 2.6% hailing from the United Kingdom. The emerging market of South East Asia was well represented too, with strong showings from Singapore, Philipines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand (making up over 7.7% of delegates) whilst Russia and mainland Europe collectively brought in 7.8% and the Middle East and Australasia were also represented.
These delegates enjoyed over 55 hours of talks and panels delivered across three packed tracks rooms. Across the two days, 131 speakers shared their insight on mobile, esports and blockchain gaming. Highlights included keynotes by Yuichiro Saito (Cygames), Allison Bilas (JoyPac), Sandeep Nailwal (Matic Network), and Huabin Ling (Cocos2dx). The crowd were thrilled by Superstar Sessions on player-owned economies (John Linden, Mythical Games); how gameplay comes first (Kern Zhang, App Annie); scaling Ethereum games (Matt Campbell, Loom Network); and community building (Marguerite deCourcelle, Blockade Games). There were 14 panels, including a lively discussion about the future of instant games, hypercasual and casual games, led by Gamejam’s Christian Calderon.
Making Connections
Outside of the track rooms, attendees used the free meeting system to schedule 280 hours of business one-to-ones. There were also curated sessions (Investor Connector, and Publisher SpeedMatch), which were invitation-only get-togethers that took place smoothly behind the main stage, bringing together studios, publishers and investors from around the globe.
There were 20 entrants in the Very Big Indie Pitch, the competition that challenges indie developers to pitch their games to panels of experts in speed-dating style quickfire rounds. The ultimate winner was Minidragon, a small company founded in 2013 who are based in Cyberport, Hong Kong, itself. Their game Pixel Petz walked away with the ceremonial baseball bat after impressing the judges with their pitch.
390 companies joined PG and BG Connects Hong Kong 2019 in total. As always at a Connects event, there was a wonderful cross-p of the industry, from students up to CEOs and top investors. 40% of the registered attendees were C-level.
Sponsors and Supporters
Our platinum sponsors were Cyberport and Animoca Brands, who co-organized the event. The event was also supported by Xsolla, Lab Cave, App Annie (gold); UPLTV, Genvid, JoyPac, Matic Network, PlasmaPlay, Minimob, iMoney, Cocos-BCX, Bino Viz (silver); Bluzelle, Upland and Cocos2d (track and associate sponsors).
“This was our 19th b2b conference overall and our very first one in the Hong Kong region,” commented Steel Media COO Dave Bradley. “We could not have been more pleased with the support we received from the local and international games community. There was an incredible amount of talent on show in both the blockchain and mobile sides of the event. It seems that many new business connections were made. And as always at a Connects event, the vibe was relaxed and friendly, with the party on Tuesday night – with conversations spilling out onto the Cyberport terrace – a particular highlight! We’ll definitely be back in this fascinating city.”
Next Up
The next destination for the international series of events is the sixth edition of Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki on October 1st and 2nd before rounding out the year with the first-ever Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan on November 2nd and 3rd. In 2020 the series will start the year by returning home to London on January 20th and 21st. https://www.pgconnects.com/helsinki/
