Day 1 Schedule
Gallery
Hosted by Angharad ‘Rad’ Yeo
Live stream on 5 October. VOD available from 7 October
The Loft
Hosted by Jini Maxwell
Live stream on 5 October. VOD available from 7 October
9:15AM - 9:30AM
Welcome to Country
9:30AM - 10:30AM
OPENING KEYNOTE: Setting the Audio Vision at Remedy
Richard Lapington
Finland-based Remedy Entertainment is one of the world’s most acclaimed game studios, with a series of audio-rich cinematic blockbusters including Max Payne, Control & Alan Wake 2.
Richard Lapington, the audio director behind Remedy’s BAFTA-award winning audio team, reveals how vision-setting is the key to the studio’s creative and critical success.
10:30am - 11:30am
MORNING TEA
11:30am - 12:30pm
PRESENTATION: From Advertising to Assassin’s Creed
Nathaniel Chew
Join Nathaniel Chew, Associate Audio Lead at Ubisoft Singapore, as he shares his journey from being an Audio Producer in the advertising industry to shaping the immersive soundscapes of Assassin’s Creed.
Gain insights into his transition into the games industry, the inner workings of Ubisoft’s audio team, and the challenges of collaborating with global studios.
11:30am - 12:30pm
PANEL: From Creative Passion to Sustainable Practice
Byron Scullin, Carly Dober, Lisy Kane & Matt Schenkel
You’ve worked on a game or two and now you’re starting to think longer term. Can you build a sustainable business out of your passion for game audio?
Our panel will help demystify that process with practical tips, stories from the field, and evergreen advice on how to preserve and nurture your creativity.
12:30pm - 1:30pm
Lunch Break
1:30pm - 2:30pm
SPEEDRUNS: 1 Concept, 5 Minutes
Byron Webb, Daniel Bunting, Max Kearney, Samantha van der Sluis & Sarah Wolfe
Each speaker has 5 minutes to fully explain their most important industry tip – will they get through it in time?
1:30pm - 2:30pm
PANEL: How to Speak Dev and Influence Designers
Amy McNickle, Brooke Maggs, Chris O’Neill & Scott Boyd
Our panel breaks down their approach to communicating the role of audio to game designers, programers, and producers, and will discuss the benefits of having audio earlier in the production pipeline.
2:30pm - 3:30pm
Afternoon Tea
3:30pm - 4:30pm
FMOD DEEP DIVE: Dumb Ways to Survive
Pascal Cross & Talia Raso
Pascal Cross and Talia Raso crack open the ‘Dumb Ways to Survive’ FMOD session to show just how they get those beans out of trouble.
3:30pm - 4:30pm
WORKSHOP: DYNAC: Do You NETWORK as Composers?
Ceri Hutton
Is effective networking about who you know, or who knows you? How can you make impactful connections, leave memorable impressions, and have devs reaching out to you?
Leave “Do you need a composer?” in your drafts, and learn practical tips for effective networking with Ceri Hutton, who brings valuable perspectives from his experience in business development, and from years of connecting game developers all around Australia.
Note: this session will not be live streamed or available on VOD.
4:30pm - 4:45pm
Short Break
4:30pm
END OF DAY 1 in The Loft
4:45pm - 5:45pm
TECH MASTERCLASS: Music Systems Fit for the Gods
Sonia Coronado
Sonia Coronado from Sony PlayStation walks us through her process for designing dynamic and engaging music for games.
Drawing from her experience working on games such as ‘Helldivers II’, and ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’, Sonia will focus on some of the innovative approaches taken when designing the epic music systems in ‘God of War: Ragnarök’.
5:45pm
Close Of Day 1
Day 2 Schedule
Gallery
Hosted by Angharad ‘Rad’ Yeo
Live stream on 6 October. VOD available from 7 October
The Loft
Hosted by Jini Maxwell
Live stream on 6 October. VOD available from 7 October
9:30am - 10:30am
PANEL: AI in Game Audio: The Risks, Opportunities and Unknowns
John Oestmann, Dr Sam Whiting & Susannah Emery
Our expert panel speak on the controversial and ever-changing realities of AI and generative technologies. They will discuss how AI can be a useful tool for creatives, but also highlight where we should be vigilant.
10:30am - 11:30am
Morning Tea
11:30am - 12:30pm
Cultural Consent in Diets & Deities
Dylan Bennett, Ben Tyler & James Mangohig
Join the creative team behind Diets and Deities, a rhythm cooking game set in a diverse culinary universe, as they discuss the process of working with, and seeking cultural consent from First Nations, Balinese, Brazilian, and Chinese communities.
Led by Dylan Bennett, founder of NT-based studio Larrikin Interactive, the team shares insights into the development of this unique game and its epic music.
11:30am - 12:30pm
PANEL: Stronger Together: Why Community Matters
Dr Ash King, Louie Roots, Maize Wallin & Meena Shamaly. Hosted by Tim Shiel
A creative life can sometimes feel lonely – but many support networks exist that can help you find your people.
Join representatives from the AGSC, Freeplay, Game Workers Union & Support Act and learn how getting involved in community can lead to positive outcomes for you and for the wider games industry.
12:30pm - 1:30pm
Lunch Break
1:30pm - 2:30pm
PANEL: Know Your Worth, Then Add Tax
Belinda Coomes, Ben Houghton, Jake Leaney & Luke Henry
Creative accounting and lessons from the freelance trenches. From contract negotiation to small business setup, our expert freelancers – and a game-industry-literate accountant – will share tips and tricks plus answer your questions.
1:30pm - 2:30pm
FMOD DEEP DIVE: Sons Of The Forest
Michael Theiler & Aaron Edwards
Run, jump, and explore the audio systems of survival horror simulator Sons Of The Forest, as composer Michael Theiler and FMOD’s own Aaron Edwards unpack the game’s FMOD session.
2:30pm - 3:00pm
Afternoon Tea
3:00pm - 4:00pm
PANEL: Game Music in the Wild
Jini Maxwell, Louise Buckingham, Narayana Johnson (River Boy) & Tim Sheil
Do you want your music to have a life outside of the game you made it for? Vinyl, live concerts, Spotify playlists, museum exhibitions? Our panel will help you understand what’s possible, drawing from experience across composition, performance and curation.
3:00pm - 4:00pm
BIG MUSIC small screens: Elevating mobile games with bespoke compositions
Jacob Leaney
Discover the crucial role high-quality music can play in mobile games, enhancing player engagement and immersion.
Jacob Leaney breaks down his compositions for mobile game “Guild of Guardians” and discusses the importance of a strong relationship between Composer, Creative Lead, and Studio Director.
4:00pm - 4:15pm
Short Break
4:00pm
END OF DAY 2 in The Loft
4:15pm - 5:15pm
CLOSING KEYNOTE: Branching Ballads: Lyrically Driven Narratives in Stray Gods
Jess Cerro (Montaigne) & Yon Hall
Montaigne and Yon (Tripod) discuss how they worked together to create cohesive songs with branching narratives in the ground-breaking musical roleplaying game, Stray Gods.