It has been a momentous year for the games industry in and around Massachusetts. We had lots of ups and some downs, but the Games Circle committee is looking forward to new beginnings and even brighter horizons in 2013! To move forward, however, we must look back…
In 2012, numerous new games were launched (some beta launches) by local companies such as Stomp Games / Tencent Boston, Turbine / Warner Bros., Demiurge Studios, Popcannibal, Owlchemy Labs, HitPoint Studios, Harmonix and many more! While many studios saw success in 2012, 38 Studios brought national attention to New England when it shut its doors this spring. But, we’ve emerged. And, whether you were personally touched by the happenings at 38 Studios or not, I think we all learned a lot from the experience.
PAX East came to Boston for the third straight year, bigger and better than ever! Despite being held on Easter weekend, this year’s PAX East was the most well-attended yet.
Several other significant events impacted the industry in and around Boston including the MIT Business in Gaming Conference and the first-ever Boston Festival of Indie Games, which saw over 2,000 attendees in September! And, let’s not forget the 1st annual MassDiGI Game Challenge in April – 28 teams competed and numerous student-created games were developed (and some launched) this year as a result.
Our own Games Circle community was also very active during 2012. Our line-up of thought-provoking and well-attended panels and networking events included a “State of Play: 2012 Edition” session, “Can Games Save Education?” panel, and “Launching Great Games with Limited Marketing Spend” panel. We ended the year with “Smart Money in Gaming,” which was our most well-attended event EVER!
We are also happy to have two new committee members joining the Games Circle in 2012 – Caleb Garner of Part 12 Studios and Michelle Yaiser of Adobe.
And, I can’t end a 2012 recap post without thanking our sponsors – Turbine; Morse-Barnes, Brown & Pendleton; Adobe; and the Microsoft NERD Center!
Cheers to an even more momentous 2013 for the New England games community!
Elicia Basoli
