Kate Edwards

Kate Edwards is an award-winning 28+ year veteran of the game industry, and the CEO and principal consultant of Geogrify, a consultancy which innovated content culturalization, as well as the CXO and Co-Founder of SetJetters, a film tourism app. She is also the former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and the Global Game Jam. In addition to serving in several board and advisory roles, she is a geographer, writer, and corporate strategist. In August 2021, she was included in the Forbes' "50 Over 50" Vision List as one of 50 veteran women selected from a wide variety of industries, and in September 2021 was inducted into the Women in Games Hall of Fame.

Building Company Values That Withstand Global Pressures

The real-world geopolitical and cultural impacts on game developers and their game content have never been as clear as with recent events, causing companies to reevaluate their creative choices. With new policies and local restrictions being constantly revised and/or imposed by various jurisdictions, more companies are faced with the challenge of reconciling their values against the ongoing interest in generating revenue in certain markets (e.g., China). This session focuses on how the values of game companies are often challenged by current events (e.g., Russia's invasion of Ukraine), and how companies can be better prepared before and after their games are released. The session is moderated by Kate Edwards, a geographer and culturalization strategist with over 28 years of experience helping game developers navigate the complex challenges around a game’s release.