We wanted to introduce you to the first three members of our Valkyrian Council! This council will be evaluating our champion game developers and offering their words of wisdom as our champions embark on the journey of financing their games at The Spawn Point Pitch Event – Game On Norway.
Introducing the first five members of our council:
Bryan Herren – offbrand games
Bryan Herren is the COO at offbrand games. He’s worked on games such as Rivals of Aether II and Aethermancer. Previously he’s worked on publishing dozens of indie games and was a founding team member at D&D Beyond.
Ivan Carillo – Joystiq Ventures
Ivan is the founder of Joystick. He loves challenging games, but he has a soft spot for narrative titles. Cooking, photography and volleyball are some of his passions.
Luke Vernon – Devolver Digital
Luke has worked in production for many years: nearly 10 years at TakeTwo working on titles from Gathering, Take Two, Rockstar and other labels. Nine years at Activision including six years and three Call of Duty games as Executive Producer at Infinity Ward, six and years and counting at Devolver and a good number of forays as an independent consultant sprinkled along the way.
«I love the challenge of making games and of bringing together art and science to create new and magical experiences. I have never ending respect for the creators, and marvel at what we can achieve together.»
Kalli Karlsson – Bifrost Entertainment
Kalli Karlsson is a publisher and investor in infie games. Previous projects include Iconoclasts, Coromon, Symphony of War and more.
Bifrost Entertainment also owns YGOProdeck.com, and is a part of the HAVA Corporation, owners of Bulbagarden.net.
Yves LE YAOUANQ – Focus Entertainment
Yves started his career over 25 years ago in the games industry, first on MUDs and MMORPGs, to then join Ubisoft for 11 years in strategic positions to help expanding the PC and Online expertise, while building bridges with external developers.
In 2021, Yves joined Focus Entertainement as Chief Content Officer, to lead the Publishing Acquisition and help on the Portfolio transformation, welcoming new games, talents and studios from across the world.
Editors note: To get to know Yves a little better before the event we recommend listening to this podcast episode on the Game Maker’s Notebook: How to Pitch Game Projects to Publishers. Here Adam Orth talks with Yves about his great journey and his belief that publishers need to focus on quality of content and gameplay.
Alyssa Kollgaard – Akupara Games
Alyssa began their career in video game development in 2007 and specializes in production, publishing, product design, marketing, biz dev, organizational process and company culture. She has worked the full spectrum of game development and touched every part of the game lifecycle:
- AAA, AA/iii and indie
- VR, console, PC and mobile
- Prototyping, pre-production and pitching
- Development, release, live ops and post-launch support
- Publishing, third party and first party development
- Licensed, work for hire and original IP
Alyssa has worked at companies like Akupara Games, Insomniac Games, THQ and Cold Iron Studios on over 50 titles including Aliens: Fireteam Elite, WARMACHINE: Tactics, Rain World, GRIME, Resistance 3, and Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One.
Editors note: In addition to having the coolest and most fitting profile picture for the council readily available, Alyssa is also a founder behind the team that created the brillitant Publisher Pathfinder, which is a retro-style Point n’Click text adventure that helps developers find the best possible partners, publishers, investors and financiers for their specific needs! You can find it here: https://publisherpathfinder.com/
Anthony Thompson from Active Gaming Media
Since entering the professional side of the games industry, Anthony has focused on bringing games to the Asian market. At Active Gaming Media, he works in marketing and business development, helping identify games with unique hooks that may suit AGM’s publishing label, PLAYISM, or resonate with players across Asia more broadly. He’s passionate about supporting Western developers and helping their ideas reach players in Asia through publishing and other avenues.
Remember to get your tickets for our pitch event on January 8th here: https://spawnpointtrd.no/pitch/
Spawn Point Trondheim 