>> Welcome to GDC again.
My name is David Holladay,
I work in the Azure Group with video gaming on Azure.
Today I have with me Patrick Stanton.
Patrick, you want to introduce yourself?
>> Yes. So, I'm Patrick Stanton
with Windows developer marketing.
So, within the big Windows Group,
working with developers to get them
building on our platform whether for Apps or Games.
>> Yes, I mean
at this conference if you could see around,
this just absolutely crazy.
There's so many developers here.
>> Yes, I hope everybody can here us well
because there's a lot of the background.
>> But hey, there's a lot
of energy in the room and one of the things
that we want to talk to you about today is you
have a Universal Game Developer Challenge.
>> Yes.
>> So, that sounds super rich team.
We've got Universal and it's a challenge.
So, tell me a little bit about it?
>> Yes. So, Monday night Unity
in their keynote announced this challenge,
and it's basically a partnership
between Universal Studios,
Microsoft, Unity and Intel.
And so, basically we've got a challenge out
there to get developers to bring
some of the iconic brands of
Universal Studios into a game.
So that's really the gist of it is.
Basically we have these five different brands out there.
So we've got Back to the Future,
Battlestar Galactica, Turok, Voltron and then Injaz.
So those five different titles,
so we want people to come up to.
>> So, Universal owns those, the property.
So, when you create a game with them with this contest,
they'll give you the assets for that?
>> Yes. So, during the initial phases of this,
you can use those assets in
your game design document and prototyping of everything.
And then in the end, whoever the winner is,
will be able to use that royalty free,
they'll actually be put under a contract with
Universal to help complete that game and get published.
>> Okay.
>> So, that's in the end,
the real big objective is like if you're
an Indie developer or
maybe a student or something like that,
and you've got a team of developers that have
a really good idea to take one of
those brands and make a game out of it.
>> Right.
>> Then, this could
be a real good way to get in because you
have a big iconic brand that's already going to resonate,
you don't have to create your own brand.
You'll do the game development,
you'll have assistance from all of us as
partners and then in
the end that will get published by Universal,
and you'll be under contract with them and take advantage
of all the marketing that will come out of Universal,
Microsoft, the whole bit.
>> And so is the goal of this is,
so Universal wants to get some kind
of fresh thinking from games
but with the intellectual properties
that the idea which they're doing?
>> Yes. Universal, they want to
bring developers in to start thinking more about it.
If you look at, they've done in
the past license some of their brands,
the big Triple A Studios to build
games and they'll continue to do that but they're like,
"Hey, we want to open up to
some developers and get them in."
>> Right.
>> Be innovative and think about it and like I was
talking to a bunch of people in our Booth about ideas.
And there's all kinds of
crazy ideas using these brands and
making game play that maybe don't
mirror what the movies were all about,
but have a different kind of event too.
>> Yes. So just using it to
look for. That is super interesting.
So, when you publish it,
the actual game developer will
get it published under their name or through Universal?
>> They will be Universal. So Universal will publish
the game but the developers
will be under contract with Universal.
>> All right. Okay.
>> So they'll receive whatever benefits
Universal decides to put into that contract.
The winners will get $150,000 just cash prize,
but then they'll be under contract with
Universal to build that thing out.
>> Wow, that super interesting.
So, if I'm a game developer
and I want to get engaged with this,
how do I like, how do I jump in on this?
>> Yes. So right now,
like I said Monday night was when we launched this.
In the next 30 days,
we're looking for people that basically
submit a game design document.
No code necessary, just write
up like what do you think this game should look like.
And you can go to basically
uad3d.com/universal and sign up.
So, that's the place you're going to go.
Once you sign up there,
you're going to submit that game design doc.
Hopefully, we'll get a lot of people
submit those and we'll go through those and
figure out what are the top
six that we think are contenders.
>> Nice. So you don't
actually have to make a prototype first.
You just have to write like, "Hey,
here's the idea that I want to do,
we'll submit that." Okay.
>> And we're looking for creativity like,
what you going to use that brand for?
>> Right.
>> What's the game play going to look like.
>> That's okay.
>> How are you going to bring all these pieces
together and a little bit about your team.
Like do you have the ability to
actually produce this game.
>> Right. Now so,
if I'm going to create a game or there are
certain requirements to submit,
is it build for only one platform? Like how does it work?
>> Yes. So the requirements really
are sort of confined to using Unity.
Obviously that's one of the big part or sort of thing.
So use that Unity game engine to build out this game.
We want the Windows platform.
So basically it's going to target PC.
So we want a PC game running on
Windows 10 as the output of it.
Microsoft, we also want
that final game to really integrate Mixer.
>> Mixer, okay.
>> I take advantage of our Mixer
product and put into the product.
>> So tell me about the Mixer side of it.
like so for those who don't
know what Mixer is, like tell me something about it.
>> Yes. So Mixer we really are looking for,
you right now you can go to Mixer and watch
all the broadcasts of game play out there.
>> Right.
>> And see all that. But the API for Mixer allowed to
integrate to the game and do things like interactivity.
And so like you take one of these Universal brands,
add that Mixer API.
I love to see how you can make
some really cool interactivity with the game.
>> Yes.
>> So, that's what we're kind of looking for that.
>> Got you. So, this will be people
watching the stream of a game,
can interact with the game.
>> Yes, that's that's the idea.
So, we want see concepts like that.
So maybe it's a jazz game.
>> Yes.
>> People on Mixer are checking it out but then they can
interact maybe pick what person the shark eats.
>> Swim bastard, swim bastard. That's pretty cool.
I know over in the Booth here we have the Mixer folks
at GDC and they're playing a game similar,
like here they have a 10 person game where
the audience can interact with the game which is-.
>> Exactly.
>> Cool new thing you can do.
So interesting stat just as I point,
there are more people actually watching people
play games than are playing the games now.
So it's a huge, huge market.
>> And I think that threshold was
crossed a little while ago.
I mean, it's been a while now that
there are more watchers than players.
Which is just amazing.
>> Yes. Total chance
to make the game expanded to an audience,
so that's what they're looking for with this.
>> Yes.
>> Okay.
>> And you know one thing about this as well as you know,
for a small developer
or small shop and maybe as a great development,
they don't have to make a awesome game,
do great game play,
but hey we're going to give you a brand to work with.
It gives you a leg up on your success level.
>> Yes.
>> And that game gets published and you win this thing,
like we're going to market for Microsoft,
make it available through Mixer,
Unity, Universal, we're going to mark that as well.
So, it could be like a real career maker for somebody.
>> Yes that's supernatural.
It's like you can go from nothing to
like having a huge hit game out there,
the big brand this super interesting.
So, if I am a developer,
how do I not know the partnership,
like how was the Unity and Microsoft,
are they actually helping this person
build? Like how does that whole thing work?
>> Yes. It really comes down to
how this kind of gets phased.
So like I said initially,
you put those games design docs together,
we'll figure out the six kind of best ideas.
Those six are going to be invited out to
DreamWorks Campus down in LA.
>> And we're going to have a session there
where we'll have experts from all the companies.
So we'll have Microsoft guys
down there, people from Mixer.
So we can work with those developers
on how they're going to build out this game,
how they're going to integrate Mixer.
Unity will have people down there,
they'll be talking about how to use their engine.
Universal will have people
represent each one of those brands.
So there's questions about how we can use
that brand and that brand identity,
and Intel will have people there as well with
their GPU and processing stuff.
>> Okay so, if I'm
a developer in the house and I'm not confident in say,
to the technologies you said still enter it
because you'll get surrounded by support?
>> You find that consultative will add benefit to it.
>> Yes.
>> And so once you're into those last
six, we'll do all this,
we'll have that section, we'll have the judges onsite,
so you get some good feedback.
Then we can send you a way to finish off a prototype.
Right now, prototype can be the one that we
judge and find that one finalist.
>> Okay.
>> And once we have that one finalist,
that's going to be the person that is going to have
the contract with Universal to build out a final game.
>> Yes.
>> Which may take a year or whatever it can take.
And they'll get $150,000 in prize money,
just being that finalist.
Everybody else, the other five runner ups
will get $20,000 is like a runner up prize.
>> Yes, that's great.
>> Any of those games won't continue on but you know.
>> Sure, but that is
still a great price, great prize money.
And you said DreamWorks Campus,
so they're going down to the DreamWorks Campus?
>> Yes, it's a cool campus
if you've ever seen it or whenever.
>> That'll be fascinating, yes.
>> You'll basically have all ready in there,
we'll have everybody you'll kind of meet
with consultants from the different companies,
freelance, the whole bit,
we have a big production there,
and yes we'll have everybody down there.
>> So it's totally like you're incubating somebody?
You know both the technology and
DreamWorks has got to be a creative environment too.
Like they probably like work through
ideas of games and things too even?
>> Yes, Just the campus, you
walk around and you're just like,"Wow."
Like you see all these iconic brands.
Every conference room has its own little brand.
It's kind of cool place, generate
some good creativity down there.
>> Yes that sounds fascinating.
I mean, I imagine it would spark a lot of thoughts,
ideas and things like that and then get the technical.
Well, that's the super, super interesting.
So, to enter this you mentioned your url right,
you can maybe could say it again
because I think now people know about it,
they would go like, "Hey, let's look at this."
>> Yes, for sure and you know basically,
it's www.unity3d.com, Unity's website,
forward slash universal.
>> Universal, okay.
>> So basically tag on
that Universal at the end of Unity's Web site,
you'll get there and now it will be
the landing page you can sign up for this.
>> Got you. So it's got all the details,
rules, maybe they are?
>> Yes, it has all the terms and conditions, the timing.
>> And all the legalities and all the stuff that's on.
>> Yes.
>> That's super cool.
When did it open or is it just now open?
>> So Monday night when Unity did their keynote,
that was the opening, that was the beginning.
>> Got you.
>> And like I said 30 days.
So twentieth or so
of April will be the last day to submit your game doc,
no code, no app,
just here's my concept.
>> Yes.
>> You have 30 days to get that in.
>> Interesting. That's very cool.
I mean before we wrap this up would you have
any kind of advice for
people submitting game types
you are looking for or just wide open?
>> I mean it's pretty wide
open but like I've talked to a lot of people,
I think you know trying to be creative.
>> Yes.
>> Right? Everybody is like do I have to follow
the movie theme and try-.
>> Got you.
>> And try now, you know think creatively about it.
You know what I mean, you want to create a game
that follows exactly the movie plot of Joes'.
I'd say, "That's kind of
been done, that's the movies out there."
Like think creatively how you might do these things.
>> Right.
>> And a lot of people have asked to do I have to
include all five brands and I'm like, "Good."
I think that would be hard to pull out.
>> I'll be a smash for those things.
>> Like I focus with one brand and try
to like do something great out of it, so ,yeah.
>> Got you. Okay.
>> And in the end we're looking
for, from Microsoft's standpoint.
Like we're looking for that one great game.
Like on the Window, it's going to be
a PC game with one of these brands,
like we can get behind it, we can market it.
Universal I know it's the same thing, right?
It's one of those brands that have
a really good game and get it out there.
>> Very interesting good. So think big,
think creative, think differently,
come up with that unique idea,
doesn't have to follow
the Joes' movie line or anything. Okay.
>> And we're giving you the back ends.
Like for success, we give you a big brand,
we're going to give you the marketing
of that game once it's done.
So put all your effort into being creative,
come up a good game play, that kind of things.
>> Okay, awesome man,
this is it, that sounds
like a super machine contest though.
>> Yes.
>> Okay, I hope, best of
luck with it and I hope there's a lot of sign up.
So in the last words you have for?
>> Now, just see you
make sure you hop in there and sign up.
And we'll be marketing around so you'll see in
our social channels everything that this challenge
continues on and get after it.
>> Okay, great, hey Patrick thank you so much today.
That has been great. So thank you for coming up.
All right and we'll see you.