Organisers for SXSW Sydney 2025 have revealed the speaker lineup for the annual Games Festival, confirming big names from the content creation and game development spheres. Two of the biggest names included have made their names on YouTube: founder of Skill Up, Ralph Panebianco, and founder of Noclip, Danny O’Dwyer.
Developers on board hail from a range of disciplines and business areas. Rachel Kowert, founder of Psychgeist is a research psychologist who applies her practice to educating about the power and psychology of video games. Ceri Hutton is a management consultant and game designer working across Australia to support and grow the careers of local developers.
Anna Zou, lead developer at Lemon Jolly Games, has worked across indie and AAA development for several years, including on major releases like Hand of Fate and its sequel. Currently, she’s working on a new game called Apothecary of City X.
Luke Ledwich, staff engineer at Riot Games (League of Legends) is also on board to share lessons from his 20+ year history in games. Rounding out this first announcement for the speakers of the SXSW Sydney 2025 Games Festival are James Marshall, MD of International Games Group, Vicky Wei, Head of Finance at Akupara Games, and Chris Davey, founder and director of Target Light.
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How will the guests be involved at SXSW Sydney 2025?
As announced, each of the guests will be part of panels at SXSW Sydney 2025, sharing advice and lessons learned from their careers.
“From career-boosting mentorships to industry-shaping insights, the Games Festival is your gateway to unparalleled professional and business development,” the event’s tagline reads. Essentially: you can learn more about the craft and application of game development, game-focussed content creation, and more.
An additional announcement tucked away alongside this speaker reveal is that the annual Games Showcase will be moving to the ICC Sydney this year, allowing for easier access for attendees. In this location, you’ll be able to find a range of “over 120 bold new indie titles from around the world, all ready for hands-on demos.”
You can learn more about what to expect on the SXSW Sydney 2025 website. Stay tuned for more guest speaker announcements, and details of what’s to come.
