The summit begins with a keynote address at 9 am PT on March 15, during which Google will share information about new tools designed to help developers build games and reach audiences around the world. The summit also features more than 20 sessions spanning topics like “Games on foldable devices,” “Building an in-game currency platform with Spanner and Cloud Run,” and “Playtesting made easy on Stadia.” Also: Best gaming laptops The sessions will be available to watch on-demand starting at 10:15 am. Anyone interested in the summit can register for free starting today. Google’s focus within gaming has shifted in recent years to its role as a platform for third-party game publishers and developers. To that end, Google last year created a new executive role within Google Cloud focused on Gaming Solutions. Additionally, Google last year shut down Stadia’s in-house game development team so that the game streaming platform could focus on its work with third-party game studios. Google’s interest in gaming should come as no surprise. The industry is sizable and growing – generating around $175.8 billion via consumer spending in 2021, according to research firm Newzoo. The global gaming market is expected to exceed $200 billion by 2023. Meanwhile, players in the past year have moved more to mobile and cross-platform games.
