Sam Lake to Deliver Keynote at Develop:Brighton 2025

The Develop:Brighton 2025 conference has announced Sam Lake, creative director at Remedy, as its first keynote speaker. Lake will participate in a fireside chat, titled 'Remedy's Sam Lake: 30 Years of Storytelling', which will delve into the evolution of the studio's narrative approach over the past three decades. According to Lake, "We've been on a logical path forward, always building on the foundation and learnings of our previous games." He expressed pride in the studio's accomplishments, acknowledging the hard work and challenges faced along the way. Lake also conveyed his excitement for the future, emphasizing the ambition and enthusiasm that drives Remedy. Last year, Lake received the Star Award for best creative lead, while Alan Wake 2 won awards for best visual art and best audio. He is set to receive the Develop Star Award at the 2025 Develop Star Awards on July 9. Lake described receiving the award as "a huge honor" and expressed his eagerness to attend the conference. The fireside chat will serve as a celebration of Remedy's 30th anniversary, tracing the studio's journey and milestones. When asked about receiving the award for best creative lead, Lake characterized it as "a very welcoming surprise." He praised the award category, stating that making Alan Wake 2 was a deeply personal project. Lake felt that being acknowledged for his work was a positive experience. Following the release of Alan Wake 2 and its DLCs, Remedy plans to continue exploring and experimenting, particularly within the Remedy connected universe, which includes the Alan Wake and Control franchises. The studio has established a solid foundation for its universe, with a focus on storytelling technique and tone. Lake noted that Remedy will continue to broaden the scope of its games, with some titles feeling familiar and connected to previous storytelling, while others will surprise players. Remedy's upcoming project, FBC: Firebreak, is a co-op game set in the Control universe, marking the studio's first foray into multiplayer and first-person shooter genres. The game is scheduled for release this summer. In addition to FBC: Firebreak, Remedy is developing the sequel to Control, as well as remakes of Max Payne 1 and 2 in collaboration with Rockstar. Tandem Events managing director Andy Lane commented on the upcoming conference, stating that attendees can look forward to gaining valuable insights from Sam Lake's fireside chat. Lane emphasized the importance of passionate storytelling in game development and welcomed Lake to the conference. Other speakers at the conference include experts from Sony, Ustwo Games, Criterion, Frontier Developments, The Chinese Room, Wargaming, Google, and D3t. The conference will feature ten session tracks, covering various disciplines, including games education and performance. Develop:Brighton 2025 will take place from July 8 to July 10 at the Hilton Brighton Metropole, with GamesIndustry.biz serving as a media partner.