About
Meet Des - a visionary game development professional with over 23 years of experience bringing digital worlds and stories to life. With a rare blend of publishing and development expertise, Des has worked on some of the most iconic projects in the industry, cementing his status as a true gaming guru.
As an integral player during LEGOs initial foray into videogames, Des proved his mettle as a game development powerhouse. After helping to launch of the original Xbox at Microsoft, he went on to support the development teams at EA before taking on the role of R&D manager at Crytek's European offices. Alongside this, Des was a producer for Square Enix London Studios, and it was during his time there that he helped steer the development of the critically-acclaimed Life Is Strange series - a project that would go on to win a BAFTA and numerous other awards.
Today, Des continues to break barriers in the industry, serving as a board member of the UK trade association for video games, UKIE. He is also a founding member of POC in Play, a diversity and inclusion movement that is reshaping the face of the industry. Des is the deputy chair of the games committee at BAFTA, sits on the advisory board for Develop and GDC Indie Games Summits, and judges the prestigious Webbys.
At the heart of it all, Des is motivated by a simple desire - to help as many developers as possible ship good games. Whether he's mentoring budding talent, or pushing for greater diversity in the industry, Des is a true gaming luminary, whose passion and creativity continue to inspire us all.