The Tribeca Film Festival recently announced the upcoming debut to the Tribeca Gaming Festival taking place April 28 & 29.

The Tribeca Film Festival noted:

“Five years ago, Tribeca was the first film festival to welcome gaming to the official program. Since then, we’ve continued to support the storytellers who have propelled it to become the world’s most popular and growing medium.” – Jane Rosenthal, co-founder and Executive Chair of the Tribeca Film Festival

Intimate conversations some of the top game creators on the future of games and storytelling.

Hideo Kojima

The legendary creator of the Metal Gear franchise, on what’s next for him and the influences of cinema on his work.

Ken Levine

Director and Writer of the BioShock series, Levine reflects on his two decades in videogames and the legacy his work has created for interactive story-telling.

Sam Lake

The creator of Max Payne, Alan Wake and Quantum Break, on his unique approach to storytelling in games.

X POST CONVERSATIONS

Cross-cultural conversations, pairing a creator of the gaming community with leading artists and filmmakers.

Winslow Porter, Milica Zec and Tracy Fullerton

Virtual reality directors Winslow Porter and Milica Zec and Director of USC’s Game Innovation LabTracy Fullerton discuss how to create real-world environmental awareness in digital worlds

Ian Dallas

Giant Sparrow’s creative director Ian Dallas takes the stage to discuss his upcoming game, What Remains of Edith Finch. Combining a family drama with famous supernatural Japanese tales, he will discuss how creators are making mysticism relevant to the modern world.

Robin Hunicke with Maureen Fan

Robin Hunicke, founder of indie studio Funomena, and Baobab Studios CEO Maureen Fan show how to create delight and joy in VR

RETRO ACTIVE

By breaking down each title piece by piece – exploring every element from art, design and sound to storytelling – we take a look back on the some of the greatest titles from 2016.

Firewatch / Campo Santo

The Firewatch team at Campo Santo dissects their award-winning debut with a focus on narrative design with writer and studio director Sean Vanaman.

Overwatch /Michael Chu

Overwatch senior game designer Michael Chu discuss how characters come into being in one of the best-selling PC games of all-time.

The Stanley Parable / Davey Wreden

The Stanley Parable creator Davey Wreden on how he designs virtual spaces that are perfectly suited for his unique narratives and how that’s pushed him to explore the everyday.

The Banner Saga / John Watson

Stoic co-founder John Watson on how classic films like Disney’s Sleeping Beauty inspired the Norse world of The Banner Saga series

Watch Dogs 2 / Jonathan Morin

Watch Dogs 2 creative director Jonathan Morin tackled issues like surveillance, the Silicon Valley housing crisis, and diversity in tech in their ground-breaking title. He’ll talk about how the team built a simulation where everything is connected.

SPECIAL CONVERSATIONS

25th Anniversary of The Lawnmower Man + The Past, Present &  Future of VR

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of The Lawnmower Man, a special conversation on how Lawnmower Man influenced a generation of digital creators and to how capture images of the future with the tools of today with Brett Leonard, director of The Lawnmower Man, Jessica Brillhart, Principal Filmmaker for VR at Google, and Cy Wise from Job Simulator‘s Owlchemy Labs.

SNEAK PEEK AND THE ARCADE

A preview of new and unreleased work with some of the most dynamic independent game studios from around the world like Might & Delight, Finji Games, and Giant Sparrow, and additional hands-on play with unreleased and newly-released titles. 

The program and panelists are subject to change. For the most updated schedule, please visit: http://www.tribecafilm.com/games.

The festival will kick off with first-ever crowd gameplay featuring Telltale Games’ project titled Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale series, Episode 1. 

Watch the trailer for the upcoming game on YouTube.

Also on opening night to the Tribeca Gaming Festival, British electronic producer and multi-instrumentalist Mura Masa is scheduled to perform.

She recently released a new video for 1 Night featuring Charli XCX. Check it out, and catch her performance on April 28.

Take a look at USC Game Innovation Lab showcasing their interactive gaming experience below, and tap into their latest projects in New York.