Excaliber, a dynamic and independent entity that promotes and supports the growth of the video game industry in Italy, is pleased to announce the launch of a new collaboration: starting in 2025, Excaliber will be the organizational partner of DStars, an initiative created by Gamera Interactive to celebrate the Italian video game development scene.
Created in 2019, DStars has grown year after year, engaging hundreds of developers and journalists in its activities: the celebration of professionals and development studios with the DStars Awards, and the DStars Connects conferences, which address key industry trends with national and international guests. The upcoming seventh edition will take place on March 28 and 29 and will be streamed on Twitch.
Before that, all Italian video game developers, both those based in Italy and abroad, will be called upon to vote the winners of the various DStars Awards categories. Voting begins with the more technical categories, such as Programming Star, Design Star, Art & Animation Star, Marketing, PR & Biz Dev Star, Management Star, and Production Star, followed by categories dedicated to events, schools, and industry journalists, represented by Best Special Initiative, Best Development School, and Journalism Star. The awards culminate with the most prestigious honours: Far Star, Industry Star, Best New Studio, Studio of the Year, and Game of the Year. An additional award, Guiding Star, will be assigned by the DStars board. Voting will begin alongside the new year, on January 1, and will remain open until March 14.
The program of talks and panels for DStars Connects will be announced in the coming weeks and will feature highly prominent speakers. In previous editions, the stage has hosted guests of the caliber of Josh Sawyer (Obsidian Entertainment), Marco Massarutto (Kunos Simulazioni), Juney Dijkstra (Paradox), Seamus Blackley (Original Xbox Creator), Rami Ismail (Game Industry Ambassador), Michele Poggi (Content Creator), Victor Lahlou (Wizards of the Coast), Fawzi Mesmar ( Ubisoft), Warda Rashid Khan (Big Immersive), Gaby Llanillo (Riot Games), and many others.
“I am extremely excited and can’t wait to announce the novelties of the seventh edition of DStars” comments Alberto Belli, CEO of Gamera Interactive and creator of the initiative. “The team has been working tirelessly for months alongside Excaliber to deliver a wealth of content that I hope will captivate not only the vast network of professionals surrounding DStars, but also enthusiasts eager to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of the industry.”
All details about DStars are available on the official website at the link below.
