About the talk
Every year, thousands more games launch on Steam, making the cost of betting on the wrong idea increasingly high. At Chaos Theory Games, James and the team built a rapid validation pipeline and released more than ten browser-playable prototypes for PC and console concepts during 2026, each in roughly two weeks. This practical talk breaks down the pipeline from concept generation and playtesting to release and data-driven go/no-go decisions, including which Itch.io metrics matter, how WebGL can increase plays and how to distinguish a weak concept from weak marketing.
Speaker
James Lockrey
Co-founder and Executive Producer · Chaos Theory Games
James Lockrey is a game creator, executive producer and co-founder of Chaos Theory Games, an Australian studio building original IP and work-for-hire games with heart, purpose and juice. Across more than 13 years, James has helped launch over 100 games across PC, console, mobile, VR and serious games. He leads the studio's strategy, production and original-IP development with a focus on sustainable scope, early validation and thoughtful player experiences.