The State of External Development | Kaley Hurst

What does the data tell us about where external development is heading? Kaley Hurst, Chief Marketing Officer at ‪@sideglobal‬ and guest author of the 2026 XDS Insights Report, joins Carla Rylance and Sam Carlisle to go beyond the numbers and explore the forces shaping XDEV today. From shifting budgets and procurement priorities to communication challenges, AI, trust and changing partnership dynamics, Kaley shares what stood out in the data, what has changed since the report was published, and what developers and Service Providers should be watching next. Plus, Carla and Sam unpack the latest industry news, including Gamescom, signs of movement in external development, plans for the 2027 XDS Insights Report and changing attitudes toward AI. Read the 2026 XDS Insights Report: https://mailchi.mp/xds-spark/xdsinsig... 🎙️ Featuring: Kaley Hurst Chief Marketing Officer ‪@sideglobal‬   / kaley-hurst-04827314   About the Series: Supported by XDS Spark, Made Together looks at how games are made across studios, with a focus on external development. Hosted by: Carla Rylance, Head of XDS Spark Business Solutions   / carlarylance   Sam Carlisle, Co-Founder of XDS Spark   / samcarlisle   Subscribe for future episodes exploring the people, partnerships, and realities shaping external development in games. Learn more: XDS Spark → https://www.xds-spark.com/ XDS Spark Business Solutions → https://www.xds-spark.com/business-so... External Development Summit → ​​https://xdsummit.com/