Singer Announced as Speaker at GDC to Discuss the Decade-Long Worldbuilding Behind The Pirate Queen
Eloise Singer, Founder & CEO of Singer Studios, has been announced as a speaker at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and most influential gathering for the global games industry.
Singer will appear in conversation with fellow Executive Producer Dave Ranyard, former Head of PlayStation Studios London, as part of the GDC Festival of Gaming. The session will reflect on the more than decade-long journey behind The Pirate Queen — from its origins as a Meta-backed VR project to its evolution into a globally recognised, Emmy and PGA-nominated storyworld.
Created and developed by Singer Studios, The Pirate Queen premiered at Raindance and Tribeca Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim and multiple awards, before achieving major international recognition and platform success. The project stars Lucy Liu, who also serves as an executive producer.
Following its festival run, the title went on to become a #1 bestseller in China — a pivotal inflection point that underscored its ability to travel across markets, cultures, and platforms, and to resonate at scale.
The GDC session offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to build original IP not simply to launch, but to endure. Singer and Ranyard will explore the realities of sustaining a storyworld over time — from early creative risk and years of iteration to the decisions that shape how a property expands.
Drawing on Singer Studios’ experience, the conversation will trace how The Pirate Queen has evolved deliberately across media: from immersive games into publishing, with a forthcoming graphic novel series co-written by Singer and Lucy Liu, alongside development for screen, future game releases, and live experiences now underway. Each expansion has been approached as part of a single authored universe, designed to scale with intention.
Positioning worldbuilding as a decade-long strategy, the session reflects on how disciplined growth over time can transform an original story into a global IP.
The session will take place on Thursday, 12 March, from 3:50–4:20pm, on the International Stage, South Hall, as part of the GDC Festival of Gaming programme.
Singer’s appearance at GDC marks a clear moment for The Pirate Queen: a franchise shaped through a decade of authored worldbuilding, now recognised not just for its ambition, but for its scale, reach, and durability.
