Charu Desodt
Title
Honorary Doctor
Person Type
Honorary
Charu Desodt is a video game producer, studio head, and advocate for creative innovation in interactive storytelling. She is known for her work on award-winning games including SingStar and As Dusk Falls, and for championing inclusion in the gaming industry.
Charu began her career as the first female engineer hired at Sony PlayStation’s London Studio, where she created the original game prototypes for the global success SingStar, thus establishing a billion-dollar franchise that has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. The game marked a cultural and strategic turning point, ushering in a new era of inclusive, casual social gaming.
She transitioned into production and joined the games studio, Lift London at Xbox, before working as Production Director at Preloaded to develop social-purpose driven games. She is now Studio Head at indie start-up Interior/Night. Their debut game, As Dusk Falls, was critically acclaimed — earning 30 nominations and 6 wins, inc The Game Awards' Games for Impact.
In 2014, she became part of the prestigious BAFTA Breakthrough cohort. Today, she serves as a member of the BAFTA Games Committee and a juror on the BAFTA Breakthough and Games programmes.
Her work is united by the belief that video games are the cultural medium of our era. She believes that gaming is for everyone and advocates for an industry where the demographics of developers reflect those of players.
Charu regularly speaks at industry events on studio leadership, championing diversity and female presence within the gaming industry. Her accolades include: BAFTA for Originality, The Game Awards: Games for Impact, BAFTA Breakthrough Honouree, Top 100 Women in Games (MCV), Diversity Star – Develop Awards.