At the moment, hardcore video games are not something many of us associate with Apple’s disgustingly popular iPod/Phone/Macs, but a rather interesting career shift has just caught our eye.

Dirty Edge, the iPhone game app developer has just gone and drawn our interest by hiring veteran game producer Luke Stafford, formerly of Crytek to work on their new indie title, Hellemental.

And we are not using the word ‘veteran’ lightly here. If you have never heard of Crytek, please imagine us looking at you disappointingly. Games to Mr Stafford’s credit include Crysis, Crysis Wars and an ‘as yet to be announced’ title. Codemasters also adds to his impressive CV, with Stafford also having worked on Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, DiRT and DiRT II.

Hellemental certainly looks to be a step in a new direction for Stafford, who is now taking the reigns as Executive Producer at Dirty Edge. The iPhone action strategy game sees the player take aim with an arsenal of elemental magic spells conjured by the wizard Elija, in order to slay hordes of attacking enemies before they can reach the city gates. There are no nano-suits or automatic weapons in sight (something that we believe wizards are lacking).

So what does a mainstream game producer turning to an indie game developer actually mean? Not a lot at the moment, apart from an interesting news story, as the results are yet to be seen. Could it possibly be a way of the future? Over the past few years, indie titles have started to become a lot less indie, maybe this is simply another leap forward to bring them in to the spotlight?

The fourth iteration of the GameCity gaming festival is due to be held between October 27th and 31st. The city of Nottingham will play host, as gaming fans, academics and developers flock to the city to take part in this unique interactive experience.

Gamecity doesn’t follow the usual modus operandi of a games festival, in that it isn’t just a chance for developers to show off trailers and games to the press and fans. Instead, hosts Nottingham Trent University hope that GameCity can bring people together for a shared experience of intelligent gaming discussion and an exploration of how the form can be expanded and shared with the community.

Though the roster isn’t fully booked yet and events are still being added, highlights so far include the presence of the whole of the team responsible for bringing the seminal space-trader Elite into the world. The promise of a real-world live action version of Crysis. As well as the presence of some of the upcoming stars of indie game development, including the developers of the brainy Source Engine mod Dear Esther and the controversial The Path.

GameCity sounds intriguing as an experiment in how games festivals can go beyond the simple playing of games. We’re particularly excited about the live action version of Crysis, which sounds just crazy enough that it might actually work (we can picture the strange people in their nano suits crying out ‘Maximum Armour!’ already). All events will have free admission, though shows with limited seating may require advance booking.

More details on GameCity Squared can be found here