2013 D.I.C.E. Summit Unveils New Speakers

Unmatched Slate of Industry Experts to Cover the Latest Trends in Mobile Entertainment, Transmedia Storytelling, Emerging Technologies, and Multiplatform Development

CALABASAS, Calif., Dec. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) today announced a new slate of confirmed speakers for the 2013 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit, which will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, Feb. 5-8, 2013. The lineup features industry leaders and development visionaries from Ubisoft, Quantic Dream, 343 Industries, Supergiant Games, Halfbrick Games, and more, who are shaping the future of interactive entertainment. Speakers at the annual D.I.C.E. Summit have historically set the tone for what's to come in the interactive entertainment industry, and the 2013 lineup continues that legacy.

"This year's slate of D.I.C.E. speakers represents our broadest focus yet on the interactive entertainment industry, including areas that have seen phenomenal growth in the past few years, such as mobile and emerging concepts like transmedia storytelling," said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. "The 2013 D.I.C.E. Summit is, once again, a meeting of the best and brightest in interactive entertainment."

New confirmed speakers include:

• David Cage, CEO of Quantic Dream and producer of Heavy Rain, 2010's most awarded video game (worldwide). David is currently working on the much-anticipated project, BEYOND, starring Ellen Page. He will be presenting on "The Peter Pan Syndrome: The Industry that Refused to Grow Up," where he will be discussing his vision for content in the future, and why he believes it is the key to expanding our market and finally becoming a mature industry.
• Leading mobile and casual game producer Matt Lee Johnston, previously PopCap's senior producer on the Peggle series, Plants vs. Zombies (XBLA), Plants vs. Zombies 2, and 2008's Bejeweled 2 + Blitz for iOS. Matt will lead an über panel on mobile trends: "Secret Sauce -- Innovating Disruption on the Mobile Frontier."  Joining him on the panel will be:
  • Phil Larsen, CMO of Halfbrick Games (Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride)
  • David Edery, CEO of Spry Fox (Triple Town, Steambirds)
  • Julian Farrior, CEO of Backflip Studios (Dragonvale, Paper Toss)
  • Greg Harper, GM North America at Supercell (Clash of Clans, Hay Day)
• Microsoft Game Studios/343 Industries' Executive Producer Kiki Wolfkill and Franchise Development Director Frank O'Connor will co-present on "Changing the Universe - Three for Three." This session will explore the trials, tribulations, and opportunities in building and rebuilding a cultural phenomenon, expanding a beloved universe into live action and transmedia storytelling, all while creating a AAA-game studio from scratch.
• Amir Rao, studio director for Supergiant Games, the team behind the AIAS award-winning downloadable game Bastion. Amir will be presenting on "Multiplatformism," and will explore Supergiant Games' ethos behind selecting platforms, while also considering whether the future of elegant design is truly interface agnostic.
• Xavier Poix, managing director of Ubisoft France (Paris, Montpellier, Annecy), producer of this year's Ghost Recon Future Soldier, and responsible for four of Ubisoft's six Wii U launch titles, including Rayman Legends. Xavier will be presenting on "Developing the Future: Leveraging New Technology to Change the Way We Play," which explores emerging trends that could change our perspective of gaming in the near future.
• David Ting, GM of eSports at IGN Entertainment, where he launched the company's popular, new competitive gaming league, the IGN Pro League (IPL), in order to help legitimize video gaming as a profession. He will be presenting on "eSports: The Next Big Spectator Sport" - why and how eSports is becoming the next major Internet phenomenon that will create a new generation of sports celebrities.

These speakers join previously confirmed speakers: Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve Corporation and recently announced 2013 AIAS Hall of Fame inductee; Randy Pitchford, co-founder, owner and president of Gearbox Software; Jenova Chen, creative director and co-founder of thatgamecompany; and Jesse Schell, CEO of Shell Games and distinguished professor of the Practice of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University.

For more information about the Summit or to register, visit www.dicesummit.org.

About the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences:
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) was founded in 1996 as a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote, advance and recognize the outstanding achievements in the interactive entertainment industry worldwide. The Academy conducts its annual awards show, the D.I.C.E. Awards, to celebrate and honor creative accomplishments in the field. To further enhance awareness of the Academy's vision, the organization created the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit in 2002, a once yearly conference dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment. With more than 22,000 members, including Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Google, Bethesda Game Studios, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Double Fine, Gearbox Software, Nexon and Insomniac Games, among others. More information can be found at http://www.interactive.org and http://www.dicesummit.org. Follow the Academy on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+.

SOURCE Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences