Game Developers Conference 2010 to Feature GamesBeat@GDC Conference for Industry Executives March 10

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- VentureBeat and the Game Developers Conference® (GDC) are pleased to announce today GamesBeat@GDC.  GamesBeat, the conference for leading executives in the game industry, has partnered with the Think Services Game Group, producers of the Game Developers Conferences, for the upcoming GDC 2010.  GamesBeat@GDC will take place on the second day of the GDC Summits, Wednesday, March 10.  GDC 2010 returns to San Francisco's Moscone Center Tuesday, March 9 through Saturday, March 13 for five days of lectures, panels, summits, tutorials and roundtable discussions on the most comprehensive selection of game development topics taught by leading industry experts.

The game industry witnessed nearly one hundred game startups raising at least $600 million in venture capital in 2009.  With social and mobile gaming upstarts creating enormous successes on Facebook and the iPhone, more opportunities are presenting themselves in the changing game industry landscape.  Last year's successful debut of the GamesBeat event drew many of the industry's leaders as speakers and attracted nearly 500 top executives throughout the game ecosystem: leading game companies (including Sony, NVIDIA, Nokia N-Gage, Outspark, and MayField fund to name a few), entrepreneurs, investors, and press.  Building on that success, this year's GamesBeat joins GDC as part of the GDC conference lineup.  By having GamesBeat at the GDC, speakers and attendees can enjoy even more compelling content and opportunities for networking and business.  

"Teaming up with the GDC on GamesBeat makes sense," said Dean Takahashi, lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat and organizer of the event. "We think it will lead to a much more compelling conference for our speakers and attendees."

"Thousands of developers are already showing up at the GDC," said Matt Marshall, founder of VentureBeat. "So we're bringing GamesBeat to them, letting those developers participate in the debate around the industry's most disruptive companies and ideas. This is a win for everyone."

"GDC is excited to welcome GamesBeat to our lineup to this year," said Meggan Scavio, GDC event director.  "VentureBeat's editorial content and GamesBeat's event offering represent a critical facet in our industry's economy.  GDC attendees will appreciate the addition of this Summit and the new networking opportunities it presents."

This year, GamesBeat@GDC will continue to focus on game business and host executive-level speakers from a wide variety of companies, from the smallest startups to the biggest in the industry.   GamesBeat@GDC will discuss the fate of the game platforms, where investors are putting their money in games, how big companies and brands are adapting to the growth of social and mobile gaming, new trends such as cloud-based gaming, games as a service, and the international scope of growth in games.   Above all, this one day conference will hone in on the business models and strategies it takes to succeed in today's game industry.  GamesBeat@GDC will also host a startup competition where judges and the audience can vote for the best game startup.  Attendees can access GamesBeat@GDC with a GDC All Access pass, a Summits and Tutorials pass as well as a GamesBeat@GDC pass.

Last year's major speakers included baseball star Curt Schilling of 38 Studios, John Smedley of Sony Online Entertainment, and Seamus Blackley of Creative Artists Agency. Other speakers included Mark Pincus of Zynga, Sebastian DeHalleux of Playfish, Dennis Fong of Raptr, Lars Buttler of Trion World Entertainment, Susan Choe of Outspark, Gareth Davis of Facebook, Graham Hopper of Disney Interactive Studios, Bing Gordon of Kleiner Perkins, Jameson Hsu of Mochi Media, Susan Panico of Sony, Tim Chang of Norwest Venture Partners, Mitch Lasky of Benchmark Capital, and Janice Roberts of Mayfield Fund.

Learn more about GamesBeat@GDC at www.GDConf.com .

About the Think Services Game Group

A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the Think Services Game Group offers market-defining content, and drives community through its award winning lineup of print, online, event and research products and services. These include Game Developer Magazine, Game Developer Research, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, GameCareerGuide.com, WorldsInMotion.biz, GameSetWatch.com, GamesOnDeck.com, SeriousGamesSource.com, the Game Developers Conference®, the Game Developers Conference® Austin, the Game Developers Conference® Europe, the Game Developers Conference® China, GDC Mobile, the Game Career Seminars, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards.  To learn more, visit www.tsgamegroup.com.

About Think Services, a division of United Business Media

Think Services connects specialized communities worldwide using educational events, consulting, training, certification, membership, and innovative media. Providing comprehensive opportunities for people to learn from, network with, and inspire each other, Think Services builds strong brands and works within communities to foster a unique affinity with its products and services. The division's flagship products include the Game Developers Conference, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, Game Developer magazine, the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), and HDI.  Think Services is a subsidiary of United Business Media, a global media and marketing services company with a market capitalization of more than $1.6 billion.   To learn more, visit www.think-services.com.

SOURCE Think Services Game Group