Game Industry Luminary Bill Roper to Keynote Third Annual Game Developers Conference China

SAN FRANCISCO, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Bill Roper, the Chief Creative Officer of Cryptic Studios and driving force behind the creation of the genre-defining Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo series, will present a keynote presentation for the 2010 Game Developers Conference China™ (GDC China). Presented by UBM TechWeb Game Network, organizers of the industry-leading Game Developers Conference®, GDC China offers valuable and timely insight into the world of game development for an audience of both local and international developers in a burgeoning and quickly expanding region for the business. GDC China returns to the Shanghai International Convention Center in Shanghai, China for three days, December 5-7, 2010.

Keynote presenter Bill Roper will speak to the future of game development in his address, informed by over 15 years working in game development.  Roper is credited with helping to create such monumental multimillion-selling titles as Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo while at Blizzard Entertainment, where his responsibilities included overseeing and managing all external projects, coordinating internal development teams and heading up Blizzard's strike teams to play an instrumental role in shaping the directions of the brands.  After Blizzard, Roper helped co-found Flagship Studios, where he helped to bring online game Hellgate: London to fruition.  Bill Roper currently serves as the Chief Creative Officer of Cryptic Studios, the California-based development studio behind the popular City of Heroes, City of Villains, Champions Online and Star Trek Online titles.

GDC China is the only game development event supported by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China (MoC). The conference is organized by UBM TechWeb Game Network, bringing the hallmarks of the GDC experience, including key learnings, networking opportunities and inspiration, to China's thriving game development community.  The conference offers forward-facing content tracks and summits, which include Global Game Development, Online Game Development & Business, Social Games, Mobile Games and Independent Games.  GDC China will again host the 2nd Annual Independent Games Festival China (IGF China), signaling its commitment to the expanding future and creativity of independent game development.

"We are proud to have the support of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and are delighted to host such a luminary as Bill Roper for the keynote address," says Meggan Scavio, event director.  "GDC China is the best place for developers to prepare domestic and international teams for the new world of game development.  Bill's expertise helps cement GDC China's place as the essential event for learning, networking, and inspiration for the Chinese game development community."

Since 2009, GDC China has been the only event of its kind to receive the support of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China, the government ministry responsible for management of industry bases, project development, conferences / trade fairs and market oversight for the animation and online gaming industries.

GDC China 2009 featured notable development figures such as Jordan Mechner, Ubisoft; Haldor Fannar, CCP; Chris Hecker, former-Maxis; Kevin Li, Activision, and more.  Last year, GDC China also introduced the popular Independent Games Festival China, which recognizes the best independent game developers in the Asian-Pacific area with a competition, conference summit, and award ceremony. These successes helped bring the number of attendees in 2009 close to 3,000, with 60 exhibitors and sponsors.

GDC China takes place in the Shanghai International Convention Center in Shanghai, China from December 5-7, 2010.  For more information about the event, please visit: http://www.gdcchina.com/.

About the UBM TechWeb Game Network 

A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the  UBM TechWeb Game Network – formerly known as 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 the Game Developers Conference®, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com and network of sites, the Game Advertising Online ad network, the Game Developers Conference® Online, the Game Developers Conference™ Europe, the Game Developers Conference™ China, Game Developer Magazine, Game Developer Research, the Game Career Seminars and GameCareerGuide.com, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards. 

About UBM TechWeb, a division of United Business Media

UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology.  Through its core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and professional information – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands, applications and services in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs, IT and IT Support managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software and Game developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively participate in UBM TechWeb's communities. UBM TechWeb brands includes: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Game Developers Conference (GDC), Web 2.0, Black Hat and VoiceCon; large-scale online networks such as InformationWeek,  Light Reading and Gamasutra; research, training, and certification services, including HDI, Pyramid Research, and InformationWeek Analytics; and market-leading magazines such as InformationWeek and Wall Street & Technology.  UBM TechWeb is part of UBM, a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.

SOURCE UBM TechWeb Game Network