GDC Europe 2011 to Feature Roster of International Game Industry Stalwarts

BERLIN, July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2011 Game Developers Conference Europe™ (GDC Europe) will bring together several videogame industry luminaries to share their experience, insight and inspiration, and provide European developers with their visions for the future evolution of game development. From independent game developers to social games leaders Playdom and Zynga and major development studios including BioWare, Epic Games and Quantic Dream, the industry's key players will converge to discuss the most topical trends at GDC Europe, when it returns to the Congress-Centrum Ost Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany August 15-17, 2011.  

In its third year, GDC Europe will offer more than 100+ forward-looking sessions on game development across its full roster, including the five tracks of business & marketing, game design, production, programming and visual arts. This year, the conference also introduces four summits, each focusing on an emerging sector reflective of the growing development and activity within the continent.  They are the Social Games Summit, the Smartphone & Tablet Games Summit, the Independent Games Summit, and the Community Management Summit.  

Highlights of the GDC Europe 2011 schedule include:

• Video game veteran Mark Cerny on the shifting landscape of the video game world, how past industry upheavals have impacted the creative process, and his take on its future
• Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's Developer Relations Manager George Bain discussing business opportunities on the highly-anticipated handheld, the PlayStation Vita
• GameStop's General Manager of Digital Steve Nix unveiling the leading game retailer's digital strategy
• Digi-Capital's Tim Merel delivering an overview of the games market from an M&A point of view
• Social gaming leader Zynga's SVP of Product Development Mark Skaggs illuminating the company's design frameworks for creating games such as FarmVille and CityVille
• Quantic Dream's co-CEO Guillaume de Fondaumiere making a case for why game rating systems must change
• thatgamecompany's president and co-founder Kellee Santiago on lessons learned from developing PSN hits fl0w, Flower and Journey, and best practices for making innovative games
• Playdom VP and Executive Producer Gordon Walton raising a call-to-arms for a professional society of community management to support the growth of online communities.
• Vatra Design Director Brian Gomez on Silent Hill: Past, Present & Future
• Braid creator Jonathan Blow enlightening attendees on how games can reveal universal truths

These sessions and many more join the previously-announced keynotes by Richard Garriott, legendary creator of the genre-defining Ultima series and founder of social media games developer and publisher Portalarium, and wooga founder and CEO Jens Begemann. Garriott will present a keynote address providing attendees with insight into the current era of social and casual games, and discussing whether or not traditional development can and should make the transition to this new mode of interactive entertainment, while Begemann will offer attendees insight on the methods behind the development of high-quality, free-to-play browser-based games for Facebook.

Complementing the conference content, GDC Europe provides several opportunities for creative exchange and business development, with venues including the GDC Europe Expo Floor, VIP Lounge, and the GDC Europe Business Lounge at gamescom, plus a host of industry parties. Already over 45 exhibitors and sponsors from a host of regions such as Germany, Sweden, Russia, Iceland, Belgium, Canada, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Canada, Romania, the United States, and the U.K. have registered for the GDC Europe Expo Floor, including Xsens, Epic Games, InnoGames, OnLive, and Unity Technologies. In addition, companies including Crytek, Level 3, Autodesk, Geomerics, Highwinds, and Epic will be exhibiting at the GDC Europe Business Lounge at gamescom.

Early registration for GDC Europe ends Wednesday, July 20, 2011.  For more information on GDC Europe, including a schedule of all conference events and parties, plus a complete exhibitor list, please visit: www.gdceurope.com.

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