The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and GameSpot Partner for 2012 Interactive Achievement Awards

GameSpot to Provide Live Streaming Video of the Awards and Exclusive Coverage of the D.I.C.E. Summit

CALABASAS, Calif. and SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) announced today an exclusive partnership with GameSpot (www.gamespot.com) for the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs) and the D.I.C.E. Summit. GameSpot will provide live streaming video of the awards ceremony, as well as exclusive online content from the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit sessions that take place throughout the week. The 15th Annual IAAs will take place Thursday, February 9, 2012 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas and will once again be hosted by comedian, actor and gamer Jay Mohr.

This partnership brings together the Interactive Achievement Awards, the industry's highest form of recognition of the year's best accomplishments in interactive entertainment, with GameSpot, voted as the most influential video game media site in a 2011 EEDAR poll of console owners. The IAAs are supported by every major video game publisher and developer in the industry.

The renowned annual event, the D.I.C.E. Summit, is dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment.  The conference features a stellar line-up of speakers both endemic and non-endemic.  This year's speaker line-up includes Bethesda's Todd Howard, Activision Publishing's Eric Hirshberg, Eat Sleep Play's David Jaffe, Epic Games' Tim Sweeney, among others.

"The Academy is excited to be bringing the D.I.C.E. Summit sessions, and our Interactive Achievement Awards – the industry's highest form of recognition – to the GameSpot audience," said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.  "GameSpot is part of a dynamic media institution known for its successful programming and longstanding partnerships.  We look forward to working with the GameSpot team on a stellar show and conference and sharing it with their audience and fans."

"The D.I.C.E. Summit provides a great opportunity for our audience to see the game creators, they love speaking their mind," said John Davison, VP of Programming, GameSpot. "Both the awards and the conference sessions provide a unique insight into the creativity and passion that drives the games business. GameSpot viewers will have the best seat in the house as they watch these unfold live."

For more information on the partnership, Interactive Achievement Awards and the D.I.C.E. Summit, please visit www.interactive.org and 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 common interests and outstanding achievements in the interactive arts and sciences. The Academy conducts its annual awards show, the Interactive Achievement Awards, to promote and acknowledge exceptional 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, Ubisoft, THQ, Day One Studios, Epic Games and Insomniac Games, The Academy celebrates and honors the creativity of video games worldwide. More information can be found at http://www.interactive.org and http://www.dicesummit.org. Follow the AIAS on Facebook and Twitter.

About GameSpot

GameSpot's (www.GameSpot.com) expert editorial team provides more than a million daily visitors with comprehensive, engaging and unbiased game information for console, PC, and portable platforms. The site was named the most influential video game media site in America in 2011 by EEDAR (Electronic Entertainment Design and Research). It's award-winning coverage includes previews and reviews on the hottest titles, breaking news, live Web casts, online tournaments, game downloads, videos, guides, hints and more. GameSpot also has one of the most active online gaming communities fueled by a free, innovative social networking service that makes it easy and fun for gamers to interact with like-minded enthusiasts. The GameSpot family includes GameFAQs, Game Rankings and GameSpot Trax, the industry's premier real-time market intelligence tool. GameSpot is a property of CBS Interactive. GameSpot is available online, on mobile phones and on the iPad. Follow GameSpot on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences