UBM TechWeb (United Business Media) announced that its Game Developers Conference Online (GDC Online) opens today in Austin, Texas and runs until October 8th.
For more information visit: www.gdconline.com
Unedited press release follows:
Game Developers Conference Online Opens in Austin, Texas
Event Features Online & Connected Gaming Secrets to Success and Awards
Excellence in Online Games with Debut of Game Developers Choice Online Awards
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 5 — The Game Developers Conference® Online (GDC Online), the premier game developer event focusing on online and connected gaming opens today at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas for four days of networking opportunities and a comprehensive suite of sessions. GDC Online 2010 (formerly named GDC Austin) will host keynote addresses by industry trailblazers and luminaries Brian Reynolds of Zynga, Greg Canessa and Matt Versluys of Blizzard Entertainment, Heiko Hubertz of Bigpoint, and Raph Koster of Playdom/Disney. GDC Online also sees the introduction of the Game Developers Choice Online Awards, the first event of its kind honoring both excellence in new titles and the rich history of past titles in the online gaming space. GDC Online features a variety of sessions for industry professionals and prospective developers, including visionary business development talks, deep-dive technical sessions on crafting online games, specialized summits on emerging sectors, and an expo hall featuring leading publishers, tool-vendors, and service providers for online games. GDC Online takes place at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas from Oct. 5-8, 2010.
GDC Online welcomes more than 140 lectures, panels, keynotes and roundtable discussions, presented by 190 industry-leading speakers and an energetic expo floor with more than 85 exhibitors and 30 sponsors. The keynote addresses at the event include:
— Bears and Snakes! The Wild Frontier of Social Game Design
Speaker: Brian Reynolds (Chief Game Designer, Zynga)
— Battle.net: A Postmortem (Production Track Keynote)
Speakers: Greg Canessa (Project Director, Blizzard Entertainment),
Matthew Versluys (Technical Director, Blizzard Entertainment)
— Europe: The Next Big Thing in Gaming (Business Track Keynote)
Speaker: Heiko Hubertz (CEO and Founder, Bigpoint GmbH)
Classic Social Mechanics: The Engines Behind Everything
— Multiplayer (Design Track Keynote)
Speaker: Raph Koster (VP of Creative Design, Playdom/Disney)
GDC Online will host the first annual Game Developers Choice Online Awards, which is the sister event to the well-respected Game Developers Choice Awards at GDC in San Francisco. The Choice Online Awards recognizes the rich history, technical excellence and continued innovation in the arena of online games. The Choice Online Awards takes place Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010 at 6:30 pm.
“The GDC events in Austin have always been inspired by the independent and creative spirit of its host city, casting a light on emerging technology and trends – this year is no different,” says Izora de Lillard, GDC Online event director. “With the introduction of the Game Developers Choice Online Awards, we can fully recognize the work of talented online developers, and help inspire aspiring developers who will create the next great social networking title, epic MMO or brand new genre we’ve yet to imagine.”
New to this year’s conference are key standalone summits, including one and two-day events on iPhone and iPad gaming, 3D stereoscopic games and the video Game Narrative Summit. These specialized sessions present key in-depth business and technical advice and help to foster community-building in these major up-and-coming areas of the game industry.
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(TM) Europe, the Game Developers Conference(TM) China, the Game Developers Conference(TM) Canada, 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.