Former Executive Vice President of Electronic Arts and Founder of Tiburon
Entertainment to Outline His Vision for Unlocking the Creative Community in
2008 and Beyond
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft's John Schappert,
Corporate Vice President LIVE, Software and Services for the Interactive
Entertainment Business, will deliver a keynote address at CMP's 2008 Game
Developers Conference, setting the stage for revolutionary changes in game
development in 2008. The address, "A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the
Creative Community," marks the first return to the GDC keynote stage for
Microsoft since 2005.
Schappert's keynote explores the Xbox 360 platform's next step in
democratizing game development, vastly opening up the industry for
developers of all sizes. The session will set the strategy for Xbox 360
this upcoming year, revealing top developers' plans for the platform in
2008. Additionally, Schappert will discuss how the increasing role of
online gaming will continue to shape gameplay and game distribution this
year.
"The Game Developers Conference is the premiere stage for industry
leaders to present their strategies for advancing the state of the art of
games," said Jamil Moledina, executive director of the Game Developers
Conference. "Given John's experience and the Microsoft game development
team behind him, we are confident that our attendees will not want to miss
this glimpse into the future of how games will be made."
As Corporate Vice President LIVE, Software and Services for the
Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, John Schappert oversees
all of Microsoft's gaming platforms and businesses. This includes Xbox 360,
Games for Windows, XNA game development tools, MSN(R) Games as well as
Windows LIVE(TM) Messenger and Windows games. Schappert has a storied
background in the industry, as the founder of Tiburon Entertainment and
former Executive Vice President of Electronic Arts where he oversaw the
development of game franchises like "Madden," "Need for Speed," "FIFA,"
"SSX" and "Fight Night." Schappert joined Microsoft in August 2007,
bringing with him more than 16 years experience in the games industry and a
rich history of innovation in video game development.
The keynote, "A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative Community,"
is scheduled for February 20, 2008, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PST in
the Esplanade Room of the Moscone Center's South Hall. Schappert joins a
distinguished list of luminary GDC keynotes which includes Shigeru Miyamoto
(GDC07), Phil Harrison (GDC06 and GDC07), Satoru Iwata (GDC05 and GDC 06),
Will Wright (GDC06), Ron Moore (GDC06), and J Allard (GDC05 and GDC04).
GDC 2008 will also feature the keynote, "The Next 20 Years of Gaming,"
delivered by futurist and inventor, Ray Kurzweil, and is scheduled for
February 21, 2008, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PST in the Esplanade Room
of the Moscone Center's South Hall. Additional featured sessions this year
focus on breakthrough titles such as Bioshock, Crysis, Halo 3, and Rock
Band and more from leading members of the game development community
including creator of the Magnavox Odyssey game system Ralph Baer; Rod
Humble, head of the Sims Studio at EA; Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto
creator Dave Jones; Metaplace's Raph Koster; Fable developer Peter Molyneux
and many others.
GDC, the world's largest industry-only event dedicated to the
advancement of interactive entertainment, returns to the Moscone Convention
Center in San Francisco for a week of networking, learning, and inspiration
February 18-22, 2008. Complete details and registration for the conference
are available now at http://www.gdconf.com.
About the Game Developers Conference (http://www.gdconf.com)
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is the world's largest
professionals-only game industry event. Presented every spring in San
Francisco, it is the essential forum for learning, inspiration, and
networking for the creators of computer, console, handheld, mobile, and
online games. The GDC attracts over 16,000 attendees, and is the primary
forum where programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio
professionals, business decision-makers and others involved in the
development of interactive games gather to exchange ideas and shape the
future of the industry. The GDC is produced by the CMP Game Group, a
division of CMP.
About CMP (http://www.cmp.com)
CMP (http://www.cmp.com/) is a media and marketing solutions company
serving the technology industry. With the leading online, event and print
brands in all technology market categories, and with services and tools
that reach beyond traditional advertising, CMP shapes and influences the
technology industry worldwide. CMP publishes highly respected media brands
such as TechWeb, InformationWeek, ChannelWeb, CRN, EE Times and TechOnline;
produces major industry events such as Interop, Web 2.0 Expo, XChange, Game
Developers Conference and the Embedded Systems Conferences; and provides
business information and marketing services such as the International
Customer Management Institute, Semiconductor Insights and Second Life
consulting for technology marketers. CMP is a subsidiary of United Business
Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news
distribution and specialist information services with a market
capitalization of more than $3 billion. For more CMP news, go to
cmp.com/news.
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Related links:
http://www.cmp.com
http://www.gdconf.com
CONTACT:
Sibel Sunar, sibel@fortyseven.com, or Brian
Rubin, brian@fortyseven.com, both of fortyseven communications,
+1-323-658-1200, for CMP; or Ben Veechai of CMP Game Group,
+1-415-947-6280, bveechai@cmp.com
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