New Media and Licensing Chief to Present Microsoft Strategies to Publishers
and Advertisers, Analyze Challenges and Opportunities for the Growing
In-Game Advertising Market
SAN FRANCISCO, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Kevin Browne, general manager,
Xbox New Media and Franchise Development, Microsoft Corp., will keynote GDC
FOCUS ON: Game Advertising Summit, taking place June 9, 2006 at the San
Francisco Marriott. Browne will outline a vision of the growing advertising
and games market through the viewpoint of the software and gaming platform
giant whose recent purchase of in-game ad network Massive Inc., has
single-handedly set a new stage for the industry.
Presented by CMP Game Group, host of the industry-leading Game
Developers Conference (GDC), GDC FOCUS ON: Game Advertising Summit will
gather key players from the video game and advertising sectors as well as
industry analysts to explore the viability of the space, projected to grow
from $56 million in 2005 to as much as $1.5 billion in 2010. Browne's
opening lecture will assess current practices, evaluate opportunities and
challenges for both publishers and advertisers, and offer perspective on
what Microsoft's acquisition of Massive, Inc. will mean to consumer brands,
game-makers, and other in-game advertising firms. Attendees will also hear
firsthand Microsoft's plans on how it will leverage Massive's assets
through Microsoft's extensive console distribution, online gaming and
publishing channels.
In his keynote, titled "Scaling Up: Growing Games into the Next New Ad
Medium," Browne will share his views on the future of the market, and
whether rich dynamically served in-game advertising can grow to the scale
of TV, print and radio as well as touching on hot buttons such as
measurement and effectiveness. Browne will highlight best practices and
present Microsoft's views on how to balance the needs of the gamer seeking
a positive interactive entertainment experience with the needs of the
brands trying to reach the player.
"Microsoft's move to acquire Massive significantly impacts the playing
field -- literally and figuratively," said Neil Kent, regional events
director, CMP Media. "We are honored to have Kevin Browne as a keynote
speaker at our inaugural event. His talk parallels the mission of our
conference: assessing current practices, drawing a future vision and
opening minds to market opportunities."
Kevin Browne has been with Microsoft for more than 15 years. As general
manager, Xbox New Media and Franchise Development, Browne is responsible
for two developing businesses. He works to enable advertising on Xbox to
offer gamers quality products with more options, and to support additional
revenue streams for publishers. He also leads the efforts to license
Microsoft Game Studios' IP, working currently with Universal Studios on the
Halo movie and with 4Kids Entertainment on the "Viva Pinata" television
show.
GDC FOCUS ON: Game Advertising Summit will provide objective, real-time
data and insights on the potential investment value garnered from in-game
advertising campaigns. Representatives from all segments of the market who
drive this new marketing medium will come together to outline the
opportunities and challenges inherent to in-game advertising and
investigate the best ways of executing such campaigns. The summit will be
the first GDC FOCUS ON event and part of a series of mini conferences each
dedicated to a significant sector or trend in the video game industry.
Other GDC FOCUS ON events to take place this year include:
Game Outsourcing Summit in LOS ANGELES, AUGUST 2006
Game Advertising Summit in NEW YORK CITY, SEPT 2006
Casual Games in SEATTLE, DECEMBER 2006
For early rate pricing, be sure to register by May 19. For more
information about the event and sponsorship opportunities, please visit
http://www.gdcfocuson.com and http://gdcfocuson.com/gameadsummit .
About the CMP Game Group
A core provider of essential information to the professional game
industry, the CMP Game Group offers market-defining content, and drives
community through the Game Developers Conference, GDC Europe, GDC London,
the Serious Games Summit D.C., GDC Mobile, GDC Asia, Game Developer
magazine, Gamasutra.com, the Independent Games Festival, the Game
Developers Choice Awards, GDCRadio, and GDCTV. For more information, please
visit http://www.cmpgame.com .
About CMP Media
Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands in
the technology, healthcare and lifestyles industries, CMP Media has earned
the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than
any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of
access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and
buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on
investment. CMP Media 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.
SOURCE CMP Game Group
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Related links:
http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com
http://www.gdcfocuson.com
http://gdcfocuson.com/gameadsummit http://www.cmpgame.com
CONTACT:
Sibel Sunar, ext. 271, sibel@bohle.com, or
Brian Rubin, ext. 287, brian@bohle.com, both of The Bohle
Company, +1-310-785-0515, for CMP Game Group; or Tara Gibb of CMP
Game Group, +1-415-947-6219, tgibb@cmp.com
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