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Keynotes
Just Announced Keynote:
David Cage, CEO & Founder, Quantic Dream
"Writing Interactive Narrative for a Mature Audience"
Tuesday, August 183:20pm-4:10pm
With an interest for creating more mature games on the rise, it has become a challenge maintaining the excitement with creators as they themselves become older and more eager to explore new grounds. In making video games for a mature audience, everything starts from scratch, from narrative language including interactivity and new themes, to new paradigms regarding game play, interfaces and mechanics.
Currently working on the PS3 exclusive title called HEAVY RAIN, Cage will address his thoughts about mature games, why they are necessary, why interactive storytelling is a valid answer, the difficulties that are on the way and what solutions can be found. He will share his vision and his techniques on writing interactive storytelling for a mature audience.
Biography
David Cage is the writer and director of Quantic Dream. Since he founded the company twelve years ago, he developed a very unique creative vision for the studio based on emotion and innovation. He strongly believes that games should evolve to become a mature media and reach a wider audience by redefining itself and by assuming it becomes if not art, at least a new creative platform.
Cage worked on several methodologies to write story-driven experiences (Bending Stories) where the player tells the story through his actions. He also developed over the years a unique know-how to create virtual actors and to direct them to preserve their acting performance from the stage to the game.
His visionary approach allowed him to work with world-class talents like David Bowie (who accepted to become the first virtual actor for Omikron), Angelo Badalamenti (composer of most David Lynch’s movies) or Hampton Fancher (screenwriter of the movie Blade Runner), and to collaborate with prestigious console manufacturers and publishers like Sony, Microsoft, Vivendi, Atari or Eidos.
His last game FAHRENHEIT (INDIGO PROPHECY in the US) received critical acclaim worldwide and received several awards. After having developed the first demo of virtual actor on next gen consoles with THE CASTING, he currently works on his next highly anticipated title, HEAVY RAIN.
Cevat Yerli, CEO & President, Crytek
"The Future of Gaming Graphics"
Monday, August 17
11:20am-12:10pm
Known as a visionary for creating lush, immersive, graphical games with Far Cry® and Crysis, Yerli will speak about the opportunities for immersion as graphical realism reaches new levels and technology continues to deliver faster processors capable of greater rendering. The technology available today is light years ahead of what was generally available just five years ago. Add those advancements to increasing technical expertise as we learn more about graphically creating immersive worlds, and the conditions are right to have graphics play a major role in telling the story of a game.
Biography
Cevat Yerli's first games and development experiences go back to the 80s with the Commodore 64 and the Schneider CPC 6128 where he worked on simulation games. Since then, his passion has been making and playing games. After his economics studies he focused his passion on his lifetime project to create Crytek, and in 1999, the studio was born. Cevat drives the vision of Crytek's games and technologies and defines, together with Avni and Faruk Yerli, the studio's strategic business development.
Matias Myllyrinne, Managing Director, Remedy
"From Max Payne to Alan Wake: Creating Intellectual Properties the Remedy Way"
Monday, August 17
3:20-4:10pm
Creating intellectual properties that speak to the gamer but translate over multiple entertainment forums doesn’t happen overnight. Finnish-based independent developer Remedy, the original creator of the acclaimed Max Payne series and maker of the soon to be released Alan Wake, knows this from experience, and the firm strives to give the Remedy-authored properties a unique feel.
In his keynote address, Remedy managing director Matias Myllyrinne will outline the key principles that have guided the company over the years in developing its games. He'll touch on the company’s explicit goal -- to remain small, independent, and passionate about creating new IP, and try to answer a very important question -- how can boutique European studios build large games, compete and succeed in a quickly changing and ever-growing games industry?
Biography
As one of the key figures behind the company's success, Matias is responsible for handling Remedy's business affairs. Since joining the company in 1999, he has helped build Remedy into one of the world's leading independent game developers. He holds an MBA from the Helsinki School of Economics. When he's not playing or working on the company's next business move, Matias can be found traveling with his wife and two sons.
TRACK KEYNOTES
Hilmar Pétursson, Chief Executive Officer, CCP
"CCP: Winning the War"
Tuesday, August 18
11:20am-12:10pm
The story will serve several purposes: inspire other development studios; illustrate to investors the strong ROI in business models other than retail sales; and share his views on an industry that is still flourishing despite the economic turmoil. Read more here...
Biography
As Chief Executive Officer of CCP since 2004, Hilmar Pétursson has led company’s continuing success and explosive growth. Overseeing the 2006 expansion of CCP operations to Shanghai, China as well as a strategic
merger with Atlanta-based White Wolf Publishing, Mr. Pétursson has brought CCP to the forefront of the video game industry as a
widely-recognized innovator in the areas of virtual world development, publishing and technology. Named as one of the 20 Most Influential People in the MMO Industry in 2007 and 2008 by Beckett Massive Online Gamer Magazine, Hilmar is frequently sought after as an engaging public speaker, delivering thought-provoking presentations and keynote addresses for many prestigious industry-, technology- and business-related events including the Edinburgh Interactive Festival, Nordic Game Conference and the Austin Game Developer’s Conference.
Originally joining CCP in 2000 as CTO, Hilmar spearheaded the engineering efforts necessary to bring CCP’s critically-acclaimed EVE
Online to life in 2003. Previously, Hilmar was CTO of SmartVR, an OZ.com spin-off based on that company’s multi-user virtual reality technology, and following his tenure as VP of software development for the OZ Studios division of OZ.com. He is active on a number of boards and committees relating to Icelandic information technology and innovation. Hilmar has a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Iceland.
Klaas Kersting, CEO, Gameforge
"Changes in the Games Industry – Free-to-play vs. Payment Models"
Wednesday, August 19
11:20am-12:10pm
In his keynote, Kersting will talk about the history of Gameforge, the advantages of different payment models, and the differences between Europe and Asia in terms of attitudes toward gaming and cultural backgrounds. He will share his thoughts on the success of the revolutionary free-to-play model that is employed by Gameforge. The free-to-play model allows gamers worldwide to play games for free, while premium items within the game or specific services are charged that enhance the play experience.
Biography
Gameforge was founded in 2003, by Klaas Kersting and Alexander Rösner, and quickly became the market leader in online games in Germany. Award-winning browser- and client-based games like OGame, Ikariam and Metin2 have attracted more than 75 million gamers worldwide.
