Gabe Newell To Keynote DICE 2009

Valve co-founder and president Gabe Newell is to give a keynote address at the 2009 DICE Summit this February. Details of Newell’s address have not yet been revealed, but as the president of Valve he has overseen classic titles such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike, as well as key technologies such as Source and Steam. Always outspoken, Newell has not been shy of making his opinions public on topics ranging from the PlayStation 3 to online piracy. "Gabe Newell and Valve have become a force for innovation in gaming over the past a decade, creating some of the best-selling games of all time and a ground-breaking platform for PC entertainment," said Joseph Olin, president of the AIAS (Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences). Movie director Gore Verbinski, best known for the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, will also give a keynote this year. Other speakers confirmed for the event, which will take place at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas from February 17th to 20th, include: John Riccitiello (Electronic Arts), Anita Frazier (NPD Research Group), N’Gai Croal (Newsweek), Todd Howard (Bethesda Studios), David Perry (Acclaim Entertainment, Ted Price (Insomniac Game), Jun Takeuchi (Capcom) and Chris Taylor (Gas Powered Games).