Author: by Staff

The CMP Game Group (which also owns Gamasutra.com), host of the Game Developers Conference (GDC), has announced a new series of industry summits dedicated to specific areas of the game industry. The first of these turns the focus to in-game advertising with GDC FOCUS ON: Game Advertising Summit, to be held June 9th, 2006 at the San Francisco Marriott. The Game Advertising Summit will gather key players from both the video game and advertising sectors to explore the viability of the in-game advertising space, and will provide objective, real-time data and insights on the potential investment value garnered from in-game advertising campaigns. The GDC FOCUS ON: Game Advertising Summit sessions include: - A keynote by Kevin Browne, General Manager, Xbox New Media and Franchise Development, Microsoft Corp., addressing important questions, including how to capture the opportunities in-game advertising offers while enhancing gamers' experience of the medium. - A session of analysts, including representatives from Jupiterresearch, Bear Stearns, and Parks Associates, who will look at facts and stats that affect business decisions to implement in-game advertising. - A panel of top advertising agency executives exploring the corporate inclination to use video games as a new medium for messaging. - A developer briefing with Electronic Arts' Executive Producer Kudo Tsunoda on in-game ad implementation in EA's Fight Night Round III. - A discussion on current experiences and expectations for the future, featuring a panel of publishers such as Midway's Director of In-Game Ads and Promotions, Sarah McIlroy, Activision's Senior Director of Business Development, Dave Anderson, and THQ's Director of Global Brand Management, Dave Miller. The panel will be moderated by Simon Carless, Editorial Director, CMP Game Group. - A discussion to differentiate each network providers' solutions, including technical boundaries and why now is the time for in-game advertising, featuring Double Fusion board member and spokesperson, Jon Epstein, and Massive Inc. CEO, Mitch Davis - A research perspective on the challenges and potential solutions for creating a universally accepted currency for in-game advertising, presented by Nielsen's Interactive Entertainment Vice President, Emily Della Maggiora. “Our new 'GDC FOCUS ON' series will allow attendees to utilize GDC's vast resources to dissect the most topical issues the game industry is wrestling with and provide a deeper analysis on key subjects,” said Neil Kent, Regional Events Director, CMP Media. “The Game Advertising Summit will examine the realities of in-game advertising for both the video game and advertising communities. At the end of the day, both constituents will have a deeper understanding of what this new medium has to offer and if it should be included in their future business plans.” Other GDC FOCUS ON events to take place this year include: Game Development Services in Los Angeles, July 2006, Game Advertising Summit in New York, September 2006, and Casual Games in Seattle, December 2006. More information on the events are available on the official GDC Focus On webpage.