Game Connect: Asia Pacific Conference Announced

Representatives from The Game Developer’s Association of Australia (GDAA) have announced details of a new conference, Game Connect: Asia Pacific, aimed at all Asian Pacific video game companies and apparently taking the place of the Australian Game Developers Conference. The Association had previously announced that it was intending to build a whole-new conference, following the cessation of the Australian Game Developers Conference (AGDC) by its owners after the 2005 event. Thus, the Game Connect: Asia Pacific conference will be held in Brisbane, Australia on November 30th to December 2nd, 2006. Subsequent yearly conferences are planned to take place in other Australian cities. The conference is intended to provide local developers with the chance to network with other developers and publishers, in an attempt to share knowledge and best practices – particularly in regards to next generation game development. "This is about embracing the Asia Pacific and recognizing it as a powerful business environment from which Australian companies can leverage for global growth, building strategic alliances and growing our core skills base,” said Evelyn Richardson, GDAA president and CEO. "The Conference will provide delegates with powerful information, tools and contacts designed to support them during this period of unprecedented transition with the shift to next gen, global consolidation, and escalating development costs.” Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, which also has responsibility for Australia thanks to the shared PAL game format, has already been announced as a sponsor of the event, with others expected to be revealed soon, along with speakers and registration information, at the official GDAA website.