2010 Game Developers Conference

SAN FRANCISCO – Dec. 16, 2009 – The 2010 Game Developers Conference® (GDC 2010), produced by the Think Services Game Group, has revealed the first keynotes from two of the Summit programs that kick off the week of GDC. Taking place March 9-10th, the GDC Summits highlight the bleeding edge of game development in emerging areas including; iPhone Games, Social & Online Games, Game Localization, Mobile/Handheld, Independent Games, Artificial Intelligence and Serious Games. GDC 2010 returns to San Francisco on Tuesday, March 9 through Saturday, March 13, 2010 for five days of lectures, panels, summits, tutorials and roundtable discussions on the most comprehensive selection of game development topics taught by leading industry experts. Registration and conference information is available online at the official GDC website http://www.gdconf.com.

Facebook’s platform manager Gareth Davis will deliver a keynote at the newly formed Social & Online Games Summit entitled, How Friends Change Everything, discussing Facebook’s massive disruption in who plays games as well as how games are discovered, distributed, designed and monetized. Randy Smith, owner and game designer of Tiger Style will keynote the Independent Games Summit. Tiger Style is the developer of the critically and commercially successful iPhone game, Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, named by Apple as their top-rated game of 2009. Smith will deliver a keynote address entitled, Increasing Our Reach: Designing to Grab and Retain Players.

“We’re thrilled by the content already programmed for this year’s summits at GDC 2010 and there is so much more yet to come,” said Meggan Scavio, GDC event director. “Like last year, the summits are an outlet to explore the emerging segments of our industry and these keynotes highlight exactly that mission.”

The GDC summits continue to address the game industry’s breakthrough topics with the addition of the Social & Online Games Summit and iPhone Games Summit to an already diverse lineup. The new Social & Online Games Summit will address the convergence of social, online, casual, and virtual worlds while the iPhone Games Summit will discuss how developers can leverage the innovative iPhone/iPod Touch platform to develop games that are more social and connected than ever before.

Featured Summit sessions include:

• iPhone Games Summit

One Year in the App Store: A Case Study of Backflip Studios

Speaker: Julian Farrior, CEO / Founder, Backflip Studios

• Serious Games Summit

Code of Everand: Designing The Serious Casual MMO

Speaker: Kevin Cancienne, Director of Game Development, Area/Code

• GDC Mobile/Handheld Summit

Club Penguin DS: Elite Penguin Force - Post Mortem

Speaker: Patricia Pizer, Consultant

Alumni registration for GDC 2010 ends December 22, 2009 and Early Bird rates end February 4, 2010. For more information about the 2010 Game Developers Conference, including the eight summits, visit http://www.gdconf.com.

About the Think Services Game Group

A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the Think Services Game Group offers market-defining content, and drives community through its award winning lineup of print, online, event and research products and services. These include Game Developer Magazine, Game Developer Research, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, GameCareerGuide.com, WorldsInMotion.biz, GameSetWatch.com, GamesOnDeck.com, SeriousGamesSource.com, the Game Developers Conference®, the Game Developers Conference® Austin, the Game Developers Conference® Europe, the Game Developers Conference® China, GDC Mobile, the Game Career Seminars, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards. To learn more, visit www.tsgamegroup.com

About Think Services, a division of United Business Media

Think Services connects specialized communities worldwide using educational events, consulting, training, certification, membership, and innovative media. Providing comprehensive opportunities for people to learn from, network with, and inspire each other, Think Services builds strong brands and works within communities to foster a unique affinity with its products and services. The division's flagship products include the Game Developers Conference, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, Game Developer magazine, the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), and HDI. Think Services is a subsidiary of United Business Media (unitedbusinessmedia.com), a global media and marketing services company with a market capitalization of more than $1.6 billion. To learn more, visit www.think-services.com.

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CONTACT: Sibel Sunar/Brian Rubin

fortyseven communications

(323) 658-1200/(212) 391-4707

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Ben Veechai/Ahmad White

Think Services Game Group

bveechai@think-services.com / awhite@think-services.com

(415) 947-6280/(415) 947-6207