Advertising in Games Forum on April 14th to Present New Data on the ``Next Wave'' in Marketing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Advertising in Games Forum 2005

AUSTIN, Texas -- Advertising in Games Forum taking place April 14, 2005 in New York City will address the emergence of games as the next wave in marketing media and discuss technologies in development to make rich dynamic in-game marketing a reality. Advertisers will hear how to get feedback and data from in-game advertising to ensure that they achieve maximum ROI. A keynote from Mitch Davis, CEO, Massive Inc. will address how in-game marketing is impacting game publishing models and showcase new research to demonstrate the powerful brand lift that video games offer advertisers.

Advertising in Games Forum is the first conference where advertisers, publishers and game makers will come together to outline the opportunities and challenges of ads in games, and explore together the most effective way to take advantage of games as a platform while benefiting the consumer.

The day-long conference will feature six sessions:

Business Drivers - Market Numbers

This session lays the groundwork to give the numbers needed to understand how to take advantage of the game industry today and where it is going. The session will also look at how big the market for ads-in-games is, and what the growth projections are.

New Platforms and Technologies

This session examines the new technologies and platforms that enable ads to be deployed in games. Speakers will discuss the alternatives that are available for the various platforms.

Product Placement, Dynamic Campaigns and Online POS

This session focuses on the pros and cons of different styles of ad-in-game formats and what value they bring to the brand and the game. The panel will also address the how games can be a part of larger marketing campaigns.

Advergaming

This session explores the latest technologies and methods being used by companies that swear by this unique form of branded entertainment.

Campaign Tracking and ROI

This session looks at effectiveness of campaigns, how advertisers can get feedback/data from their ads in games and insure that they achieve maximum ROI. Participants will talk about what opportunities in-game advertising holds over other, more established, media formats.

Managing the Agency/Developer Relationship

This session looks at best practices to effectively place ads in games and achieve the goals of all parties involved while maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship.

The conference speaker lineup includes:

Dave Anderson, senior director, Business Development, Activision

James Belcher, analyst, FIND SVP

Guy Bendov, co-Founder, EVP, business development, Double Fusion

Brandon Berger, senior strategist, digital innovation, Ogilvy Interactive

Ian Bogost, researcher and developer, Georgia Institute of Technology, Persuasive Games

Bill Clifford, creative director, WildTangent

Mitchell Davis, CEO, Massive Incorporated

Michael Dowling, Managing Director, Nielsen Interactive Entertainment

Jonathan Epstein, agent, Games and Interactive Group, United Talent Agency

Anita Frazier, entertainment industry analyst, NPD Group

Mike Goodman, senior analyst, Yankee Group

Tim Harris, vice president, partner, SMG Play

Kim Layne, business development, Timeplay

Sam Huxley, chief strategy officer, Bounce Interactive

Darren Herman, founder, CCO, InGame partners

Alex Kakoyiannis, managing partner, Navigame

Garry Kitchen, CEO and president, Skyworks Technologies

Rob Lawson, SVP and general manager Americas, Enpocket

Tomas Melian, vice president, integrated marketing, Vivendi Universal Games

Chad Stoller, director of communications solutions, Arnell Group

David Tokheim, vice president, marketing, IGN Entertainment

The Advertising In Games Forum is sponsored by Massive, Inc., Alias Systems, Microsoft Game Studios, WildTangent, Mary-Margaret.com, GameSpot, GameDev.net, Moby Games, The Bohle Company, XFIRE, Inc., and Business Wire.

About The Game Initiative

The Game Initiative is a leading producer of conferences and events for professionals in the computer and video game industry. The Initiative is chartered with the growth of the industry through events, public awareness, information and supporting programs and serves the needs of companies and people involved in producing interactive entertainment software and hardware for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers and the Internet. Game Initiative events include the Austin Game Conference, the Women's Game Conference, The Advertising In Games Forum, The Casual Games Conference and the How to Break into the Game Industry national conference series. More information about the Game Initiative can be found at http://www.GameConferences.com