Edinburgh Interactive 2010

Tuesday 20th July/... Edinburgh Interactive revealed the first round of speakers for this year’s event. Today’s announcement sees Ray Maguire, Sony Computer Entertainment UK managing director; respected industry consultant, Margaret Robertson; and Ian Livingstone, Life President of Square Enix Europe, join an impressive list of guest speakers.

The past year has seen a rising consumer interest in 3D technology, which is set to revolutionise the world of entertainment. Ray Maguire from Sony Computer Entertainment UK will talk about why Sony is committed to the application of 3D in PlayStation gaming, discuss where he feels the technology is heading and will also share some of Sony’s new 3D games.

An ever popular contributor to Edinburgh Interactive, Margaret Robertson returns this year with an annual session that once again brings her quirky views on what is hot and not in the game industry. This year Margaret is focusing on what players really want out of their games.

In this year’s Great Debate, four industry heavyweights lock horns in a panel discussion ably chaired by the tough but fair Ian Livingstone. The debate before this year’s conference centres on the argument for and against that the future of gaming lies in game creators dealing direct with consumers without the intervention of publishers.

Edinburgh Interactive is part of The Edinburgh Festival – the biggest cultural festival in the world. EI delivers a lively schedule from a wide range of industry sectors including games, social networking, mobile entertainment, education, music, film and television. It also plays host to a range of free events including a games showcase and the Games Screening programme.

This year also marks a new event partnership between Edinburgh Interactive and Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival. On Thursday 26th August 2010, the eve of the TV Festival and the closing day of Edinburgh Interactive, the two will host a creative industries network event for television and games, bringing the decision makers from games and television together for the first time.

Edinburgh Interactive 2010

Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th August

Filmhouse

88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH3 9BZ, UK

Registration is open now at www.edinburghinteractive.co.uk

Edinburgh Interactive 2010 registration details:

Standard registration - £175 + VAT

Scottish-based developers and companies - £125 + VAT

Students - £75 inc. VAT

If you are interested in getting involved with Edinburgh Interactive 2010 – through partnerships, sponsorship, or simply to find out more about the commercial opportunities at EI 2010, please contact Alexa Turness: Tel +44 (0) 1462 456780; alexa.turness@bhpr.co.uk

For press enquiries, please contact tom.sargent@bhpr.co.uk or gareth.williams@bhpr.co.uk

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About Edinburgh Interactive 2010

Now celebrating its eighth successful year, Edinburgh Interactive is powered up to showcase the continued popularity, growth and influence of video games. And this year, the Interactive Festival is more synchronised with the world famous Edinburgh Festival than ever, appealing to the press, public and professionals from film, television and interactive media backgrounds alike, offering a bigger event for delegates, more consumer focusing – an overall spectacle for all.

As ever, Edinburgh Interactive wouldn’t be complete without the cornerstones of conferences, keynotes, panel sessions, debates, games screenings and even more people than ever jostling to get through the doors. www.edinburghinteractivefestival.com

Edinburgh Interactive is managed by an Executive committee and a board drawn from all areas of the games industry, including publishers, developers and the two industry trade bodies: The Independent Game Developers Association (TIGA) http://www.tiga.org and the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) http://www.elspa.com. EIGF Ltd is the non-profit company behind the festival.