Festival of Games 2011

UTRECHT – December 7th, 2010. Entertainment brands such as Deal or No Deal and Big Brother have seen huge success on TV - but soon game versions could put those achievements in the shade, thanks to the influence of Jurian van der Meer, MD of Endemol Games - a thought-leader in transferring TV formats into the game space. And as part of next year's Games Anywhere theme, The Festival of Games is delighted to welcome Jurian as a speaker for the 2011 event, taking place from April 28-29.

Recently, Endemol's UK office announced the formation of Endemol Games, noting at the time that key brand s such as Deal or No Deal and Big Brother have been able to cross over seamlessly from one medium to the other. "Our aim with Endemol Games is to further build on this, creating fresh and original concepts that will further invigorate the online gaming market," the company said.

Van der Meer is responsible for taking the company’s many properties into the games space - but will also be seeking to do the same with third party properties. Endemol Games has successfully partnered with many of the leading players in the gaming sector already, including Electronic Arts, Virgin Games, William Hill, Betfair and the National Lottery.

In his session, Jurian will give the audience a better understanding of the growth in partnerships between TV and gaming companies. As an employee of the largest independent TV production company in the world, Van der Meer knows the ins-and-outs of taking TV shows into online games and TV gaming. He will address the business models that factor in the blending together of TV and games properties. "The team at Endemol has shown that they really understand the convergence of the industry - and know how to make good money out of it," said Festival of Games chairman Seth van der Meer (not related), "They have set an international standard for other media companies from around the world. Let's hope these companies will gather to see his session and move into the gaming space before it is too late!"

Endemol now has offices in 26 countries that together generate approximately 40,000 hours of programming from over 500 different shows worldwide. Endemol Games focuses on licensing and monetising both Endemol and third party entertainment properties in the gaming space. Jurian also plays a key role in developing international business through the global operation arm Endemol Worldwide Brands (EWB) in distributing gaming properties internationally.

The Festival of Games

The Festival of Games takes place on April 28-29, 2011, at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht (the Netherlands). The 2010 event attracted over 2000 visitors, with 180 companies from 25 countries.

The Festival of Games is the most effective games industry event, that combines a conference, an international matchmaking event, called Pitch & Match, a business Expo for trade visitors, and the largest games industry Career Fair of Europe. The Conference in 2011 is powered by GamesIndustry.biz.

The Festival of Games is organized by the NLGD Foundation and is made possible by the Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs, the province of Utrecht and the city of Utrecht.

See www.festivalofgames.org for more details.

Note to the Editor:

For more information please contact:

Mr. Fedor van Herpen

Tel: +31 (0)6 – 12 42 68 84

E-mail: fedor@nlgd.nl

Website: www.festivalofgames.org