Focus on GCAC: Thursday
September 18 sessions to include keynotes from Peter Molyneux and Michael de Plater
The first day of the Games Convention Asia Conference will see two keynote presentations, one from Ubisoft's Michael de Plater, and the other from Lionhead's Peter Molyneux.
The first of these, from de Plater, is entitled "The Whole Equation" and looks at the creation of new IP - while the risk and reward for creating blockbuster games is bigger than ever before, what's the effect on creativity in game development?
The talk will draw on de Plater's own experience of developing the Total War franchise for the PC, and compare it with that of the new Tom Clancy title EndWar, posing the question: "In the era of games for everyone and new platforms like the iPhone how can triple-A licensed, blockbuster projects empower creativity for developers and make bigger profits for publishers?"
Meanwhile Peter Molyneux, lead designer on the Fable 2 project, will deliver a talk entitled "Creating Believable Game Worlds" and explaining the lessons he learned while developing the Xbox 360 title.
He'll be discussing how all of the elements in the game, including the simulation, economy, story and characters, come together to create an engaging game world, and how it's possible to create something that is both cohesive and immersive.
Elsewhere on the schedule is a talk from Jon Niermann, president of Electronic Arts Asia-Pacific called "The Virtual Economy and the Real Economics". In the session Niermann will reflect on how the industry picture has developed globally, and what the picture for Asia will look like in the coming years - both in terms of business, and content creation and distribution.
Also on the business track, Asiasoft's director of business development will present a snapshot on the current market for MMOs in South-East Asia, while Codemasters' Maxime Villandre will talk about his experience of giving the publisher a strong base in the region, and Sidhe's Mario Wynands will explain where the opportunities lie for downloadable console titles, on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and WiiWare.
On the technology front, Ubisoft's Claude Langlais will give a presentation on the creation of believable crowds in Assassin's Creed, while LucasFilm's Feargus Carroll and Blitz Games' Aaron Allport will speak on the art and design strand.
And among a number of other sessions taking place throughout the day will be four slots looking at the mobile games industry, covering topics on making money in the genre and the creation of global games with local appeal.
The full session rundown for Games Convention Asia Conference's Thursday line-up is available now. GamesIndustry.biz will be reporting on the event, including interviews with the keynote speakers.