GCDC 2007 CLOSES WITH RECORD PARTICIPATION

Tim Schafer's First Keynote in Europe Highlights GCDC's Final Day

Leipzig, Germany - August 22, 2007 - The GC Developers Conference (GCDC), Europe's leading developers conference, closed today with a record attendance of over 900 (650 delegates in 2006). Coming from over 35 countries, the attendees finished the final day with an inspiring keynote on creativity from Tim Schafer, information about creating international communities for games, and a post-mortem of the mega-hit TitanQuest.

Sixty percent of the attendees came from abroad to this year's GCDC, the majority of which came from North America and the UK, the leading countries in game development. The conference also included a significant number of developers from Eastern Europe demonstrating the conference's growing reach across Europe as well.

"The attendance at the conference and packed sessions showed the clear value of the program to attendees," said Wolfgang Marzin, president and CEO of the Leipzig Trade Fair. "The conference was a major success."

Frank Sliwka, project director of GCDC, explained, "GCDC's concept is to provide a forum for international experts and industry veterans to network and exchange knowledge. GCDC 2007 has clearly proven its status as Europe's leading developer conference."

Tim Schafer (DoubleFine), the creative mind behind such acclaimed hits as Psychonauts, Grim Fandango, and Full Throttle, spoke on the challenges and methods of interjecting creativity into modern game design. His keynote illustrated the need for new ways to bring creativity to the industry, while managing the risks of taking chances.

Brian Sullivan (Iron Lore) was quoted after his post-mortem presentation of TitanQuest saying, "For me, GCDC is the best conference in the world, and the fact that it is in Europe makes it even more exotic. I really liked the variety of speakers and feel GCDC is a very good platform for developers."

Peter Larsen (Electronic Arts), Teut Weidemann (Consultant Online Entertainment), Thomas Jansen (Turtle Entertainment), and Frederic Descamps (X-Fire), spoke on the topic of creating international communities. The panelists presented methods of building and maintaining communities and explained how to utilize fans to grow your company.

Among the speakers of GCDC this year were Michael Capps (USA, President, Epic Games), Julian Eggebrecht (USA, President & Lead Director/Producer, Factor 5), Noah Falstein (USA, President, The Inspiracy), Alexander Fernández (NL, CEO, Streamline Studios B.V.), Hector Fernández (NL, CEO, Streamline Studios B.V.), David S. Freeman (USA, President, Freeman Group), Megan Gaiser (President/CEO, Her Interactive Inc.), Tony Goodman (USA, General Manager, Ensemble Studios), Fred Hasson (UK, CEO, TIGA), Vlad Ihora (Sweden, Head of Gaming Community, TeliaSonera Internation Carrier), Jennifer MacLean (USA, Vice President/General Manager, Comcast Interactive Media), Mark Morris (UK, Managing Director, Introversion Software Ltd.), Mark Rein (USA, Vice President, Epic Games), Jeff Strain (USA, CEO, ArenaNet), Brian Sullivan (USA, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Iron Lore Entertainment), and Bob Wallace (USA, Principal, Strategic Alternatives).

The next GCDC will take place in Leipzig from 18th - 20th August, 2008.

Statements of Speakers at GCDC 2007

Julian Eggebrecht (USA, President & Lead Director, Factor 5)

"In just a few years, the GCDC has become one of the cornerstones of the games industry. I am delighted to return to Leipzig once more to share my own experiences, and learn from my peers as we grow an increasingly diverse and exciting form of entertainment into the defining art of the 21st century."

Bob Bates (USA, Freelancer)

"GCDC is a very friendly conference, where developers can meet and talk to each other freely. You can have conversations here that simply don't take place anywhere else. The level of speakers is outstanding, and the opportunity to interact with them informally is unparalleled."

Mark Rein (USA, Vice President, Epic Games)

"GCDC is a very nice conference, and Leipzig is an excellent location for this event because it is large enough to hold the event but small enough that it supports the social nature of game developer conferences. I hope GC and GCDC continue in this location."

Alexander L. Fernández (Netherlands, Chief Executive Officer, Streamline Studios)

"GCDC is very important because it brings the global developer community together. It's a great environment for doing business while catching up with friends and colleagues."

David S. Freeman (USA, President, Freeman Group)

"This event has an exceptionally big heart. Along with the professionalism, there are more smiles per square kilometer here than at any other game event in the world, and I should know - I have been to most of them."

Bruce Shelley (USA, Senior Game Designer, Ensemble Studios)

"GCDC is one of the world's best game development conferences. It offers a lot of networking and high-level meetings, plus a good mix of presentations for newcomers and veterans. The schedule is full, yet there is free time and space for quick discussions between developers, media, and other attendees."

Christopher Schmitz (Germany, Executive Producer, UBISOFT)

"GCDC is the most important developers' conference in Europe. I am here to meet a lot of people, learn new things and for networking. The concept of the fair is brilliant. Right from the first contact, the assistance from the GCDC team was great and I was always kept up-to-date with the latest developments."

Media Contacts:

Europe

Stephan Reiss, Press Officer, GCDC

+49 (0) 341 - 678 8186

s.reiss@leipziger-messe.de

North America

Sean Kauppinen, Kohnke Communications

+1 415-777-4000

sean@kohnkecomm.com

Contact for sponsors, speakers and participants:

Frank Sliwka, Project Director, GCDC

+49 (0) 341 - 678 8288

f.sliwka@leipziger-messe.de

GCDC on the Web:

http://www.gcdc.eu