GDC FOCUS ON: Game Advertising Summit To Highlight Industry Research, Perspectives From Independent In-Game Ad Service Providers, And publisher Case Studies
Dedicated In-Game Advertising Conference to Provide an Open Forum for Discussion of Market Possibilities
SAN FRANCISCO - May 23, 2006 - The GDC FOCUS
ON: Game Advertising Summit, has finalized its speaking
schedule - the series of talks will focus on data,
independent in-game ad companies presenting capabilities and
philosophies, publishers and developers discussing successes
so far and market needs for the future growth of the space.
The conference is presented by the CMP Game Group, host of
the industry-leading Game Developers Conference (GDC), and
will take place June 9, 2006 at the San Francisco
Marriott.
"The in-game advertising sector is rapidly growing and
evolving," said Neil Kent, regional events director, CMP
Technology. "In order to get a complete view of the market we
felt it was important to have research frame the market data
available and have independent in-game ad service providers
lay out their vision."
The GDC FOCUS ON: Game Advertising Summit will gather key
players from the video game and advertising sectors as well
as industry analysts to explore the viability of the space,
projected to grow from $56 million in 2005 to as much as $1.5
billion
in 2010. The summit will provide objective, real-time data
and insights on the potential investment value garnered from
in-game advertising campaigns. Representatives from all
segments of the market who drive this new marketing medium
will come together to outline the opportunities and
challenges inherent to in-game advertising and investigate
the best ways of executing such campaigns.
"Games have become the most important new ad medium of the
21st century," said Jonathan Epstein, president and CEO of
Double Fusion, "and publishers and advertisers are seeking
solutions to reach the entire game-playing demographic.
Double Fusion is committed to creatively utilizing the
interactivity and realism inherent to the games medium, and
to opening the full range of its opportunities to the
marketing community, including hard core, casual or mobile
titles."
Chris Gilbert, president and CEO of Adscape Media, Inc.,
added, "Advertising in games has been a reality for years -
but the medium is evolving as advertisers seek new ways to
reach out to and engage both hard core and casual gamers.
Cutting-edge technology will lead the market as it matures
from today's static and dynamic ads to tomorrow's
highly-targeted interactive ad campaigns."
Microsoft's Kevin Browne will keynote the summit and discuss
his views on the future of the market in addition to the
company's acquisition of Massive Incorporated. EA, Midway,
Activision and THQ executives will all provide attendees with
perspectives on the publisher and developer viewpoint.
"IGA Worldwide's strength lies in a proven platform that is
built upon an open approach dedicated to being both publisher
and player friendly, while being sensitive to the interests
of advertisers," said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide.
"From our perspective, Microsoft's entrance into in-game
advertising is an exciting development that clearly
accelerates the ongoing concentration of the market; we
anticipate that GDC will prove to be a lively forum for those
attending."
"As the first to launch dynamic video game advertising, we're
pleased to participate in this new forum to discuss one of
the most exciting new intersections of entertainment and
advertising," said Mitch Davis, CEO of Massive Incorporated.
"We're thrilled that so many of our publishing and
advertising partners can point to best practices and work
with us to bring more and more innovation to the
market."
The complete speaking schedule includes:
- Keynote: Scaling Up: Growing Games into the Next New Ad
Medium
Kevin Browne, General Manager, Xbox New Media and Franchise
Development, Microsoft
- Analyst Session
Julie Ask, Research Director, Jupiterresearch
Michael Cai, Director, Broadband & Gaming, Parks
Associates
- Reaching the 18- to 34-year old Demographic
Tim Harris, Senior Vice President, Play | a Denuo Group
Company
Saneel Radia, Group Director, Play | a Denuo Group
Company
- In-Game Ad Integration - The Development Side of the
Story
Kudo Tsunoda, EA Chicago GM and Executive Producer for EA
SPORTS Fight Night
- Publisher Panel
Dave Anderson, Senior Director, Business Development,
Activision
Sarah McElroy, Director In-Game Ads & Promotions,
Midway
Dave Miller, Director, Global Brand Management, THQ
Moderator: Simon Carless, Editorial Director, CMP Game
Group
- Network Analysis Panel
Mitch Davis, CEO, Massive, Inc.
Jon Epstein, CEO, Double Fusion
Chris Gilbert, President & CEO, Ads cape Media,
Inc.
Justin Townsend, CEO, IGA Worldwide
- In-Game Advertising - the Research Perspective
Emily Della Muggier, Interactive Entertainment Vice
President, Nielsen
The summit will be the first GDC FOCUS ON event and part of a
series of mini
conferences each dedicated to a significant sector or trend
in the video game
industry.
Other GDC FOCUS ON events slated to take place this year
include:
Game Outsourcing Summit in LOS ANGELES, AUGUST 14, 2006
Game Advertising Summit in NEW YORK CITY, SEPT, 2006
Casual Games in SEATTLE, DECEMBER, 2006
For more information about the event and sponsorship
opportunities, please visit http://www.gdcfocuson.com and http://www.gdcfocuson.com/gameadvertising.
About the CMP Game Group
A core provider of essential information to the professional
game industry, the CMP Game Group offers market-defining
content, and drives community through the Game Developers
Conference, GDC Europe, GDC London, the Serious Games Summit
D.C., GDC Mobile, GDC Asia, Game Developer magazine,
Gamasutra.com, the Independent Games Festival, the Game
Developers Choice Awards, GDCRadio, and GDCTV. For more
information, please visit www.cmpgame.com.
About CMP Technology (www.cmp.com)
CMP Technology is a marketing solutions company serving the
technology industry. Through its market-leading portfolio
oftrusted information brands, CMP has earned the confidence
of more technology professionals than any other media
company. Asa result, CMP is the premier provider of access,
insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers
and buyers in ways that yield superior return on investment.
CMP Technology is a subsidiary of United Business Media
(http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com), a global
provider of news distribution and specialist information
services with a market capitalization of more than $3
billion.
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