INTERNATIONAL GAMES SUMMIT SHAPES UP

Wednesday 25 May 2005/... More details on the International Games Summit have today been announced by ELSPA. As event partners, BT and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), confirm their commitment to the concept, ELSPA has confirmed another three top-level speakers.

Joining NCsoft's North American president Robert Garriott, Peter Moore, corporate vice president of worldwide publishing and marketing for Microsoft's Xbox and David Reeves, president, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will be Rory Armes, vice president and general manager of Electronic Arts European Studios, who will be dissecting the ingredients that go into making a worldwide hit. MCV publisher Stuart Dinsey will be chairing a discussion panel comprising some of the games industry's leading figures including David Yarnton, general manager of Nintendo UK and Ray Maguire, managing director of SCE UK.

As the value of games in education is becoming increasingly recognised, a key session will look at the use of video games as an interface for learning. Adrian Hall, team leader of multimedia resources at the DfES will be discussing the ways in which computer games can be used as an effective tool in the school curriculum, as well as future plans for development in this area. Ian Livingstone, creative director of Eidos and chairman of Skillset (Sector Skills Council for the Audio and Visual Industries) will be speaking about Skillset's work, which includes the development of an accreditation scheme for degree courses relevant to the computer and video games industry. The panel session to follow will look at the commercial and international opportunities arising from the talk.

The event promises to bring together individuals and organisations not only from the entire value chain of the computer and video games industry but also from more wide ranging entertainment sectors, getting directly to the heart of industry issues and to help business leaders - from both within and without the industry - develop winning strategies to overcome the challenges. Sessions unveiled to date include:

• Online gaming - with the huge success in Asia and now in US and Europe for a growing roster of massively multiplayer games, is online gaming now truly a part of mainstream entertainment?
• Media perceptions and changing reputations of video and computer games - what do people in the media really think about games?

• Convergence - There has been so much said, but is new hardware finally bringing the entertainment industries together. The catalysts, issues and commercial reality discussed.

• Research research research - all the information you need to help you plan your business. Speakers from some of the Europe's leading specialist market researchers uncover the latest information.

• Fake nation - an insight into consumers and their views when it comes to buying pirate and counterfeit goods. What are the issues for the industry?
• Games and the national curriculum - in the UK the government are embracing the appeal and interfaces of gaming to help learning. How will this benefit games companies and what are the opportunities commercially and internationally?

Speakers confirmed to date:

• Rory Armes - vice president and general manager - Electronic Arts European Studios
• Alain Corre - executive director EMEA - Ubisoft
• Stuart Dinsey - publisher - MCV
• Graeme Ferguson - director of global content development - Vodafone Group
• Robert Garriott - president and CEO - NCSoft North America
• David Gosen - chief operating officer - I-Play
• Adrian Hall - head of multimedia - Department for Education and Skills
• Greg Ingham - chief executive officer - Future PLC
• Ben Keen - chief analyst - Screen Digest with Nick Parker - consultant
• Ray Maguire - managing director - Sony Computer Entertainment UK
• Peter Moore - corporate VP worldwide marketing and publishing - Microsoft Xbox
• David Reeves - president - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
• David Yarnton - general manager - Nintendo UK

The International Games Summit is one of the most important events in the industry calendar. Leading speakers, keynotes and panellists from across the globe will deliver wide ranging opinion and thinking - sometimes contentious, but always relevant - to an audience whose businesses sit in the heart of both gaming and entertainment.

For details on the ELSPA International Games Summit and to find out how to book your place, please visit www.elspa.com, or contact Kathryn Humphrey, events manager, Barrington Harvey on +44 (0)1462 456780, kathryn.humphrey@bhpr.co.uk.

EDITORS NOTES

About the ELSPA International Games Summit

The ELSPA International Games Summit takes place on 21st and 22nd June at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London and is partnered with: BARD, BT Openworld, Develop, DfES, gamesindustry.biz, MCV, Mobile Entertainment, Screen Digest and TIGA.

About ELSPA - http://www.elspa.com

ELSPA (The Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association) was founded in 1989 to establish a specific and collective identity for the computer and video games industry. Membership includes almost all companies concerned with the publishing and distribution of interactive leisure software in the UK.

ELSPA's activities include: Official Chart and Industry Reports, Anti-Piracy UK and EU, PR and Communication, Events. More information on all these activities can be found at http://www.elspa.com.

For further information on ELSPA or to arrange interviews, please contact:

DEBORAH COSTER/ EMMA COWIE

BARRINGTON HARVEY

Tel: 01462 456780

Fax: 01462 456781

Email: debi.coster@bhpr.co.uk / emma.cowie@bhpr.co.uk

Issued by: Barrington Harvey, Trooper's Yard, Bancroft, Hitchin SG5 1JW