Keynote speakers announced for GDC Russia

The organisers of GDC Russia, set to take place later this month, have announced that Q Entertainment CEO Shuji Utsumi will deliver a keynote address at the event.

Utsumi will discuss the history of Q and how the studio's first game, Lumines, because a huge hit. He will also talk about Q's plans to enter the field of online publishing and the role of Tetsuya Mizuguchi, chief creative officer and the brains behind Lumines, Meteos and Space Channel 5.

Jason Holtman, director of business development and legal affairs at Valve, will also speak at GDC Russia. Other newly announced speakers include Next Media Group's Dmitry Sergeev, Nikita Sherman of IT-Territory and Vlad Starzhevsky of Create. Eidos's Ian Livingstone, SCEE's Igor Makaruks and John Knottenbelt of Introversion have previously been confirmed as giving presentations at the event.

GDC Russia will take place from October 18 - 20 at the Hotel Ambassador, St Petersburg. Visitors must pre-register via the event website as there will be no opportunity to sign up on the day. Conference passes are priced at US$495, with discounts available for Western developers.