With Current Respawn Entertainment Partner Jason West Developed Hugely Popular Franchise
Moderators, Panelists for Gaming Conference Sessions Confirmed
LOS ANGELES & MILFORD, Conn. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — September 7, 2011 — Unicomm, LLC, a leading event management company, and The Bob Dowling Group announced today that Respawn Entertainment's Vince Zampella, a key developer of the mega hit franchise “Call of Duty,” will be the Keynote Speaker at the second annual 3D Gaming Summit: 3D Gaming and Beyond® presented in association with Variety, on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at the Hollywood & Highland Center, Hollywood, CA.
As a principal at Infinity Ward, Zampella and partner Jason West played key roles in the development of the multibillion-dollar military shooter franchise Call of Duty. The two formed Respawn (in the gaming world, "respawn" means a character that was killed off has come back to life) in April of 2010. Electronic Arts will have exclusive distribution rights to their next creation.
Throughout his career, Zampella, 40, whose industry stops have included Gametek, Atari, Panasonic/Ripcord, and Sega, has created many of the most successful and popular games in the world, with blockbuster action sequences in real-world settings that resemble those of big budget movies. Some of these include extensive online options allowing competition against other players via the Internet. All of this experience allows Zampella a wide canvas to expand his horizons for his next creations.
There have been six Call of Duty games released since 2003, four set during World War II, and two which carried the subtitle Modern Warfare featuring contemporary counter-terrorist combat. Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2 alone has sold approximately 20 million units and generated an estimated $1.3 billion.
“Vince has unparalleled hands-on experience in creating one of the great video game franchises of all-time,” said conference co-chairman Bob Dowling, "and as a Keynote Speaker confirms the 3D Gaming Summit as the thought-leader in the gaming entertainment landscape.”
"Respawn Entertainment is one of the most talked about new game studios in the world," said John Gaudiosi, Senior Content Advisor to the 3D Gaming Summit: 3D Gaming and Beyond® and Co-Founder, Gamerlive.tv. "Vince Zampella and Jason West helped evolve the video game space with their Call of Duty games while at Infinity Ward, pushing the envelope of interactive entertainment. I'm sure they'll continue to bring exciting new game experiences through their new Electronic Arts partnership moving forward."
As previously announced, Mick Hocking, Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, will be a featured speaker at the conference. Due to a scheduling conflict, Mr. Hocking's address, "The First Year of 3D on PlayStation®3" - presented entirely in 3D - will be on Tuesday, September 20th, starting at 3:50 pm and will cover case studies from major 3D games illustrating the processes developed to maintain an all important high quality bar and end with a look at how new technologies may shape the future of 3D gaming.
Sessions & Moderators: The 3D Gaming Summit: 3D Gaming and Beyond®
Social Gaming
Companies like Zynga and Facebook have changed
the face of gaming, while introducing millions of new fans to the hobby.
Social games are also attracting a large female demographic as well as
older gamers. And the new line-up of smartphones and tablets are opening
up social gaming beyond the PC. A panel of experts will explore what's
next for the evolution of social games.
Moderator: (to be announced)
Panelists: Careen Yap, Konami Digital
Entertainment; Matt Costello, President, Polar Productions, Ltd.; Matt
Norton, Studio Director, Bigpoint; Michael Lustenberger, VP of Global
Brand Management, THQ
Top Game Developers Discuss the Future of 3D
Sony has been
pushing stereoscopic 3D since last year. This fall will see the majority
of its top-tier games being released in 3D, including Uncharted 3:
Drake's Deception, Resistance 3, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, and God of
War: Origins Collection. Developers behind these PlayStation 3
exclusives, including Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, and Ready at Dawn
will talk about what 3D is adding to the video game experience in this
panel.
Moderator: Shane Satterfield, MTV
Panelists: Ethan Einhorn, Sega
America, Inc.; Jeremy Nikolai, Senior Programmer on God of War: Origins
Collection, Ready at Dawn
Glasses Free 3D Gaming is Officially a Trend
A look at how
autostereoscopic devices like the Nintendo 3DS, the Sprint HTC Evo 3D
and the AT&T LG Thrill are opening up new audiences to glasses free 3D
gaming and entertainment with a panel of leading game developers from
THQ, Gameloft, Ubisoft and EA Mobile. They’ll also explore the
cross-over effect of glasses free gaming to the living room.
Moderator: Neil Schnieder, Executive Director, S3DGA & Meant To Be Seen
Panelists:
Andrew Fear, NVDIA; Matty Rich, Producer/Director; Jon Peddie, JPR
Research; Kris Roberts, MTBS
A New Augmented Reality
New tablets like Apple’s iPad 2 and
Motorola Xoom, smartphones like the iPhone4 and LG Mobile Optimus 2X,
and gaming devices like Nintendo 3DS and Sony PSP are opening up a
mainstream audience to augmented reality. Game makers, advertisers and
technology experts will discuss the ramifications of this new
technology, which combines real-world objects with virtual characters
for unique user interactions.
Moderator: Mike Schramm, JoyStiq
Panelists: Bruno Uzzan, Total
Immersion; Brian Selzer, Ogmento, Inc.; Jay Wright, Sr. Director,
Business Development, Qualcomm; Richard Marks, Sony Computer
Entertainment
Gaming in the Cloud
Video game companies like Gaikai and
OnLive are bypassing traditional retail stores and serving games to
consumers through TVs, laptops, tablets and other devices. The age of
gaming in the cloud, where servers host the software and allow any
device to run high-end games, is here. A panel of experts will discuss
why gaming in the cloud will change the business of video games.
Moderator: Gus Mustrapa, Wired
Panelists: David Perry,
Gaikai; Lorne Lanning, OddWorld Inhabitants; Mike Chase, CTO, dinCloud;
Rick Marazzani, Director of Content and Programming, Exent; Mark
Deloura, VP Technology, THQ; Joe Bentley, VP Engineering, OnLive; Chris
Petrovic, GameStop
The 3D Gaming Summit: 3D Gaming and Beyond® is co-located with the 3D Entertainment Summit® and the LA Mobile Entertainment Summit® presented by Ortsbo.com, taking place September 20-22. Together the three conferences comprise the most comprehensive array of experts, research and analysis covering the 3D and mobile entertainment sectors. Attendees will gain practical insight into technology developments, market considerations, adoption rates, creative and production strategies, content aggregation, talent and licensing issues.
The 3D Gaming Summit: 3D Gaming & Beyond® will feature a jam-packed, full day of world-class programming, and highlight the latest in gaming technology as part of the Entertainment Technology Showcase, an exclusive exhibits/tabletops area within the event venue. The conference will explore how videogames, aided by new technologies like stereoscopic 3D and augmented reality, are bridging the gap between interactive and linear entertainment.
Unicomm LLC is an independent business-to-business communications company specializing in originating and managing world class trade shows and conferences in underserved and nascent markets. Founded in 1998 in Milford, CT, Unicomm enjoys an impressive track record of dozens of successful show launches and hundreds of event productions. Unicomm’s properties include the 3D Entertainment Summit™, the 3D Gaming Summit™ and the LA Mobile Entertainment Summit™ all presented in association with Variety; the Travel & Adventure Show in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta; the Faith Travel Conference & Exposition™ and Travel & Destination Summit™. For more information: www.unicomm.org.
The Bob Dowling Group - For 17 years through 2007, Bob Dowling was editor-in-chief and publisher of The Hollywood Reporter and president of the VNU Business Media Film and Performing Arts Group. During Dowling's tenure, The Reporter launched numerous new products, including the HollywoodReporter.com Web site, e-mail edition, weekly edition, THR East, Literary Hollywood, Festival de Cannes dailies and the Oscar Screening Guide, as well as many annual events such as the Women in Entertainment Power 100 stand-alone issue and its related breakfast event, the Next Generation ranking of prominent young executives, the Film and TV Music Conference and the reorganized Key Art Awards. Dowling recently started his own information and consulting firm, the Bob Dowling Group, to serve clients looking to navigate the converging worlds of entertainment and technology.
3D Entertainment Summit® -- Now in its fourth year, the world’s leading business event on “everything 3D” is bigger and better than ever as it explores the 3D marketplace from all angles. With an expanded international focus and additional programming on broadcast, television and alternate content -- this will be the largest and most expansive event to date. The conference covers the biggest 3D drivers including: Theatrical; Creative; Sports; Games; International; Home Entertainment and Convergence. And for the first time, 3D Entertainment Summit and 3D Gaming Summit will be held in the same week at our new Hollywood location. Event Date: September 20-22, 2011 at Hollywood & Highland Center, Hollywood, CA.
LA Mobile Entertainment Summit® -- The 2nd Annual LA Mobile Entertainment Summit presented by Ortsbo.com will host the brightest minds in mobile technology, interactive media and entertainment to examine how content and rapidly evolving technology is dramatically changing the entertainment marketplace. The event is all about connecting the ecosystem among digital assets, original content and mobile platforms to reach consumers in today’s multi-screen environment. Event Date: September 20-21, 2011 at Hollywood & Highland Center, Hollywood, CA.
3D Gaming Summit: 3D Gaming and Beyond® -- Now in its 2nd year, the 3D Gaming Summit® in association with Variety will for the first time be held in conjunction with the 3D Entertainment Summit® in Hollywood. The conference will feature a jam-packed, full day of world-class programming, and highlight the latest in Gaming Technology as part of the Entertainment Technology Showcase, an exclusive exhibits/tabletops area within the event venue. Event Date: September 22, 2011 at Hollywood & Highland Center, Hollywood, CA.
Variety - Variety is the leading publication for business entertainment news, recognized and respected throughout the world of show business. The Variety Group – Daily Variety, Daily Variety Gotham, Weekly Variety and Variety.com – are all owned by Reed Business Information (RBI), the largest business publisher in the U.S. RBI is a member of the Reed Elsevier Group plc (NYSE: RUK and ENL).
Links:
3D Entertainment Summit®
http://www.3d-summit.com/
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/3DSummit
Twitter:
@3DEntSummit
3D Gaming Summit: Gaming and Beyond®
http://www.3dgamingsummit.com/
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/GamingAndBeyond
Twitter:
@3DGamingSummit
LA Mobile Entertainment Summit®
http://www.lamobilesummit.net/
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/MobileEntertainmentSummit
Twitter:
@LAMobileSummit
Contact:
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Alan
Winnikoff
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