Shigeru Miyamoto and Yu Suzuki to speak at the 2003 D.I.C.E. Summit in Vegas.
ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS AND SCIENCES (AIAS) PRESENTS "AN AUDIENCE WITH THE MASTERS" AND OTHER EXCITING SESSIONS FOR THE 2003 D.I.C.E. SUMMIT
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and SEGA's Yu Suzuki Two of Many Interactive Entertainment Visionaries to Speak at Annual Las Vegas Event
Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Ziff-Davis Media Among Prestigious List of Sponsors
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 10, 2002 - The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences today announced topics, speakers, and some of the sponsors for the 2003 D.I.C.E. Summit (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain), to be held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, February 27 and 28, 2003. The D.I.C.E. Summit is the only event presented to focus exclusively on game design.
"The 2003 D.I.C.E. Summit is shaping up to be as exciting and innovative as last year's, and we are thrilled to have such an amazing calibre of sponsors and speakers," said Paul Provenzano, President of AIAS.
Some of the 2003 D.I.C.E. Summit sponsors include Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Ziff-Davis Media. Supporting sponsors include Apple, Insomniac Studios, UbiSoft, RenderWare, BioWare, and The Games 411.
One of the highlights of the 2003 Summit will be "An Audience with the Masters," a rare opportunity for attendees to pose questions directly to game design masters Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and SEGA®'s Yu Suzuki.
Shigeru Miyamoto (called "the Spielberg of Video Games" by TIME magazine) is considered to be the greatest video game designer in the world as the creator of the "Mario" and "Zelda" series of games as well as "Donkey Kong" and "Pikmin." Miyamoto was the first inductee into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.
Yu Suzuki is widely recognized as one of the forefathers of console video gaming. Suzuki is best known for his many industry firsts and genre breaking games including "OutrunTM", "Space HarrierTM", and "ShenmueTM." The Virtua FighterTM series is recognized for its contributions in the fields of Art & Entertainment and is the only video game on permanent display in the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology Innovation, at the Smithsonian's Natural Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
Additional speakers just announced include Brad McQuaid, President and CEO of Sigil Games, and co-designer of the massively multiplayer runaway hit EverQuest; Ted Price, Founder, President and CEO of Insomniac Games, which developed "Disrupter," "Spyro," and "Ratchet & Clank" franchises for the Playstation and PS2 consoles; Jason Rubin, Founder and Co-President of Naughty Dog and creator of the "Crash Bandicoot" and "Jak and Daxter" franchises; Christopher Cross, Design Director, Electronic Arts, who has been the lead designer for many high profile projects including "Medal of Honor"; Cliff Bleszinski, Senior Designer, Epic Games, a key figure in the creation and nurturing of the "Unreal" franchise; Luc Barthelet, Chief Technical Officer, Maxis/Electronic Arts and General Manager, Maxis Studios; Ed Fries, Vice President, Games Publishing, Microsoft; and Chris Taylor, President/Designer, Gas Powered Games.
For a full list of speakers, visit www.dicesummit.com. Several high profile speakers were announced previously.
Among the 2003 Summit's topics are "Lessons of Going Online," "Doin' It Again - the In's and Out's of Sequels," "The Future of Games Delivery," "Designing RPG's for the Mass Market," "Mastering Chaos: Managing Multiple Projects," and "How to NOT Make a Game that Won't Sell."
In addition to participating in D.I.C.E. Summit's exciting panel discussions, attendees can take part in the Interactive Achievement Awards, held February 27, 2003. The Academy will present Interactive Achievement Awards in 30 craft, console, computer, and online categories. Award highlights include an overall Game of the Year as well as Game of the Year in different genres, and the prestigious Hall of Fame Award.
