Interactive Industry Insiders from Disney Interactive, Rovio, and others to Discuss Trends in Mobile, Free-to-Play, Transmedia Development

CALABASAS, Calif., Jan. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) today confirmed a new round of speakers for the 2013 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit, which will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, Feb. 5-8, 2013. This line-up of industry luminaries will tackle topics shaping the future of interactive entertainment – from building a mobile blockbuster to the evolution of gaming. Speakers at the annual D.I.C.E. Summit have historically set the tone for what's to come in the interactive entertainment industry, and the 2013 lineup continues that legacy.

Recently confirmed speakers for the 2013 D.I.C.E Summit include:

• Warren Spector, veteran electronic game designer/producer at Junction Point Studios, a division of Disney Interactive.  Spector will speak on "Hey, You kids! Get Outta My Yard! or The Graying of Gaming," discussing the impact of aging on gamers, developers, and the medium. He will examine how the graying of gaming affects game content, player commitment, design philosophy, gaming platforms, mainstream media interactions and, the future!
• Petri Jarvilehto, Executive Vice President of Games at Rovio, will speak on "The Age of the Mobile Blockbuster: Launching Angry Birds Star Wars." He will present how Rovio is transforming the industry with blockbuster simultaneous launches that synchronize gaming, consumer goods, and animation to create expansive entertainment experiences.
• Matt Stern, president of SyFy, and Nick Beliaeff, vice president of production at Trion Worlds, Inc., will co-present on "Building True Transmedia: Making of Defiance, a living world across mediums."  This session will give the audience a peek into how two entertainment channels joined to build this interactive world, which progresses over time.
• Victor Kislyi, CEO and founder of Wargaming.net, and behind the blockbuster World of Tanks, the Massive Assault series, as well as the highly-anticipated World of Warplanes and World of Warships action MMOs.  Victor will present on "The Evolution of Free-To-Play: From Tanks To Beyond."  He will explore how "free-to-play" has taken the gaming industry by storm and how it's becoming more and more apparent that an evolution of the business model is necessary in order to truly adapt to the needs of gamers and consumers.

These speakers join previously confirmed speakers, including: Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve Corporation and recently announced 2013 AIAS Hall of Fame inductee; David Cage, CEO of Quantic Dream; David Ting, GM of eSports at IGN Pro League (IPL); Randy Pitchford, co-founder, owner and president of Gearbox Software; Matt Lee Johnston, video game designer and producer; Phil Larsen, CMO of Halfbrick Games; David Edery, CEO of Spry Fox; Julian Farrior, CEO of Backflip Studios; Amir Rao, studio director for Supergiant Games; Xavier Poix, managing director of Ubisoft France; Jenova Chen, creative director and co-founder of thatgamecompany; Jesse Schell, CEO of Shell Games and distinguished professor of the Practice of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University; and Microsoft Game Studios/343 Industries' Executive Producer Kiki Wolfkill and Franchise Development Director Frank O'Connor.

For more information about the Summit or to register, visit www.dicesummit.org.

About the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences:

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) was founded in 1996 as a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote, advance and recognize the outstanding achievements in the interactive entertainment industry worldwide. The Academy conducts its annual awards show, the D.I.C.E. Awards, to celebrate and honor creative accomplishments in the field. To further enhance awareness of the Academy's vision, the organization created the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit in 2002, a once yearly conference dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment. With more than 22,000 members, including Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Google, Bethesda Game Studios, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Double Fine, Gearbox Software, Nexon and Insomniac Games, among others. More information can be found at http://www.interactive.org and http://www.dicesummit.org. Follow the Academy on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+.

SOURCE Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences