Game Developers Conference Europe 2010 Opens With Strong Content Lineup

Sessions Featured Industry Luminaries Warren Spector, Bo Wang, the Founders of BioWare and Many More

BERLIN, August 16, 2010 - Game Developers Conference Europe(R) 2010 (GDC Europe) has opened its
doors at the Cologne Congress Center East in Cologne, Germany. Produced by
UBM TechWeb Game Network, organizers of the leading Game Developers
Conference(R) series, GDC Europe is the largest professionals-only game event
in Europe, and has increased in scope compared to its inaugural debut event
in 2009, encompassing a robust selection of keynotes, lectures, panels, and
sessions. GDC Europe returns to Cologne, Germany on August 16-18, 2010 for
three days of learning, networking, and inspiration. For more information on
GDC Europe visit: www.gdceurope.com.

"We are very pleased with the opening day of GDC Europe," said Frank
Sliwka GDC Europe Event Director and UBM TechWeb VP European Business
Development. "We hosted several great talks today including our keynote
addresses from Bo Wang and Warren Spector. GDC Europe also received a popular
response to our newest conference addition: the Games & Movies/TV Workshop."

    Highlights of today's activity include:

    - Talking in a packed keynote, Creative Director of Disney's Junction
      Point studio Warren Spector delivered a lyrical discussion of video
      games and how the medium should -- and shouldn't -- learn from other
      media to shine in its own right. Referencing film, radio, comic books
      and board games, Spector illustrated the importance and power of the
      user's imagination and videogames' 'power to transport' - the ability
      to become another character entirely, and how they can immerse people
      in worlds that appear completely believable.
    - At his keynote on Monday, Tencent Games VP Bo Wang discussed how the
      billion-dollar revenue Chinese tech/game company has risen to the top
      of the pack, citing massive growth rates and key routes to success in
      Asia. Wang noted than in the six months to the end of June 2010, the
      gigantic Chinese-headquartered firm, which deals with instant
      messaging, virtual currency, and video games as its major parts, had
      revenues of $1.3 billion U.S. dollars. Wang noted that Chinese gamers
      have a much lower disposable income, so there are unique ways Tencent
      attracts these gamers. Tencent tries to have 1,000 hours available at
      launch in its typical MMORPGs, and also encourages gamers to have fun
      by playing against each other in games. As Tencent also has the top
      instant messaging service in China, plus a top free email service, a
      massive web portal at QQ.com, and even a search engine, cross-marketing
      from all of Tencent's properties seems to have catapulted the firm to
      the top of the pile in the Chinese market.
    - In the one-day Games and Movies/TV Workshop, Jorg Tittel of BreakThru
      Films spoke about his multiplatform-vision. Discussing how his vision
      is not a marketing idea, and based more on creativity than on a
      business model. Tittel feels that the industry has to learn from the
      younger generations who already live in a multiplatform way. After
      defining three important problems-licensing models, lack of
      communication and marketing-driven business-and the challenges of
      needing to reeducate the industries, determine where the budgets come
      from and getting legal counsel from both sides at an early point,
      Tittel focused on the main challenge-mining new creative talent, people
      who understand both film and games. Tittel said that the concepts of
      Convergence and Multiplatform shouldn't be mainly about the sharing of
      assets, but about sharing a common vision. And for that, he feels we
      need a new generation of film- AND gamemakers who care about and have
      been educating themselves about both platforms equally, and who
      understand the rules of both and respect them equally
    - In the first of the "Focus Russia" series of sessions, Dmitry Lyust and
      Konstantin Popov gave an overview about the Russian market concerning
      PC-, Console- and Online Gaming, providing statistics including the
      fact that the current market value is $820M USD and predictions about
      the growth of Russia's online games market. Predictions are that
      Russia's online games market will grow from $223M USD in 2009 to $400-
      410M USD by 2012, and that the Russian market for casual games will
      grow from $32 M USD to 42 M USD by the end of this year. Lyust and
      Popov discussed how there is Russia's recent welcoming climate for
      business and investments from abroad. The government sees the economic
      gain of the games industry and plans to support and develop it as part
      of a governmental plan for modernization the country. They also
      discussed government plans to build up a "Russian Silicon Valley"
      inside a special economic zone near Moscow.
    - In a session titled "Rethinking a Studio for the digital Space," THQ
      Digital creative director Don Whiteford discussed the publisher's
      burgeoning specialization in the digital space, discussing learnings
      from his rebranded THQ studio and revealed its debut XBLA/PSN title,
      top down vehicle combat title Red Faction: Battlegrounds. Whiteford
      also revealed a companion product for THQ's key Red Faction franchise,
      Red Faction: Battlegrounds, a topdown car, mech and rover combat title
      for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network with up to four players on
      the same screen. In addition, various achievements in the game -- which
      was built by a core team of just four people -- will unlock unique
      elements in Red Faction: Armageddon.
    - BioWare's Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk delivered an account Q&A
      style of a look back on the founding of their studio and the creation
      of the seminal Baldur's Gate franchise. The duo referenced their early
      years inexperienced in conventional game business yet success with
      Baldur's Gate through their passion and a love of the art. The duo
      ended with a teaser of some potentially exciting new titles, as yet
      unannounced, coming out of the Virginia-based BioWare Mythic office
      that currently operates stalwart, still-profitable titles such as
      Warhammer Online and Ultima Online.

In addition to the conference content, GDC Europe provides several
opportunities for creative exchange and business development, with venues
including the GDC Europe Expo Floor, VIP Lounge, and the GDC Europe Business
Lounge at gamescom, plus a host of industry parties. More than forty
exhibitors and sponsors from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia,
Sweden, the UK and the USA have registered for the exhibitor zone measuring
650 square meters. Exhibitors include Crytek, Bigpoint, Epic, Howest
University, Imagination Studios and Intel. In addition, GDC Europe will also
be hosting for the first time a business Lounge at the accompanying games
expo, gamescom, at which Autodesk, Crytek, Epic, Zotac, DigiProtect, Level 3
are confirmed to be exhibiting.

For up to the moment news on GDC Europe visit: www.gdceurope.com.

About the UBM TechWeb Game Network

A core provider of essential information to the professional game
industry, the UBM TechWeb Game Network - formerly known as the Think Services
Game Group - offers market-defining content, and drives community through its
award winning lineup of print, online, event and research products and
services. These include the Game Developers Conference(R), the Webby
Award-winning Gamasutra.com and network of sites, the Game Advertising Online
ad network, the Game Developers Conference(R) Online, the Game Developers
Conference(TM) Europe, the Game Developers Conference(TM) China, Game
Developer Magazine, Game Developer Research, the Game Career Seminars and
GameCareerGuide.com, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game
Developers Choice Awards.

Visit www.jointhegamenetwork.com

About UBM TechWeb

UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional
information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative
power of technology. Through its three core businesses - media solutions,
marketing services and paid content - UBM TechWeb produces the most respected
and consumed brands and media applications in the technology market. More
than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs and IT
managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software Developers, Government
decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively engage in UBM TechWeb's
communities and information resources monthly. UBM TechWeb brands includes:
global face-to-face events such as Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and Enterprise
Connect; award-winning online resources such as InformationWeek, Light
Reading, and Network Computing; and market-leading magazines InformationWeek,
Wall Street & Technology, and Advanced Trading. UBM TechWeb is a UBM company,
a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services
with a market capitalization of more than US$2.5 billion.

Visit: www.ubmtechweb.com

    MEDIA CONTACT:

                         Brian Rubin
                         fortyseven communications
                         +1-212-391-4707
                         brian@fortyseven.com

                         Susanne Tenzler-Heusler, Europe
                         +49-(0)-173-3786601
                         kontakt@brandvorwerk-pr.de

    GDC EUROPE CONTACT:

                         Frank Sliwka, VP European Business Development
                         +49-(0)-171-1288898
                         frank.sliwka@ubm.com

                         Ben Veechai, North America
                         +1-415-947-6280
                         ben.veechai@ubm.com

Media, Brian Rubin of fortyseven communications, +1-212-391-4707, brian at fortyseven.com, or Susanne Tenzler-Heusler, Europe, +49-(0)-173-3786601, kontakt at brandvorwerk-pr.de; or GDC Europe, Frank Sliwka, VP European Business Development, +49-(0)-171-1288898, frank.sliwka at ubm.com, or Ben Veechai, North America, +1-415-947-6280, ben.veechai at ubm.com, all for UBM TechWeb Game Network