John Schappert, Corporate Vice President LIVE, Software and Services for the Interactive...

John Schappert, Corporate Vice President LIVE, Software and Services for the
Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft to Present Keynote Address at
the 2008 CMP Game Developers Conference
Former Executive Vice President of Electronic Arts and Founder of Tiburon
Entertainment to Outline His Vision for Unlocking the Creative Community in
2008 and Beyond

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft's John Schappert,
Corporate Vice President LIVE, Software and Services for the Interactive
Entertainment Business, will deliver a keynote address at CMP's 2008 Game
Developers Conference, setting the stage for revolutionary changes in game
development in 2008. The address, "A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative
Community," marks the first return to the GDC keynote stage for Microsoft
since 2005.
Schappert's keynote explores the Xbox 360 platform's next step in
democratizing game development, vastly opening up the industry for developers
of all sizes. The session will set the strategy for Xbox 360 this upcoming
year, revealing top developers' plans for the platform in 2008. Additionally,
Schappert will discuss how the increasing role of online gaming will continue
to shape gameplay and game distribution this year.
"The Game Developers Conference is the premiere stage for industry leaders
to present their strategies for advancing the state of the art of games," said
Jamil Moledina, executive director of the Game Developers Conference. "Given
John's experience and the Microsoft game development team behind him, we are
confident that our attendees will not want to miss this glimpse into the
future of how games will be made."
As Corporate Vice President LIVE, Software and Services for the
Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, John Schappert oversees all
of Microsoft's gaming platforms and businesses. This includes Xbox 360, Games
for Windows, XNA game development tools, MSN(R) Games as well as Windows
LIVE(TM) Messenger and Windows games. Schappert has a storied background in
the industry, as the founder of Tiburon Entertainment and former Executive
Vice President of Electronic Arts where he oversaw the development of game
franchises like "Madden," "Need for Speed," "FIFA," "SSX" and "Fight Night."
Schappert joined Microsoft in August 2007, bringing with him more than 16
years experience in the games industry and a rich history of innovation in
video game development.
The keynote, "A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative Community," is
scheduled for February 20, 2008, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PST in the
Esplanade Room of the Moscone Center's South Hall. Schappert joins a
distinguished list of luminary GDC keynotes which includes Shigeru Miyamoto
(GDC07), Phil Harrison (GDC06 and GDC07), Satoru Iwata (GDC05 and GDC 06),
Will Wright (GDC06), Ron Moore (GDC06), and J Allard (GDC05 and GDC04).
GDC 2008 will also feature the keynote, "The Next 20 Years of Gaming,"
delivered by futurist and inventor, Ray Kurzweil, and is scheduled for
February 21, 2008, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PST in the Esplanade Room of
the Moscone Center's South Hall. Additional featured sessions this year focus
on breakthrough titles such as Bioshock, Crysis, Halo 3, and Rock Band and
more from leading members of the game development community including creator
of the Magnavox Odyssey game system Ralph Baer; Rod Humble, head of the Sims
Studio at EA; Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto creator Dave Jones; Metaplace's
Raph Koster; Fable developer Peter Molyneux and many others.
GDC, the world's largest industry-only event dedicated to the advancement
of interactive entertainment, returns to the Moscone Convention Center in San
Francisco for a week of networking, learning, and inspiration
February 18-22, 2008. Complete details and registration for the conference are
available now at http://www.gdconf.com.
About the Game Developers Conference (http://www.gdconf.com)
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is the world's largest
professionals-only game industry event. Presented every spring in San
Francisco, it is the essential forum for learning, inspiration, and networking
for the creators of computer, console, handheld, mobile, and online games.
The GDC attracts over 16,000 attendees, and is the primary forum where
programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business
decision-makers and others involved in the development of interactive games
gather to exchange ideas and shape the future of the industry. The GDC is
produced by the CMP Game Group, a division of CMP.
About CMP (http://www.cmp.com)
CMP (http://www.cmp.com/) is a media and marketing solutions company
serving the technology industry. With the leading online, event and print
brands in all technology market categories, and with services and tools that
reach beyond traditional advertising, CMP shapes and influences the technology
industry worldwide. CMP publishes highly respected media brands such as
TechWeb, InformationWeek, ChannelWeb, CRN, EE Times and TechOnline; produces
major industry events such as Interop, Web 2.0 Expo, XChange, Game Developers
Conference and the Embedded Systems Conferences; and provides business
information and marketing services such as the International Customer
Management Institute, Semiconductor Insights and Second Life consulting for
technology marketers. CMP is a subsidiary of United Business Media
(http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution
and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than
$3 billion. For more CMP news, go to cmp.com/news.
SOURCE CMP

Sibel Sunar, sibel@fortyseven.com, or Brian Rubin, brian@fortyseven.com, both
of fortyseven communications, +1-323-658-1200, for CMP; or Ben Veechai of CMP
Game Group, +1-415-947-6280, bveechai@cmp.com