Day Two of Game Developers Conference Europe 2010 Brings News From Industry
Heavyweights Heiko Hubertz, Hermen Hulst, Eric Chahi and More
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<p><span class="xn-location">BERLIN</span>, <span class="xn-chron">Aug. 17</span> /CNW/ -- The second day of the Game Developers Conference <span class="xn-location">Europe</span>(TM) 2010 (GDC <span class="xn-location">Europe</span>) has brought with it a large slate of game industry news at the <span class="xn-location">Cologne</span> Congress Center East in <span class="xn-location">Cologne</span>, <span class="xn-location">Germany</span>. Produced by UBM TechWeb Game Network, organizers of the leading Game Developers Conference® series, GDC <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> is the largest professionals-only game event in <span class="xn-location">Europe</span>, encompassing a robust selection of keynotes, lectures, panels, and sessions. GDC <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> continues in <span class="xn-location">Cologne</span>, <span class="xn-location">Germany</span> through <span class="xn-chron">August 18, 2010</span> for its third and final day of learning, networking, and inspiration. For more information on GDC <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> visit: <a href="http://www.gdceurope.com">www.gdceurope.com</a>.</p>
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<p>"Day Two of the conference has again proven to be a resounding success," said Frank Sliwka GDC <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> Event Director and UBM TechWeb VP European Business Development. "All of our attendees seem very excited to have received such great industry learnings from stalwarts and legends like Heiko Hubertz, Hermen Hulst, Eric Chahi, Matt Firor and many, many more."</p>
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Highlights of today's activity include:
-- In the day's first keynote, Heiko Hubertz, CEO and founder of
Bigpoint,
gave attendees the advice that to conduct business in America as a
European company, the time to do it is "right now." Throughout the
talk, Hubertz elaborated on the differences between the US and
European
markets and educated the audience about how to be successful in
America
as a European, based on Bigpoint's experience there. Hubert advised
"There are only existing two markets in America," says Hubertz. "The
console market and the Facebook market." The biggest players in
online
games are from Europe, he says, referring to Playfish, Bigpoint,
Gameforge, Jagex, and Unity. And yet, Zynga is bigger than all of
them. "Zynga is generating more revenue than all the [other]
companies
combined," and is growing faster than them too. Hubertz believes
Americans are dominating the social game space "because they only have
one language, one government, one law, and they have much easier
access
to capital." Europe is too fractured to be as successful, he said.
He
also pointed out his belief that Americans want multiplayer action
games, while Europeans care more about strategy and solo games. So to
succeed in America, Hubertz feels a developer needs 3D. Additionally,
he recommends hiring "only Americans." He said "I'm the only German
who works there, the rest are all Americans." He also cautions of
audience mismatch, so developers should be prepared to change
everything. "Most of our games that were very successful in the rest
of the world were not successful in America," said Hubertz. Final
points of advice were to use well-known IP to break into new markets,
noting that it helps with player retention, and to "act as a local
company... if you want success in the U.S., you should develop games
for the U.S. only, not for worldwide. Casual or hardcore 3D. Nothing
in
between."
-- In his keynote, Guerrilla Games managing director Hermen Hulst
discussed the genesis of the Killzone creator and its successes and
failures in evolving into a Sony-owned AAA console powerhouse. Hulst
started by noting "to survive and to grow... you need to consistently
improve yourself," and took attendees through examples of how
Guerrilla's experiences have informed their history and the key
decisions made from the time Sony signed the title that would become
Killzone through to today. Reminding the audience of the environment
at the time of the first title, Hulst said that "it's very hard to
imagine how risky the idea was in these days," when the only console
FPS success was GoldenEye for N64, and only FPSes for the PC were
enjoying strong popularity. He discussed the benefits of developing
their own technology from scratch, and the ups and downs of the
franchise history through Killzone: Liberation for the PSP, Killzone 2
for the PS2 and the release of the CGI trailer for next year's
Killzone
3. It took three and a half years to make Killzone 2, and the
Guerrilla Games team were committed to making Killzone 3 swiftly and
efficiently. Changing the process, Guerrilla has been getting its
processes and technology even more co-ordinated, and is currently in
alpha on Killzone 3. Hulst concluded by revealing that the studio is
expanding to work on a "game with a scope and a level of ambition that
once again makes us nervous" -- specifically a "brand new IP."
-- Eric Chahi, creator of Another World and director of Ubisoft's wildly
ambitious downloadable title tentatively called Project Dust, spoke
about the upcoming game which allows players to re-terraform the world
around them, creating islands, rivers, and life using simple tools
that
interact with each other intelligently. Chahi's talk entered on the
idea that a correct meeting of technology and game design can allow
for
the creation of something truly unique. To do that, Chahi said one
must "keep only the essentials for the purposes of optimization, and
to
keep these things simple for the player." Chahi explained that, as
the
high level idea of the game is rather conceptual - players keep a
tribe
of humans alive in this changing environment - the interface has to be
simple. However, a game where mud is actually created dynamically by
water flowing, requires intense technology behind such a simple
interface.
-- Zenimax Online head Matt Firor talked about the complex definitional
relationships between the 'casual' and 'hardcore' in games, showcasing
how games like Zynga's FarmVille have "serious hardcore gaming
characteristics." Going back to the beginnings of the industry, Firor
pointed out that early, iconic titles like Donkey Kong or Super Mario
Bros. weren't actually that casual - they were, if anything, "fun but
hard." But then in the 1990s, "new, dark games" like Doom changed
things again. The gameplay of those 'darker' titles was similar in
terms of losing lives easily and having power-ups, although from a
different perspective so further differentiation was needed. From a
marketing and cultural perspective, it developed that, if there were
bright colorful games, they were 'casual.' Conversely, if games were
dark and ominous, they were 'hardcore,' Firor suggested. So more
cartoon-y games were considered to be easier to play and more for
beginners, even though that may not have been true--and this is where
the definitional problems have come in. Firor noted that "you can
play
hardcore games casually," and vice versa. It "comes down to a
mindset,
more than a game." In fact, Firor argued that World Of Warcraft can
often be played casually, and, of course, one can even play Solitaire
in a hardcore fashion, and FarmVille is the ultimate example. Other
titles like Tetris Friends on Facebook actually introduce hardcore
mechanics, like competing high scores, which allow people to battle
each other for supremacy, "a very hardcore concept." Firor concluded
that "games aren't casual or hardcore... the gamers are."
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<p>In addition to the conference content, GDC <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> provides several opportunities for creative exchange and business development, with venues including the GDC <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> Expo Floor, VIP Lounge, and the GDC <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> Business Lounge at gamescom, plus a host of industry parties. More than forty exhibitors and sponsors from <span class="xn-location">Belgium</span>, <span class="xn-location">Germany</span>, the <span class="xn-location">Netherlands</span>, <span class="xn-location">Russia</span>, <span class="xn-location">Sweden</span>, the UK and the USA have booths and meeting spaces within the exhibitor zone measuring 650 square meters. Exhibitors include Crytek, Bigpoint, Epic, Howest University, Imagination Studios and Intel. GDC <span class="xn-location">Europe</span> 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.</p>
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For up to the moment news on GDC Europe visit: www.gdceurope.com.
About the UBM TechWeb Game Network
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<p>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®, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com and network of sites, the Game Advertising Online ad network, the Game Developers Conference® Online, the Game Developers Conference(TM) <span class="xn-location">Europe</span>, the Game Developers Conference(TM) <span class="xn-location">China</span>, 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 <a href="http://www.jointhegamenetwork.com">www.jointhegamenetwork.com</a></p>
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About UBM TechWeb
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<p>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 <span class="xn-money">$2.5 billion</span>. Visit: <a href="http://www.ubmtechweb.com">www.ubmtechweb.com</a></p>
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Brian Rubin
fortyseven communications
(212) 391-4707
[email protected]
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Susanne Tenzler-Heusler, Europe
+49 (0)173 3786601
[email protected]
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GDC EUROPE CONTACT:
Frank Sliwka, VP European Business
Development
+49 (0)171 1288898
[email protected]
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Ben Veechai, North America
+1-415-947-6280
[email protected]
For further information: Media, Brian Rubin of fortyseven communications, +1-212-391-4707, [email protected]; or Susanne Tenzler-Heusler, Europe, +49 (0)173 3786601, [email protected], both for UBM TechWeb Game Network; or GDC Europe, Frank Sliwka, VP European Business Development, +49 (0)171 1288898, [email protected], or Ben Veechai, North America, +1-415-947-6280, [email protected] Web Site: http://www.jointhegamenetwork.com http://www.gdceurope.com http://www.ubmtechweb.com
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