3D Gaming Summit: Gaming and Beyond® Features Top Creators Sharing How They See the Future of Gaming

Unicomm, a leading event management company, and The Bob Dowling Group today announced the successful conclusion of the second annual 3D Gaming Summit: Gaming and Beyond®, presented in association with Variety. Highlights of the jam-packed one day conference included an Opening Keynote Address by David Maisel, Senior Advisor to Rovio creator “Angry Birds,” and a Featured Interview with Vince Zampella, ("Call of Duty") General Manger of Respawn Entertainment, conducted by USA Today's Video Game Editor Mike Snider.

The Summit was kicked off with opening remarks by Bob Dowling and John Gaudiosi, Gaming Summit Senior Content Advisor & Co-Founder of Gamerlive.tv, followed by a research session with Dan Casey, SVP, Strategy & Analysis, Interpret, LLC. Casey's research suggested that gamers are the single most important market segment when it comes to increasing sales of 3D televisions, displaying nearly double the interest in purchasing a 3D set than non-gamers, and that, contrary to current perceived wisdom, 60% of gamers were unfazed by the need to wear glasses.

In his Keynote, Rovio’s David Maisel examined the challenges of leveraging a casual gaming brand in the merchandising and licensing world before dropping the bombshell that an "Angry Birds" film is in the works with the goal of creating an "Angry Birds" movie franchise. Maisel called an "Angry Birds" game move into the 3D space as "obviously a no-brainer."

In his interview, Respawn's Vince Zampella reported that the company, which will retain ownership of all its games (and be distributed by Electronic Arts) had already ramped up to 60 employees and predicted that both 3D games and social gaming were in Respawn's immediate future. "We're keeping a close eye on what's developing and where it makes sense," said Zampella about 3D's use in gaming.

Thursday's Gaming Summit events were preceded on Tuesday (due to a scheduling conflict) by an innovative all-3D slide presentation on PlayStation(r) 3's first year from Sony's Mick Hocking which stunningly demonstrated that the future is now for 3D gaming.

In-depth 3D Gaming Summit panels included an examination of how companies like Zynga and Facebook are changing the face of social gaming; a discussion of the future of 3D by top game developers; a look at how autostereoscopic devices like the Nintendo 3DS, Sprint HTC Evo 3D and AT&T LG Thrill are introducing audiences to glasses free 3D gaming; the growing use of Augmented Reality technology in tablets, smartphones and gaming devices; and how "Gaming in the Cloud" will change the business of video games.

Between sessions, summit attendees were able to visit the Entertainment Technology Showcase™, which featured more than 60 displays showcasing the latest in 3D, mobile and gaming technology while serving as a networking hub for top industry executives.

“We are proud that our 2nd annual 3D Gaming Summit brought some of the industry's best and brightest minds together to discuss the challenges and growing promise of 3D gaming," said Bob Dowling, the 3D Gaming Summit conference's co-chairman.

"The 3D Gaming and Beyond Summit showcased some of the biggest names in the ever-expanding video game business today," said Conference Content Advisor John Gaudiosi. "Visionaries like Respawn Entertainment's Vince Zampella talked about the future of interactive entertainment, while David Maisel of Rovio discussed his vision of the "Angry Birds" film. And some of the top minds in gaming today explained why cloud gaming, augmented reality and social games are the future of this $74 billion global industry."

The 3D Gaming Summit: Gaming and Beyond® was co-located this year with the 3D Entertainment Summit® and the LA Mobile Entertainment Summit® presented by Ortsbo.com, taking place in Hollywood on September 20-22. Together the three conferences comprise the most comprehensive array of experts, research and analysis covering the 3D, gaming and mobile entertainment sectors.

Unicomm LLC is an independent business-to-business communications company specializing in originating and managing world class trade shows and conferences in underserved and nascent markets. Founded in 1998 in Milford, CT, Unicomm enjoys an impressive track record of dozens of successful show launches and hundreds of event productions. Unicomm’s properties include the 3D Entertainment Summit®, the 3D Gaming Summit® and the LA Mobile Entertainment Summit® all presented in association with Variety; the Travel & Adventure Show in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta; the Faith Travel Conference & Exposition™ and Travel & Destination Summit™. For more information: www.unicomm.org.

The Bob Dowling Group — For 17 years through 2007, Bob Dowling was editor-in-chief and publisher of The Hollywood Reporter and president of the VNU Business Media Film and Performing Arts Group. During Dowling's tenure, The Reporter launched numerous new products, including the HollywoodReporter.com Web site, e-mail edition, weekly edition, THR East, Literary Hollywood, Festival de Cannes dailies and the Oscar Screening Guide, as well as many annual events such as the Women in Entertainment Power 100 stand-alone issue and its related breakfast event, the Next Generation ranking of prominent young executives, the Film and TV Music Conference and the reorganized Key Art Awards. Dowling recently started his own information and consulting firm, the Bob Dowling Group, to serve clients looking to navigate the converging worlds of entertainment and technology.

LA Mobile Entertainment Summit® — The 2^nd Annual LA Mobile Entertainment Summit in association with Variety, presented by Ortsbo.com will host the brightest minds in mobile technology, interactive media and entertainment to examine how content and rapidly evolving technology is dramatically changing the entertainment marketplace. The event is all about connecting the ecosystem among digital assets, original content and mobile platforms to reach consumers in today’s multi-screen environment. Event Date: September 20-21, 2011 at Hollywood & Highland Center, Hollywood, CA.

3D Entertainment Summit® — Now in its fourth year, the world’s leading business event on “everything 3D” is bigger and better than ever as it explores the 3D marketplace from all angles. With an expanded international focus and additional programming on broadcast, television and alternate content -- this will be the largest and most expansive event to date. The conference covers the biggest 3D drivers including: Theatrical; Creative; Sports; Games; International, Home Entertainment and Convergence. And for the first time, 3D Entertainment Summit and 3D Gaming Summit will be held in the same week at our new Hollywood location. Event Date: September 20-22, 2011 at Hollywood & Highland Center, Hollywood, CA.

3D Gaming Summit® — Now in its 2nd year, the 3D Gaming Summit® in association with Variety will for the first time be held in conjunction with the 3D Entertainment Summit® in Hollywood. The conference will feature a jam-packed, full day of world-class programming, and highlight the latest in Gaming Technology as part of the Entertainment Technology Showcase, an exclusive exhibits/tabletops area within the event venue. Event Date: September 22, 2011 at Hollywood & Highland Center, Hollywood, CA.

Variety — Variety is the leading publication for business entertainment news, recognized and respected throughout the world of show business. The Variety Group – Daily Variety, Daily Variety Gotham, Weekly Variety and Variety.com – are all owned by Reed Business Information (RBI), the largest business publisher in the U.S. RBI is a member of the Reed Elsevier Group plc (NYSE: RUK) and (NYSE: ENL).

Links:

LA Mobile Entertainment Summit®
http://www.lamobilesummit.net/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MobileEntertainmentSummit
Twitter: @LAMobileSummit

3D Entertainment Summit®
http://www.3d-summit.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/3DSummit
Twitter: @3DEntSummit

3D Gaming Summit: Gaming and Beyond®
http://www.3dgamingsummit.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GamingAndBeyond
Twitter: @3DGamingSummit