Los Angeles, Calif. - Respawn Entertainment's Vince Zampella, a key developer of the mega hit franchise Call of Duty, will be the keynote speaker at the second annual 3D Gaming Summit: 3D Gaming and Beyond presented in association with
Variety, today at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, Calif.
Zampella, as principal at Infinity Ward with partner Jason West, played a key role in the development of the multibillion-dollar military shooter franchise Call of Duty. The two formed Respawn in April 2010. Electronic Arts will have exclusive distribution rights to their next creation.
Throughout his career, Zampella, whose industry stops have included Gametek, Atari, Panasonic/Ripcord, and Sega, has created many successful and popular games, with blockbuster action sequences in real-world settings that resemble those of big budget movies. Some include extensive online options allowing competition against other players via the Internet.
Six Call of Duty games have been released since 2003: four set during World War II, and two carrying the subtitle
Modern Warfare, featuring contemporary counter-terrorist combat.
Call of Duty,
Modern Warfare 2 alone has sold approximately 20 million units and generated an estimated $1.3 billion.
"Vince has unparalleled hands-on experience in creating one of the great video game franchises of all-time," says Bob Dowling, conference co-chairman, "and as a keynote speaker confirms the 3D Gaming Summit as the thought-leader in the gaming entertainment landscape."
"Respawn Entertainment is one of the most talked about new game studios in the world," explains John Gaudiosi, senior content advisor to the 3D Gaming Summit: 3D Gaming and Beyond and co-founder of Gamerlive.tv. "Vince Zampella and Jason West helped evolve the video game space with their Call of Duty games while at Infinity Ward, pushing the envelope of interactive entertainment. I'm sure they'll continue to bring exciting new game experiences through their new Electronic Arts partnership moving forward."
As previously announced, Mick Hocking, vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, will be a featured speaker at the conference. Hocking's address, "The First Year of 3D on PlayStation3," presented entirely in 3D, will be on Tuesday, September 20, starting at 3:50 pm. It will cover case studies from major 3D games illustrating the processes developed to maintain an all-important, high-quality bar and end with a look at how new technologies may shape the future of 3D gaming, says a spokesperson.
Sessions & Moderators: The 3D Gaming Summit: 3D Gaming and Beyond
Social Gaming
Companies like Zynga and Facebook have changed the face of gaming, while introducing millions of new fans to the hobby. Social games are also attracting a large female demographic as well as older gamers. And the new line-up of smartphones and tablets are opening up social gaming beyond the PC. A panel of experts will explore what's next for the evolution of social games.
Moderator: (to be announced)
Panelists: Careen Yap, Konami Digital Entertainment; Matt Costello, President, Polar Productions, Ltd.; Matt Norton, Studio Director, Bigpoint; Michael Lustenberger, VP of Global Brand Management, THQ.
Top Game Developers Discuss the Future of 3D
Sony has been pushing stereoscopic 3D since last year. This fall will see the majority of its top-tier games being released in 3D, including Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Resistance 3, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, and God of War: Origins Collection. Developers behind these PlayStation 3 exclusives, including Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, and Ready at Dawn will talk about what 3D is adding to the video game experience in this panel.
Moderator: Shane Satterfield, MTV
Panelists: Ethan Einhorn, Sega America, Inc.; Jeremy Nikolai, Senior Programmer on God of War: Origins Collection, Ready at Dawn
Glasses Free 3D Gaming is Officially a Trend
A look at how autostereoscopic devices like the Nintendo 3DS, the Sprint HTC Evo 3D and the AT&T LG Thrill are opening up new audiences to glasses free 3D gaming and entertainment with a panel of leading game developers from THQ, Gameloft, Ubisoft and EA Mobile. They'll also explore the cross-over effect of glasses free gaming to the living room.
Moderator: Neil Schnieder, Executive Director, S3DGA & Meant To Be Seen
Panelists: Andrew Fear, NVDIA; Matty Rich, Producer/Director; Jon Peddie, JPR Research; Kris Roberts, MTBS
A New Augmented Reality
New tablets like Apple's iPad 2 and Motorola Xoom, smartphones like the iPhone4 and LG Mobile Optimus 2X, and gaming devices like Nintendo 3DS and Sony PSP are opening up a mainstream audience to augmented reality. Game makers, advertisers and technology experts will discuss the ramifications of this new technology, which combines real-world objects with virtual characters for unique user interactions.
Moderator: Mike Schramm, JoyStiq
Panelists: Bruno Uzzan, Total Immersion; Brian Selzer, Ogmento, Inc.; Jay Wright, Sr. Director, Business Development, Qualcomm; Richard Marks, Sony Computer Entertainment
Gaming in the Cloud
Video game companies like Gaikai and OnLive are bypassing traditional retail stores and serving games to consumers through TVs, laptops, tablets and other devices. The age of gaming in the cloud, where servers host the software and allow any device to run high-end games, is here. A panel of experts will discuss why gaming in the cloud will change the business of video games.
Moderator: Gus Mustrapa, Wired
Panelists: David Perry, Gaikai; Lorne Lanning, OddWorld Inhabitants; Mike Chase, CTO, dinCloud; Rick Marazzani Director of Content and Programming, Exent; Mark Deloura, VP Technology, THQ; Joe Bentley, VP Engineering, OnLive; Chris Petrovic, GameStop
The 3D Gaming Summit: 3D Gaming and Beyond is co-located with the 3D Entertainment Summit and the LA Mobile Entertainment Summit presented by Ortsbo.com, taking place September 20-22. Together the three conferences comprise the most comprehensive array of experts, research and analysis covering the 3D and mobile entertainment sectors. Attendees will gain practical insight into technology developments, market considerations, adoption rates, creative and production strategies, content aggregation, talent and licensing issues.
The 3D Gaming Summit: 3D Gaming & Beyond will feature a 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. The conference will explore how videogames, aided by new technologies like stereoscopic 3D and augmented reality, are bridging the gap between interactive and linear entertainment.