Blizzard to keynote Paris GDC
Rob Pardo, Blizzard's SVP of game design, will give the opening keynote at Paris GDC this year, the event confirmed today.
The keynote - titled "In the Eye of the Blizzard" - GDC boss Jamil Moledina will interview Pardo on stage "on his inspirations, challenges, and on the next steps at Blizzard Entertainment. Pardo will address Blizzard's lessons learned, the resources unlocked by its success, and the raw talent in evidence in its development team."
The event takes place on June 23-24 at the Coeur Défense Convention Centre in Paris.
Press release after the link.
For immediate release
PARIS GDC ADDS BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT®'S SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF GAME DESIGN, ROB PARDO, TO ITS IMPRESSIVE KEYNOTE LINE-UP
May 14 is the Last Day to Register and Save More Than 35% on Passes
PARIS - France – May 13, 2008 – Rob Pardo, Blizzard Entertainment®'s Senior Vice President of Game Design, is confirmed to keynote Paris Game Developers Conference (Paris GDC). In a Q&A style presentation titled “In the Eye of the Blizzard: a Keynote Q&A with Rob Pardo,” Jamil Moledina, Executive Director of GDC Events, will interview Pardo on his inspirations, challenges, and on the next steps at Blizzard Entertainment. Pardo will address Blizzard's lessons learned, the resources unlocked by its success, and the raw talent in evidence in its development team.
Paris GDC, the second French edition of the Game Developers Conference - the premier event for developers and publishers in the videogame industry - is scheduled for June 23-24 at the Coeur Défense Convention Centre in Paris.
Contributing to Blizzard Entertainment’s success since 1997, Pardo supervises the design and implementation of gameplay and story features for every Blizzard game. After being named lead designer on the STARCRAFT® expansion set, STARCRAFT: BROOD WAR™, Pardo went on to serve as lead designer of WARCRAFT® III: REIGN OF CHAOS™; its expansion set, WARCRAFT III: THE FROZEN THRONE™; and also Blizzard's largest undertaking to date, WORLD OF WARCRAFT®. The latest Blizzard Entertainment title to reach players under his leadership was the first WORLD OF WARCRAFT expansion set, THE BURNING CRUSADE™. In his current position, Rob continues to oversee all aspects of game design for WORLD OF WARCRAFT and its upcoming second expansion, WRATH OF THE LICH KING™, as well as Blizzard Entertainment's other games in development, including the highly anticipated STARCRAFT II.
“Developers across the world know that game development is a challenging, hit-driven business - regardless of genre, geography, or platform,” said Jamil Moledina, Executive Director, GDC Events. “Pardo and the developers at Blizzard Entertainment however have cracked the code, and our discussion will focus on the key components of the company’s hit-making process – with the goal of providing our attendees with better odds for winning.”
“Blizzard has set up a new standard for the game industry and is certainly one of the only companies in the world that has created game designs that are successful in key markets from the U.S. to Europe and Asia, and particularly China. Pardo, Blizzard Entertainment’s senior-most designer, will open up with the audience by sharing the unique experiences that have led to his company’s worldwide success,” said Pierre Carde, Executive Director, Paris GDC.
Paris GDC 08 offers more than 50 sessions presented by industry experts. The event is designed for developers looking to expand their expertise, network, and learn from their peers. Highlighted talks include:
• Kim Swift, Valve, “A Portal Post-Mortem: Integrating Writing and Design”
• Chris Kline, 2K Boston, “Keep Calm and Carry On: The History of Bioshock”
• Lionel Lemarié, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, “Designing a Game for Multi-core Platforms: Pitfalls & Performance Tuning”
• Sten Hübler, Crytek, “Level Design Challenges in Crysis: The Long Journey to Open Worlds”
• John Welch, PlayFirst, “The Casual Games Revolution: Saving Games from Themselves”
Visit the Paris GDC website for the complete list of confirmed sessions. Videogame professionals who wish to take advantage of the Early Registration Rate and save more than 35% on their pass have until May 14th to register online at www.parisgdc.com.
Paris GDC is glad to welcome its latest sponsors: Intel, Babel, and AMD.