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Philadelphia, PA – (October 2, 2008) – Lunar Tide Communications, Inc., co-producers of America’s Video Game Expo (VGXPO), one of the largest consumer gaming events in the America’s, is expanding the scope of VGXPO to include a new game industry conference – the ‘East Coast Games Summit’. Designed to serve the professional colleagues in the game industry, as well as those interested in starting a career in games, the Summit offers programming for all VGXPO attendees.

Co-sponsored by GameJobs.com and GameRecruiter, the East Coast Games Summit is an industry conference that supports a range of programming and networking opportunities. Summit tracks include: “Scrum Deconstructed,” a hands-on workshop for game industry management and technologists; ‘Breaking In’ a single-track mini-conference for students and others interested in making a career out of games; ‘Pitch You Game Idea’ , a session for would-be game entrepreneurs to present their game concepts to game industry leaders; and a number of additional keynotes and panel sessions on hot topics in the game industry.

“The East Coast Games Summit helps the videogame industry grow not only on a management-process level, but on an education-outreach level as well,” stated Fiona Cherbak, Vice President of Marketing at GameRecruiter. “For people not already in the games industry, there is an opportunity to gain a lot of knowledge about the the games making process and also get your foot in the door for a possible career in videogames.”

The East Coast Games Summit will include speakers representing a number of leading companies, organizations and educational institutions from within the game industry, including: Acclaim Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Bioware, Nexon, Red Storm Entertainment, Viximo, Zeitgeist Games, Obsidian Entertainment, International Game Developers Association (IGDA), Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Entertainment Consumer Association (ECA), Full Sail, ITT Tech, The Art Institutes, SMU Guild Hall, Devry University, Savannah College of Art and Design and the Vancouver Film School.

“The East Coast Games Summit provides hands-on experience on important topics in the games industry,” said David Perry, CCO of Acclaim Entertainment. “Whether you are managing developers, designing video games or looking for career opportunities, this summit provides something for everyone.”

To kick off the inaugural year of the East Coast Games Summit, all conference tracks are offered at no expense to registered VGXPO attendees. In addition, all game industry trade members whom wish to participate in VGXPO and the East Coast Games Summit are encouraged to submit their credentials prior to Oct .10 for a free Industry Insider pass to VGXPO.

“We are thrilled to host the East Coast Games Summit,” said Jennifer Johnson-Halpin, VGXPO Show Director. “The summit is going to be a great experience for VGXPO attendees and our colleagues in the industry. We look forward to providing east coast videogame insiders with a new venue to exchange ideas and network with peers.”

The organizers of the East Coast Games Summit are committed to building the summit into a premiere industry event for game developers, management and others involved in the games industry. For more information, or to participate as a presenter or sponsor at the event, please contact Jennifer Johnson-Halpin at jennifer.halpin@nbcuni.com or visit the VGXPO website at www.videogame.net.

ZeniMax Online Studios Recruiting at
Austin Game Developer Conference

September 11, 2008 (Hunt Valley, MD) – ZeniMax® Online Studios, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that it will be recruiting talented game professionals at the upcoming Austin Game Developer Conference. The show will run September 15-18 at the Austin, TX convention center.

“If you are an industry professional who wants to help create the quintessential MMOG, then we want to talk with you,” said ZeniMax Online president, Matt Firor. ZeniMax Online will be meeting with potential employees with experience in game development – Art, Programming, Design, Server Technology, Customer Support, QA and Marketing.

ZeniMax Online, located in beautiful Hunt Valley, Maryland, is the sister company of Bethesda Softworks® – the developer and publisher of megahits such as The Elder Scrolls® series and the highly anticipated Fallout® 3, which is launching worldwide this Fall.

The ZeniMax Online team will be in booth 100 on the conference show floor. People interested in joining this world class online game development studio are invited to stop by to discuss employment opportunities.

“We’re hard at work creating the next big MMOG – one that will challenge the current market leaders – and are looking for talented developers to add to the team,” added Firor. “Austin is known in the online gaming industry as a hub of talent – the perfect place for us to find experienced professionals.”

For those who can’t make it to Austin GDC, but are still interested in positions on the team, please go to www.zenimaxonline.com for a complete listing of employment opportunities.

ZeniMax Online is headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, a major east coast hub of game development just north of Baltimore that includes Firaxis, Big Huge Games, Breakaway, LTD, and Day 1 Studios. Also located in the Washington-Baltimore technology corridor are Bethesda Softworks and Mythic Entertainment.

For more information, visit www.zenimaxonline.com.

World’s top eSports teams in Counter-Strike and World of Warcraft will compete for prize money and spot at the Intel Extreme Masters Global Finals at CeBIT 2009

The Intel Extreme Masters, the global league of eSports champions, will be held at the E for All in Los Angeles October 3-5, 2008. The world’s top eSports teams in Counter-Strike 1.6 and World of Warcraft will compete for 80,000 USD prize money at the Global Challenge Los Angeles. The overall prize money of the Intel Extreme Masters season III is 750,000 USD, which is an all-time record for a global online league.

The Intel Extreme Masters, now in its third season, features nine live tournaments that are held at prominent technology and video game conventions throughout the globe, and are tied together by three continental eSports leagues. The leagues are held in Asia, Europe and the United States to find the best World of Warcraft and Counter-Strike teams on each continent. These teams will compete at the Continental Finals for their spot at the Intel Extreme Masters Global Finals at CeBIT 2009.

The games at the Intel Extreme Masters are played on Dell Alienware Area-51 systems based on Intel Core(tm)2 Extreme Processors. All events will feature free gaming areas where attendees can play gaming blockbusters on the latest Intel Processors: The Intel Core 2 Extreme in Notebooks or Desktops. Intel and Dell Alienware sponsor the global league of eSports champions. In addition to the title sponsorship of the Intel Extreme Masters, Intel supports the Intel Friday Night Games and the ESL European Nations Championship across Europe.

The IPTV station ESL TV and its global partners broadcast the matches of the Intel Extreme Masters III live. The IPTV Stream is available at: http://tv.esl.eu.

First Speakers For Digital Entertainment, Digital Effects, Animation and Games Conference Announced

LOS ANGELES, Calif. and WELLINGTON, New Zealand – August 11, 2008 – AnimfxNZ, the world’s leading conference for digital animation, effects, animation and games today announced the theme for this year’s conference. “Where Creative Convergence Begins,” represents the conference’s goal of bringing together leaders from the four major creative digital mediums to share ideas and further the creation of digital entertainment. AnimfxNZ will take place November 14-16th, in Wellington New Zealand and present a line-up of keynotes and panels that feature the brightest minds in digital media today.

“The goals of AnimfxNZ are to further the exchange of creative ideas and to provide a platform for digital entertainment‘s greatest minds to share their views on the state and future of the industry as well as the technologies influencing the craft,” said Jos Ruffell, Chairman of the New Zealand Games, Animation and Visual Effects Trust (NZGAV), the organizing body behind AnimfxNZ. “AnimfxNZ will present a program that is relevant and inspiring to digital content creators from each of the four major disciplines as they look for new ways to create digital content that pushes the boundaries of what is possible and immerse an ever demanding audience, worldwide.”

“We’re extraordinarily pleased to come back as one of the partners of AnimfxNZ,” said Eric Roth, Executive Director of the Visual Effects Society (VES). “With AnimfxNZ, New Zealand is once again showing how it’s leading the way in all things digital. Expanding beyond film and animation into the fields of games and all forms of digital entertainment means that all forward thinking companies will want to see and hear what AnimfxNZ has to offer.” Roth added.

The first announced speakers for AnimfxNZ 2008 include Barrie Osborne, Carolyn Soper, Howard Postley, Jeff Okun and Habib Zargarpour.

About The Speakers
Barrie M. Osborne is currently overseeing post production of The Laundry Warrior, and recently produced The Water Horse, and The Lord of the Rings: Return Of The King. He has won awards including the 2004 Academy Award and the British Academy of Film and Television Award for Best Picture. In addition to his work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mr. Osborne Executive Produced the worldwide box office blockbuster and groundbreaking special effects award winner The Matrix.

Carolyn Soper is vice president of production for Walt Disney Animation Studios, and is responsible for overseeing the production of Disney’s films, shorts and special projects. Her credits include Bolt, Meet the Robinsons, Chicken Little, Rapunzel, Glago’s Guest and Dinosaur.

Howard J. Postley, COO of 3ality Digital, is a serial entrepreneur and a member of the iMagic founding team. He is an experienced executive focused on building businesses who brings strong leadership and demonstrated skills in business management, technology management and product development with an emphasis on strategic business and technology planning. 3ality Digital, the only full service studio dedicated to high-quality live-action 3D production, has brought together top people in 3D and digital production to create a unique environment that is purpose built for uncompromising quality, from acquisition through exhibition. Postley has won many awards, and has an Emmy for technical excellence.

Jeff Okun is supervising the visual effects work on The Day The Earth Stood Still where he is creating invisible visual effects for the film. Okun is known for creating ‘organic’ and invisible effects, as well as spectacular ‘tent-pole’ visual effects that blend seamlessly into the storytelling aspect of the project. His credits include Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Stargate, Sphere, Red Planet, Deep Blue Sea, Die Hard 2: Die Harder and The Last Starfighter. Okin also serves as the Chair of the Visual Effects Society Awards Committee.

Habib Zargarpour currently serves as a visual effects supervisor and senior art director at EALA collaborating on a new next-gen game project with Doug Church and Steven Spielberg. Zargarpour is responsible for the visual aspects of the project including production design and the overall look. With over 12 years of experience in the visual effects industry working on both games and film, Zargarpour has been nominated for two Academy Awards in visual effects, for his work on Twister and The Perfect Storm while at ILM. His other projects include the pod race sequence in Star Wars Episode I, Star Trek First Contact, Spawn, and Signs.

About the VES
VES is a professional, honorary society, dedicated to advancing the arts, sciences, and applications of visual effects and to upholding the highest uniform standards and procedures for the visual effects profession.

VES is the entertainment industry’s only official organization representing the extended community of visual effects practitioners including supervisors, artists, producers, technology developers, educators and studio executives. Its 1,800 global members contribute to all areas of entertainment from film, television and commercials to music videos, games and new media. VES strives to enrich and educate its members and the entertainment community at large through many domestic and international events, screenings and programs. Visual effects professionals constitute a vital creative force in content creation and are literally shaping the future of entertainment

About AnimfxNZ
AnimfxNZ was founded in 2006, to provide a global platform for the creative content community to exchange ideas across the various disciplines of digital media. Since its inception, the conference has presented leading speakers on the topics of animation, digital entertainment, digital effects and games, and has served as the crossroads of collaboration for creative media convergence. The 2008 conference is organized under the theme, “Where Creative Convergence Begins,” and is focused on the current and future states of creative digital content creation, worldwide.

First Speakers For Digital Entertainment, Digital Effects, Animation and Games Conference Announced

LOS ANGELES, Calif. and WELLINGTON, New Zealand – August 11, 2008 – AnimfxNZ, the world’s leading conference for digital animation, effects, animation and games today announced the theme for this year’s conference. “Where Creative Convergence Begins,” represents the conference’s goal of bringing together leaders from the four major creative digital mediums to share ideas and further the creation of digital entertainment. AnimfxNZ will take place November 14-16th, in Wellington New Zealand and present a line-up of keynotes and panels that feature the brightest minds in digital media today.

“The goals of AnimfxNZ are to further the exchange of creative ideas and to provide a platform for digital entertainment‘s greatest minds to share their views on the state and future of the industry as well as the technologies influencing the craft,” said Jos Ruffell, Chairman of the New Zealand Games, Animation and Visual Effects Trust (NZGAV), the organizing body behind AnimfxNZ. “AnimfxNZ will present a program that is relevant and inspiring to digital content creators from each of the four major disciplines as they look for new ways to create digital content that pushes the boundaries of what is possible and immerse an ever demanding audience, worldwide.”

“We’re extraordinarily pleased to come back as one of the partners of AnimfxNZ,” said Eric Roth, Executive Director of the Visual Effects Society (VES). “With AnimfxNZ, New Zealand is once again showing how it’s leading the way in all things digital. Expanding beyond film and animation into the fields of games and all forms of digital entertainment means that all forward thinking companies will want to see and hear what AnimfxNZ has to offer.” Roth added.

The first announced speakers for AnimfxNZ 2008 include Barrie Osborne, Carolyn Soper, Howard Postley, Jeff Okun and Habib Zargarpour.

About The Speakers
Barrie M. Osborne is currently overseeing post production of The Laundry Warrior, and recently produced The Water Horse, and The Lord of the Rings: Return Of The King. He has won awards including the 2004 Academy Award and the British Academy of Film and Television Award for Best Picture. In addition to his work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mr. Osborne Executive Produced the worldwide box office blockbuster and groundbreaking special effects award winner The Matrix.

Carolyn Soper is vice president of production for Walt Disney Animation Studios, and is responsible for overseeing the production of Disney’s films, shorts and special projects. Her credits include Bolt, Meet the Robinsons, Chicken Little, Rapunzel, Glago’s Guest and Dinosaur.

Howard J. Postley, COO of 3ality Digital, is a serial entrepreneur and a member of the iMagic founding team. He is an experienced executive focused on building businesses who brings strong leadership and demonstrated skills in business management, technology management and product development with an emphasis on strategic business and technology planning. 3ality Digital, the only full service studio dedicated to high-quality live-action 3D production, has brought together top people in 3D and digital production to create a unique environment that is purpose built for uncompromising quality, from acquisition through exhibition. Postley has won many awards, and has an Emmy for technical excellence.

Jeff Okun is supervising the visual effects work on The Day The Earth Stood Still where he is creating invisible visual effects for the film. Okun is known for creating ‘organic’ and invisible effects, as well as spectacular ‘tent-pole’ visual effects that blend seamlessly into the storytelling aspect of the project. His credits include Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Stargate, Sphere, Red Planet, Deep Blue Sea, Die Hard 2: Die Harder and The Last Starfighter. Okin also serves as the Chair of the Visual Effects Society Awards Committee.

Habib Zargarpour currently serves as a visual effects supervisor and senior art director at EALA collaborating on a new next-gen game project with Doug Church and Steven Spielberg. Zargarpour is responsible for the visual aspects of the project including production design and the overall look. With over 12 years of experience in the visual effects industry working on both games and film, Zargarpour has been nominated for two Academy Awards in visual effects, for his work on Twister and The Perfect Storm while at ILM. His other projects include the pod race sequence in Star Wars Episode I, Star Trek First Contact, Spawn, and Signs.

About the VES
VES is a professional, honorary society, dedicated to advancing the arts, sciences, and applications of visual effects and to upholding the highest uniform standards and procedures for the visual effects profession.

VES is the entertainment industry’s only official organization representing the extended community of visual effects practitioners including supervisors, artists, producers, technology developers, educators and studio executives. Its 1,800 global members contribute to all areas of entertainment from film, television and commercials to music videos, games and new media. VES strives to enrich and educate its members and the entertainment community at large through many domestic and international events, screenings and programs. Visual effects professionals constitute a vital creative force in content creation and are literally shaping the future of entertainment

About AnimfxNZ
AnimfxNZ was founded in 2006, to provide a global platform for the creative content community to exchange ideas across the various disciplines of digital media. Since its inception, the conference has presented leading speakers on the topics of animation, digital entertainment, digital effects and games, and has served as the crossroads of collaboration for creative media convergence. The 2008 conference is organized under the theme, “Where Creative Convergence Begins,” and is focused on the current and future states of creative digital content creation, worldwide.

WHAT: Due to record breaking response, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has extended the online registration deadline to August for SOE Fan Faire 2008.

Additions to the 2008 Fan Faire Agenda Include:
• 2nd Annual Community Address by John Smedley
• Gamers In Real Life (G.I.R.L.) Breakfast
• Pre-Orders for the EVERQUEST®10TH Anniversary Commemorative Book

Check out the updated schedule of exciting events including several daytime and late-night* tournaments, a career fair, special game-themed live events, exclusive first looks at the upcoming EverQuest® and EverQuest® II expansions, and demos of Free Realms, The Agency™ and…something to do with capes?

So don’t delay! Get your All-Access pass for just $89 and experience an action-packed Fan Faire weekend that you won’t soon forget. Can’t join us for the whole weekend? Buy a day pass for only $39. You’ll still have the chance to participate in tournaments, forums and more.

WHEN: Fan Faire is quickly approaching and online registration closes on August 8th, but there’s still time to reserve your spot and get ready to celebrate with fellow gamers and the creators of your favorite SOE games at the Las Vegas Hilton, Aug. 14 -17. Limited registration will also be available onsite.

WHERE:
Register at www.soefanfaire.com