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Southwest Video Game Expo tells all!

The Southwest’s largest video game expo, the Southwest Video Game Expo (SWGE), today announced several new additions to the show including the Goddesses of Gaming, the SWGE prize packages, a retro-arcade area and a trailer full of gaming. This premier expo will be held at the Dallas Convention Center from November 20-22, 2009. Consumers and industry professionals are invited to experience over 200,000 square feet of the latest trends in gaming and explore the culture that revolves around interactive entertainment.

The Expo’s own Goddesses of Gaming have been chosen and four are being announced today along with the Official Southwest Gaming Expo ambassador, Miss Erika Hollings. Erika is a hardcore gamer and is very proud of her level 78 Paladin in WOW. She also says she will take anyone down in Tekken. Erika will be joined at the show by Alli Marie from Dallas, Texas, Candace Marie (no relation) from Orlando, Florida and Sara Speers from Irving, Texas. These Goddesses are already on the SWGE website (www.swge.com) and more pictures and videos will be coming soon, along with the rest of their team. The official Goddesses of Gaming will be at the show hosting contests, playing games with the expo attendees, giving away prizes and available for photos.

Two phenomenal prize packages are being given away to those with the gaming skills to win them. The Ultimate Gaming Den and The Ultimate Mobile Gamer packages will allow every attendee to take part and show off their best moves. For the Ultimate Gaming Den giveaway, participants will get behind the wheel in a racing simulation and compete for the fastest lap time. A leader board will be kept up so players can see how close they are to walking away with over $10K in gaming technology. To win the Ultimate Mobile Gamer package, players will show off their best console FPS tactics as they compete to get the most kills in a timed run. The prize packages will consist of:

Ultimate Gaming Den
Microsoft Xbox 360
Alienware Area 51 Desktop
24″ Widescreen Samsung Monitor
D-Box Simulation System
Ambx System
NVidia 3d glasses
Turtle Beach 5.1 Headset
Gift Certificates

Ultimate Mobile Gamer
Honda Ruckus Scooter
Alienware Area 51 Laptop
Year supply of energy drink
Razer peripherals (keyboard, mouse, accessories)
T-Shirts from Jinx.com
Turtle Beach 5.1 Headset
Gift Certificates

To keep gamers doing what they love to do, SGWE will also feature a play for free area which will have a 40 machine retro-arcade area, where over 40 machines will be set up to play for free. Favorite classics will include Tron, Zaxxon, Centipede and Space Invaders among others. Other machines on the show floor will have the latest titles available for attendees to play, including consoles playable for free in a 32 foot mobile video game lounge thanks to Gamin’ Ride.

SWGE is the first event to take place in the Southwest of this size and magnitude. In addition to everything that has been listed above there will be exhibitors and displays open to all attendees. SWGE has something for every gamer to see, and will be the event of the year for both the casual and hardcore gamers. For more information please see www.swge.com.

The great WAAAGH! rolls on in 2009! Mythic Entertainment will be invading NY Comic Con, February 6-8, with the latest for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Executive Producer, Jeff Hickman, and Creative Director, Paul Barnett, will be on hand with a special presentation to share exclusive details about the upcoming Night of Murder live event, Call to Arms live expansion, Land of the Dead dungeon, and new Orc Choppa and Dwarf Slayer careers.

Stop by booth #1449 for the chance to chat with the WAR team, play the game, score exclusive in-game items and get your hands on new WAR gear. The WAR team will also be hosting its first Developer Meet and Greet Saturday night at Dave & Buster’s in Times Square.

New York Comic Con Schedule of Events

Saturday, February 7th
11:15AM – 12:15PM: WAR Presentation by Jeff Hickman and Paul Barnett (Room #1A24)
2:30PM – 3:30PM: Poster Signing (WAR booth: #1449)
5:30PM – 6:30PM: MMORPG Panel; Jeff Hickman to participate (Room #1A24)
9:00PM – 12:00AM: Developer Meet and Greet (Dave & Buster’s, Times Square)

Sunday, February 8th
12:00PM: Realm vs. Realm Competition (WAR booth: #1449)

If you can’t make it to NY Comic Con, don’t worry! WAR is once again hitting the road with a great lineup of events for 2009. Stop by the WAR booth for a chance to play the game and speak to the development team, as well as meet other players in the area. You’ll have a chance to play new content and score exclusive in-game items and great WAR gear. There will be presentations to attend, contests to win, and Developer Meet & Greets at many of the events. Mythic’s 2009 show schedule includes:

New York Comic Con: Feb 6-8, New York, NY
Games Day Baltimore: May 9, Baltimore, MD
Games Day Toronto: June 20, Ontario, CA
San Diego Comic-Con: July 22-26, San Diego, CA
Games Day Chicago: July 25, Chicago, IL
GenCon: August 13-16, Indianapolis, IN
Penny Arcade Expo: September 4-6, Seattle, WA

For more information about these events, check out the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning monthly newsletter or WAR Herald at http://herald.warhammeronline.com/eventcalendar/index.php.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning has been recognized by numerous critics’ in 2008 as one of the year’s best MMOs, receiving end-of-year awards from IGN, GameSpy, G4 TV, and more.

Based on the popular tabletop war game from Games Workshop, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning features revolutionary Realm vs. Realm conflict that will provide players with an engaging battleground for years to come. Available now for PC, WAR is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.

Officials Note 50 Percent Increase in Gaming Presence Since ’08

New York Comic Con (NYCC) has today revealed details of its videogame industry attendance for the upcoming 2009 NYCC, which will take place February 6 – 8 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. NYCC officials note that videogames have become a huge part of show planning and that the videogame section has become the single largest growth area for NYCC since 2008. Major exhibitors from the videogame industry will be displaying their products and introducing their latest games to thousands of eager fans in booths that will occupy over 11,000 square feet of exhibit space. This represents a 50 percent increase in exhibit space for videogames as compared to 2008.

Tickets and programming information for New York Comic Con are accessible at www.nycomiccon.com and more personal insights and anecdotes about the show are available via Show Manager Lance Fensterman’s blog, www.MediumAtLarge.net.

“I am enormously pleased and gratified to see how much and how fast our videogame component has grown since last year,” notes Fensterman. “From the get go, one of our principal goals at New York Comic Con has been to build on our core interest, which is comics, by expanding outwards to include other interests. This is what defines us as a true pop culture event. We provide a wide range of stimulating activity which commands the attention of our many fans. I couldn’t be happier that videogaming is now taking a leading role in all of this.”

Some of the prominent companies and the games they will be featuring at NYCC include:

Activision: Leading worldwide videogame publisher Activision will have a robust presence at New York Comic-Con, showcasing some of this year’s most anticipated videogames including their 2009 Marvel video game lineup with X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 as well as PROTOTYPE™.

Atari: Champions Online, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, Ready 2 Rumble Revolution. 

Codemasters: Fuel on Xbox 360, Damnation on Xbox 360, Overlord 2 on Xbox 360, Overlord Dark Legend on Nintendo Wii, and Jumpgate Evolution on PC.

Electronic Arts: Spore Galactic Adventures, Godfather 2, Dragon Age, Burnout Paradise, Battle Forge and Battlefield Heroes.

Konami Digital Entertainment: Yu-Gi-Oh!, TRADING CARD GAME and Blue Dragon Role Playing Card Game.

Namco Bandai Games America: Afro Samurai®, Dynasty Warriors®: GUNDAM® 2, Naruto™: Ultimate Ninja® 4 (tournaments will be going on for this game!), Splatterhouse, We Ski™, Snowboard and much more.

SouthPeak Games: Velvet Assassin on X-Box 360, X-Blades on X-Box 360 and PS3, Roogoo: Attack on Nintendo DS and Roogoo: Twisted Towers on Wii.

TC Digital: TC Digital’s flagship game, the Chaotic TCG, will be featured throughout their booth. Fans and players will be able to take demos, hone their skills, and compete in tournaments for various Chaotic product prizes.

In addition, other well known companies in the videogame industry who will have a prominent role at NYCC include Cryptic Studios, Mythic Entertainment, Rockstar Games, Sega, THQ and Ubisoft.

“All in all, everyone who is anyone in videogames will be at New York Comic Con,” concludes Fensterman. “We are very pleased and honored to be getting such a vote of confidence from this important segment of the pop culture world.”

Strong Participation from Nokia

Nokia, the world’s leading mobile phone supplier and a leading supplier of mobile and fixed telecom networks will have a strong presence at the Dubai World Game Expo. Nokia the Platinum Sponsor of the Dubai World Game Summit will showcase its latest innovation in mobile gaming and will present a keynote speech by Kay Gruenwoldt, North American Marketing Manager, Nokia Games Publishing “The Future is Mobile”. On this occasion, Kay Gruenwoldt commented, “We are excited to be providing the keynote at this year’s Dubai World Games Expo, where we will be discussing the rich games experiences developers can create on mobile devices. We will also be providing insights into the types of game innovations we expect to see in the future with the technology that the latest mobile devices can deliver.”

Jay Wilbur, Vice President of Epic Games for the First Time in the Middle East

The Dubai World Game Summit will also host Jay Wilbur. Vice President of Epic Games who will deliver a special presentation on “Mitigating Risks in Game Development Using Middleware,” in tandem with Digital Investments Chief Creative Officer Cyrus Lum.
“Epic will share with Dubai Game World Expo attendees which critical elements must be considered in order to minimize risk and maximize development resources when licensing middleware,” said Jay Wilbur, Vice President of Epic Games. “By collaborating with Cyrus Lum, Chief Creative Officer of Digital Investments, on his personal experiences as an Unreal Engine licensee, we will pull back the curtain on a unique case study that has benefited from streamlining technologies and optimizing specific systems for a range of game genres. This talk will be of value to shops of all sizes.”

Jay Wilbur is the Vice President of Business Development for Epic Games, where he works as part of the Epic Management Team. Previously, Wilbur was the co-owner and business manager of id Software, a highly successful computer game development company. At id, Wilbur managed all of the company’s business activities including developing, implementing and maintaining id’s highly successful direct and retail distribution strategies for such blockbuster titles as Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny, DOOM, DOOM II, Final DOOM, Quake and all related ancillary software/non-software products.

Cyrus Lum serves as Chief Creative Officer for Digital Investments, a multi-national organization focused on accelerating the growth of developers, publishers, educational institutions and governments in their pursuit of achieving a strong game industry. Cyrus has over 20 years of experience in game production, development and management roles with both publishing and independent development companies, and was most recently Studio Art Director of Midway Studios-Austin, where he helped to grow the company from 50 to over 150 employees.

Top-Class Speakers from the Middle East at Dubai World Game Summit

Middle East’s leading game summit will also host key speakers such as Said Fadi Mujahid, General Manager of Game Power 7, Ahmed Nassef, Group Vice President and General Manager of Maktoob.com, and Nick Bryant, Managing Director of Txt TV FZ LLC – MBC Group.
Game Power 7 announced its active participation in both Dubai World Game Expo and Dubai World Game Summit. Game Power 7 will deliver a special presentation in the Online Game Session (October 28) about its findings and experience in online game publishing, “Challenges of Online Game Publishing in the Middle East”

“Throughout the past year, Game Power 7 has been conducting market research and studies related to online gaming and related publishing business. Game Power 7 will share the knowledge and experience it acquired with the game industry and community”. said Said Fadi Mujahid, General Manager. “The Middle East & North Africa Region is considered an untouched market for online games, and this is due to the absence of local game publishers. Game publishers play two major roles for online gaming: (1) Game localization and culturalization, and (2) online gaming concept promotion and marketing,“ according to Mujahid. The presentation highlights some of the major challenges that the company is dealing with in their new venture.

“Maktoob.com is excited to be participating in the Dubai World Game Summit. Online gaming is poised for huge growth in the Arab world in the coming years, and we’re proud to be leading the way in presenting our audience of over 12 million Arabs from throughout the region with the best in cutting edge world-class gaming.” said Ahmed Nassef, Group VP and GM, Maktoob.com. His unprecedented presentation “Online gaming in the MENA Region” will be in the Media & Game Session on October 29.

“I am delighted to be able to participate in the Media & Game Session during Dubai World Game Summit. As the regions largest media group we have an interest in all media, irrespective of how it is delivered or where it is consumed. We expect to see significant growth in the games market over the coming years as PC and broadband penetration grows and ‘smart phones’ become increasingly popular in our region. The MBC Group will be in the vanguard of this growth.” said Nick Bryant, Managing Director of Txt TV FZ LLC – MBC Group.

Weyak Powered by Etisalat Announced as Platinum Sponsor of Dubai World Game Expo 2008

Weyak powered by Etisalat will showcase its latest online games for Weyak making online game a big part of the Dubai World Game Expo.

“Digital Gaming has become one of the leading sports of the world today, providing a perfect combination of learning and entertainment to the young generation. Etisalat recognizes the significance of this emerging sport and is increasingly looking forward to be associated with gaming and entertainment through innovative Weyak services. The vibrancy and youthfulness of Weyak brand can be well associated with Dubai World Game Expo.” said Mr. Khalifa Al Shamsi, Vice President Marketing, Consumer and SMB, Etisalat.

“We very much regard Dubai World Game Expo as a key event in the industry calendar and we look forward to showcasing our latest innovations at the show.” added Mr. Shamsi.

In addition to being a Platinum Sponsor of the DWGE, Etisalat will be giving presentations by Mario J. Pino – Senior Manager, Platform Strategy and Management, and Maha Muraish – Manager / Content and Services at Online Game Session and Mobile Game Session during the Dubai World Game Summit alongside multiple panels.

More than 20 countries Participating at the Expo.

The Dubai World Game Expo has attracted companies and game developers from more than 20 countries including the Unites States, Japan, Korea, Canada, China, Jordan and Iran which is unveiling its biggest overseas participation ever at the Dubai World Game Expo. Variety of Iranian game companies will be at DWGE and at least 8 companies already confirmed to be at Iranian Game Pavilion. In addition, Behrouz Minaei-Bidgoli, Managing Director of Computer Game National Institute of Tehran, Iran will deliver a speech “Iranian Game Market” at Game Development Session during the Dubai World Game Summit 2008.

On this Occasion, Anas Almadani, Vice President of INDEX Holding commented, “On behalf of the Organizing Committee we would like to convey our greatest appreciation to H.H. Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority for his patronage and continuous support.”

“The Organizing Committee completed all preparations to host this major international event. The significance of the Dubai World Game Expo is realized through the participation of major international players in the industry such as Nokia, the Platinum Sponsor of the Dubai World Game Summit. We are also very grateful for the participation of Weyak at the Dubai World Game Expo. Etisalat Continues to lead the way as a UAE National company in sponsoring new initiatives and emerging industries.” Said Al Madani

“We are confident that the Dubai World Game Expo will play a major role in shaping the gaming industry in the Middle East. This year’s expo will witness a very high level conference with experts from different parts of the world sharing their experience and know-how in the gaming industry. Key speakers will address important topics about the industry such as Development of new games, and the latest innovations in mobile and internet gaming.” Added Al Madani.

This years event will also witness the first Dubai World Game Championship which has already attracted thousands of gamers from across the region, where competition will take place over four games; Counter Strike, Pro Evolution Soccer, Top Spin Tennis, and Need for Speed. “We will also be witnessing the first UAE National Team to participate at the World Cyber Games in Cologne.” said Anas Al Madani, Vice President of INDEX Holding. The exhibition halls will be open for trade visitors from 10:00 to 4:00pm on 28th and 29th October. For public the exhibition halls are open from 29th and 30th October, 2008.

For More information please visit www.gameexpo.ae/

58,500

SEATTLE – September 2, 2008 - “Yeah.”

About Penny Arcade Expo: The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) gaming festival is a three-day celebration of games and gamer culture. The annual convention includes an exhibition floor filled with playable builds of upcoming tabletop, console, and computer games; a conference program of game industry speakers; music concerts; freeplay areas; industry parties; an independent games showcase; game tournaments and more. Since its inception in 2004 the show has nearly doubled in size year-over-year, growing from 4,500 attendees to 58,500 in 2008, making it the largest gaming festival in North America. For more information visit www.pennyarcadeexpo.com.

About Penny Arcade: Equal parts online comic and commentary, Penny Arcade (www.penny-arcade.com) keeps its finger on the pulse of the gaming industry, prompting conversation and controversy alike from community members and industry experts. What started as a hobby in 1998 for Jerry “Tycho” Holkins and Mike “Gabe” Krahulik has grown into an online phenomenon serving 70 million page views a month to millions of readers worldwide. In addition to the comic strip and PAX gaming festival (www.pennyarcadeexpo.com), Penny Arcade has expanded its reach to include a growing line of merchandise, a video game and management of Child’s Play (www.childsplaycharity.org), a gamer-driven charity for children that spans the globe.

holy….

If you don’t know what 58,500 is and dont’ want to read the “about” section, that’s the attendance figure for this year’s PAX 2008. This little expo has grown from 4000 attendees in 2004 to 58,500 this year, and has become big enough that the gaming companies have now followed the comic geeks to this “alternative” to expos. I would like to attend next year, and if the stars align right, I just may be there.

DOORS OPEN FOR PAX 2008 TOMORROW

On-site Registration Still Available!

SEATTLE – August 28, 2008 – The organizers of the fifth annual Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) today sent a reminder that this year’s gaming festival will begin later this week. PAX 2008, to be held Aug. 29-31, is expected to draw over 45,000 gamers, industry professionals and media to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle for the 3-day gaming festival. Attendee badges may be purchased at the door at $30 for a one-day badge or $60 for all three days of the show.

Highlights of the show include:

FRIDAY
-   PAX 2008 Keynote from Ken Levine                                 4:30-5:30pm
-   Penny Arcade Q&A Panel #1                                          5:30-6:30pm
-   “Video Games and Piracy” Panel                                     7:30-8:30pm
-   Music Concert with The OneUps,
    Freezepop and Jonathan Coulton                                     9:00pm-1:00am

SATURDAY
-   “Game Criticism and Old Game Journalism” Panel            1:30-2:30pm
-   Pitch Your Game Idea                                                     5:30-6:30pm
-   Music Concert with Anamanaguchi,
    The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets,
    MC Frontalot and the Minibosses                                     9:30pm-1:30am

SUNDAY
-   Family Feud: PAX Edition!                                              11:00am-12:30pm
-   The Wil Wheaton Panel                                                  11:30am-12:30pm
-   Penny Arcade Q&A Panel #2                                          12:30-1:30pm
-   Omegathon Final Round                                                  5:00-6:00pm

The complete PAX 2008 schedule can be found at http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/PAX_2008_Schedule.pdf.