Penn Jillette and Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford to Open the 2016 D.I.C.E. Summit
11 Additional Speakers Cover Topics in VR, Automotive, Film and
Storytelling
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences confirms 11 additional
speakers for its 2016 D.I.C.E. Summit (#DICE2016) conference, taking
place Feb. 16-18, 2016, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Invited
speakers will explore the magical and sometimes elusive Art of
Engagement – the varying ways we enlist and enrapture others as we
build the entertainment medium of the future.
The prestigious group of speakers represents industry leaders from every
region and across all areas of game development. Summit sessions and the
19th D.I.C.E. Awards will be live streamed through a variety
of partners who will be announced shortly.
“Engagement is central to both business and art,” said Martin Rae,
president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “This year a variety
of talented people will explore engagement and how it deeply affects
what they do – whether it is advancing automobile technology, building
boundless entertainment franchises, or creating open worlds based on
experience. As always, our audience will be treated to big ideas that
will help drive their own creative pursuits forward.”
Assumptions and Expectations with Interactivity
and Magic:
Setting the stage as the Wednesday Opening Conference Keynote will be a
special presentation by two friends: Penn Jillette, author, actor
and half of legendary magic team Penn & Teller, and Randy
Pitchford, magician, co-founder and president of Gearbox Software.
Discussing “Assumptions and Expectations with Interactivity and Magic,”
this session will incorporate some lessons in misdirection of attention,
expectation disruption and just plain old-fashioned lying. Jillette and
Pitchford will then lead members of the audience through a magic trick
that will move from the live theater to virtual reality.
Automobiles, the Next Mobile Platform:
Looking towards the future of interactive entertainment technology and
new platform development, the Summit stage welcomes a group of
individuals who are looking to the automotive industry for the next
great leap forward in innovation. Moderator Rich Hilleman, chief
creative director at Electronic Arts, will lead the panel “Automobiles,
the Next Mobile Platform,” discussing innovations in open computing
systems, new transportation service models, self-driving technology and
social interactive real-time robot racing, and how can gaming become a
part of this evolving platform. Panel participants include:
-
Dr. Frankie James, managing director, General Motors Advanced
Technology Silicon Valley Office, where her team is focused on
identifying new technologies and trends within the Silicon Valley
business ecosystem. Her particular focus is on human-machine
interactions (HMI) and driver experience. -
Sahin Kirtavit, Senior Director of Automotive Solutions,
NVIDIA. Kirtavit is responsible for the company’s DRIVE PX car
computing platform, and leads the ADAS and Autonomous Driving
ecosystem. -
Oriol Servia, partner and managing director of Formula E team,
Dragon Racing. A native of Barcelona, Servia has been a professional
racing driver in the IndyCar Series for over 15 years in the United
States. Career highlights include a Runner-up finish in the Champcar
World Series, 4th-place finishes in the Indycar Series and
Indianapolis 500, and an Indylights Championship.
Franchise Fever: Pursuing Big Ideas and Big
Audience
Film and television producers Roy Lee and Adrian Askarieh will be joined
by Steven Weintraub, from entertainment website Collider,
to discuss the entertainment industry’s relentless pursuit of
franchise material and evergreen properties. For their talk “Franchise
Fever: Pursuing Big Ideas and Big Audience,” they will explore the
challenges and rewards of pursuing high concept, big idea properties
with avid fan bases. How do you engage content creators, filmmakers and
fans in a way that builds on a properties existing momentum? What are
the potential pitfalls? And how do you stay ahead of the competition?
This conversation includes:
-
Roy Lee, president, Vertigo Entertainment. Lee has seen
enormous success adapting international horror and crime films like The
Ring, The Grudge and The Departed for
American audiences. Most recently, he has produced How To
Train Your Dragon, The Lego Movie and is
currently working on upcoming Minecraft movie and The
Lego Movie sequel. -
Adrian Askarieh, CEO and president, Prime Universe Films, Inc.
Askarieh produced video game films Hitman, 2015’s Hitman:
Agent 47. Currently, he is in development for the upcoming Deus
Ex (which he will be producing with Lee), Just Cause, and Jonny
Quest, all based on preexisting IP brands. -
Steven “Frosty” Weintraub, editor-in-chief, Collider.com.
Where cinephiles and fandoms converge, the entertainment website
Collider was started by Weintraub in the summer of 2005, and the brand
was recently acquired by Complex. With content that speaks directly to
the key demographics targeted by most major studios, the site is an
influencer in the industry, counting many studio heads and filmmakers
as daily readers.
Additional new speakers to take the 2016 D.I.C.E. Summit stage:
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Tommy Francois, new IP editorial director, Ubisoft – As the
“Best of D.I.C.E. 2015,” Francois will provide an updated take on an
audience favorite from D.I.C.E. Europe, “Creative Maturity Through
Life Experiences – How to Build Engaging Open Worlds.” Francois
will talk about the work done by his team to source, create and share
access to the best resources in order to inspire the development teams
at Ubisoft, and thereby foster mature creativity. -
Rhianna Pratchett, writer, narrative designer and lead writer
for the Tomb Raider reboot, will be presenting “From Overlords to
Tomb Raiders – A career in the narrative trenches” where she looks
back over her industry career and reflects on the ways in which
narrative has evolved, and how improving the way we work with writers
can improve how we engage with players.
These industry experts will join previously announced speakers: Niccolo
de Masi, Chairman and CEO, Glu Mobile Inc.; Mike Gallagher,
CEO, Entertainment Software Association (ESA); Todd Howard, game
director and executive producer, Bethesda Game Studios; Soren Johnson,
CEO and design director, Mohawk Games; Sid Meier, co-founder and
director of creative development, Firaxis Games; Brian Reynolds,
chief creative officer, Big Huge Games; Bruce Shelley, who helped
develop the Age of Empires series.
The 19th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards and 2016 D.I.C.E. Summit
registration is open! Register now at www.dicesummit.org.
Contacts
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
Debby Chen,
310-484-2556
