Drawing from an international audience with attendees from as far away as China, Korea, France, UK, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia, the Austin Game Conference has attracted a diverse mix of companies participating in the high growth game market. In addition to game developers and publishers, the conference drew from individuals from the recording industry, television, venture capital and other industries.
The Conference's LivePitch component attracted 10 top game publishers looking to view game demos from developers. LivePitch offers an extremely efficient way for developers to present their ideas. Over 50 developers applied to present to the high caliber publisher audience and over 20% were accepted for one-on-one meetings. "I look forward to the event and my LivePitch," said Eric Kinkead Owner/Studio Director, Game Titan, LLC. "It saves me a bundle as it reduces the number flights to meet publishers directly this year," he added.
"We are already planning the 2004 Austin Game Conference and expect to add to the Program and Technology Pavilion," said Conference Director Steve Farrer. "Our Advisory Board have been magnificent and we are looking forward to working with them to make the event even more attractive."
Conference attendees heard from industry veterans and luminaries in a program offering 77 speakers in 45 sessions and 6 tracks. The event also featured a Technology Pavilion showcasing the latest tools, technologies, products and services, plus LivePitch, an exclusive opportunity for independent developers to demo their games to leading publishers and a Machinima Theater showing examples of the convergence of filmmaking, animation and game development.
About the Austin Game Initiative
The Austin Game Conference is produced by the Austin Game Initiative (AGI). The AGI is chartered with the growth of the computer and video game industry in Austin, Texas, thereby increasing its overall contribution to the economic development of the region. Austin is the # 3 location in the U.S. for game development with more than 50 companies making major contributions to the game industry, including game development, publishing, tools and middleware and chips and hardware. Industry leaders in the area include more than 35 game studios producing both top hit franchises and original titles. Nintendo, Microsoft, Motorola, Dell, Electronic Arts, Criterion Software, Sony Online Entertainment and dozens of other companies maintain offices in the region. The AGI is dedicated to serving the needs of companies involved in producing interactive entertainment software and hardware for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers and the Internet. More information about the AGI and Austin's game industry can be found at http://www.AustinGame.com