In addition to producing James Cameron's "Titanic," Landau, former Executive Vice President of Feature Film Production at Twentieth Century Fox, co-produced Warren Beatty's "Dick Tracy," the family comedy hit "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," and a number of other major feature films.
Landau joins previously announced headline speakers Rob Pardo, VP of Game Design at Blizzard Entertainment, Vernor Vinge, Hugo Award Winning, Science-Fiction Author, and Michael Dell, Chairman of the Board of Dell Inc. On September 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2,400 attendees from 20 countries will participate in the Austin Game Conference, a concentrated discourse on the worldwide online game market. That market is forecasted to grow from $3.4 billion in 2005 to more than $13 billion in 2011, according to industry researcher DFC Intelligence.
"Jon is a forward thinker in the entertainment industry and we are extremely pleased to have him join us in Austin," said Christopher Sherman, Austin Game Conference Executive Director. "In addition to his thorough understanding of the most complex state-of-the-art visual effects, Jon Landau and James Cameron are developing digital production tools that will enable filming and mass digital distribution of 3D movies. Their involvement in the game industry is an exciting extension of the creative process."
Jon is on the board of advisors for The Multiverse Network Inc., which is building the world's leading network of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) and 3D virtual worlds. Multiverse's unique technology platform changes the economics of virtual world development by empowering game developers to create high-quality MMOGs and non-game virtual worlds for less money and in less time than ever before.
Austin Game Conference attendees will network with colleagues, learn from industry leaders, stay informed about the latest tools, technologies and techniques and get business done in a relaxed atmosphere. The speaker roster and conference agenda is available at http://www.GameConference.com. The conference takes place at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.
Conference Highlights include:
- Conference tracks include: Games in Asia; Multiplayer Business/Production; Multiplayer Design; Multiplayer Tech/Art; Multiplayer Service and Support; Future of the Development Pipeline and Next Generation Game Development.
- Technology Pavilion: See the latest tools, technologies, products and services. Free beer from 2-5:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Attendee Lounge in the Tech Pav.
- Recruiting Pavilion: Converse with companies including Activision, BioWare, Midway, THQ, Microsoft/Xbox, Vivendi, and more.
- Casual Games Conference: Learn more about the design considerations and business principles required for developers to succeed in this rapidly expanding game industry segment. Sponsored by Microsoft Casual Games.
- Game Audio Conference (new this year): Gain insight from advanced game audio sessions designed to educate industry professionals, spark discussion, and propose solutions to some of game audio's most daunting challenges.
- Game Writers Conference: Delve into the art and craft of game writing with fellow writers, developers and publishers.
- Dell ArtZONE (new this year): Top training representatives from Autodesk and Softimage will be on site at the Tech Pavilion to provide intermediate and advanced instruction on their exciting new product lines.
- Game Developer LivePitch 1-on-1: Watch as LivePitch puts indie game developers and their unsigned projects in front of the world's leading game publishers. The application process is now open. Go to http://www.LivePitch.com for details.
- Machinima Theater: Explore the convergence of filmmaking, animation and game development. In partnership with the Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences and sponsored by BioWare.