2011 Game Developers Conference Europe Adds Keynotes From the Creators of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and the Crysis Series

BERLIN, Aug. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Enric Alvarez, the founder and CEO of Spanish developer Mercury Steam and director and co-author of the studio's Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and Cevat Yerli, President and CEO of German developer Crytek, creator of the CryENGINE and the multi-award winning Crysis game franchise, will both be presenting keynote lectures at the 2011 Game Developers Conference™ Europe (GDC Europe) next week. GDC Europe 2011, presented by the UBM TechWeb Game Network, brings the pan-European game development community's premier forum for learning, networking and inspiration back to the Koelnmesse's Congress-Centrum Ost in Cologne, Germany on August 15-17, 2011.

In his keynote, Enric Alvarez will share surprising and inspiring insights into how Mercury Steam has tackled creating not just one, but several AAA videogame projects from a small studio in Spain. He will also address how the studio faced the challenge of updating one of the most beloved franchises by videogame fans worldwide, Castlevania. Additional points that Alvarez will cover include the dreaded relationships between publishers and developers and how they successfully addressed the management of a project like Castlevania from Europe with a Japanese publisher. Alvarez's keynote will reveal both the details of what worked and what didn't work as well in the development of the acclaimed update of the classic saga for consoles.

"Enric Alvarez is an example of improvement and consistency, an example that with talent and persistence you can reach the place formerly occupied by your idols in the videogame industry, and of course, that the creation of a AAA game has nothing to do with the location of the computer you are programming with," said Frank Sliwka, Vice President of European Business Development and Event Director GDC Europe. "Our keynote speakers are accomplished leaders that will no doubt offer GDC Europe attendees with profound insights, and our recent additions are no exception."

Cevat Yerli, President and CEO of Crytek, creator of the CryENGINE and the multi-award winning Crysis game franchise, was also recently revealed to be a keynote speaker at GDC Europe 2011. Yerli's keynote will identify the challenges that a classic AAA retail developer like Crytek faces when embarking on the development of a highly innovative AAA online FPS such as the recently announced title Warface. Yerli will outline how the two models, AAA retail and AAA online, can be mutually beneficial and how a developer can get the best out of both worlds.  In 1999 Yerli founded Crytek together with his two brothers, Avni and Faruk. Yerli gives creative direction for all Crytek products and focuses on expanding the company into new territories.

These keynotes join the previously-announced keynotes by Richard Garriott, legendary creator of the genre-defining Ultima series and founder of social media games developer and publisher Portalarium, wooga founder and CEO Jens Begemann, leader of Europe's leading social game development company, and Dr. Michael Capps, president of Epic Games, developers of the mega-hit Unreal and Gears of War game franchises.

GDC Europe takes place August 15-17, 2011; for more information on any of the GDC Europe keynotes or all other details about the conference, visit http://www.gdceurope.com.

About the UBM TechWeb Game Network

A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the UBM TechWeb Game Network – formerly known as the Think Services Game Group - offers market-defining content, and drives community through its award winning lineup of print, online, event and research products and services. These include the Game Developers Conference®, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com and network of sites, the Game Advertising Online ad network, the Game Developers Conference® Online, the Game Developers Conference™ Europe, the Game Developers Conference™ China, Game Developer Magazine, Game Developer Research, the Game Career Seminars and GameCareerGuide.com, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards. Visit www.jointhegamenetwork.com

About UBM TechWeb

UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its three core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and paid content – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands and media applications in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs and IT managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software Developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively engage in UBM TechWeb's communities and information resources monthly. UBM TechWeb brands includes: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and Enterprise Connect; award-winning online resources such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Network Computing; and market-leading magazines InformationWeek, Wall Street & Technology, and Advanced Trading. UBM TechWeb is a UBM plc company, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion. Visit: www.ubmtechweb.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

Brian Rubin
fortyseven communications
(212) 391-4707
brian@fortyseven.com

Dieter Marchsreiter
+49 89 519 199 42
gdc@marchsreiter.com

GDC EUROPE CONTACT:

Frank Sliwka, VP European Business Development
+49 (0)171 1288898
frank.sliwka@ubm.com

Ben Veechai, Sandra Lew, North America
+1-415-947-6280, +1-415-947-6232
ben.veechai@ubm.com
sandra.lew@ubm.com

SOURCE UBM TechWeb Game Network