The Sims 4 bosses talk about 'Playing with Life' at GamesBeat 2014

We’re pleased to announce today more must-see speakers for GamesBeat 2014, our game-industry conference that takes place Sept. 15 and Sept. 16 at the Parc 55 Wyndham Hotel in San Francisco.

Above: Lucy Bradshaw of Electronic Arts

Image Credit: EA

Our next speakers are a dynamic duo: Lucy Bradshaw, the senior vice president of the Maxis label at Electronic Arts; and Rachel Franklin, the general manager of The Sims Studio at EA. Their fireside chat is “Playing With Life: A Conversation With Lucy Bradshaw and Rachel Franklin.”

Join these creative leaders in a discussion about developing fun and habit-forming simulation games. You’ll hear about the creative process, launch, and engagement of The Sims 4 as well as their look into the future of life sims and what makes them so popular.

Bradshaw oversees the development of all games that Maxis makes, including The Sims and SimCity. She leads the charge to expand the reach of EA’s games by exploring new experiences for players around the world. She joined Maxis in 1997 and has managed the development of popular games including SimCity, Spore, The Sims 2, SimCity 4, SimCity 3000, and The Sims. She is overseeing the development of The Sims 4, which debuts in early September. Prior to joining EA, she worked on games such as Rebel Assault and The Dig at LucasArts.

Franklin is the executive producer on The Sims 4 at EA, and she has more than 20 years of experience in games. She started as an associate producer at Activision on the rerelease of Zork, and she was also worked on titles like Atari 2600: Action Pack and Muppet Treasure Island. She worked at startups doing work for Lego, Pioneer, Bayer, Mattel, and MSN. She also worked in senior product manager roles for OnLive and then joined EA, where she runs The Sims Studio.

We’ll cover the full spectrum of gaming at our sixth annual GamesBeat event. The conference gathers the top executives, investors, analysts, journalists, and entrepreneurs from the industry to explore the latest trends and monetization opportunities.

Above: Rachel Franklin of Electronic Arts. Executive producer of The Sims 4

Image Credit: EA

GamesBeat editor-in-chief Dan “Shoe” Hsu and I will once again serve as masters of ceremonies. Our theme for 2014 is “Total World Domination.” Gaming is competing on the world stage to become the dominant medium for entertainment. Will it succeed? And will blockbusters dominate the game business across all platforms — consoles, PCs, mobile, and online — or will diversity thrive as indies stay strong?

If you purchase one of the first 50 tickets, you can get up to $400 off the event.

Our previously announced speakers include Rick Thompson, the chairman of Signia Ventures; Chris DeWolfe, the chief executive of SGN; Phil Sanderson, a game-savvy partner at IDG Ventures; Peter Levin, the president of interactive ventures and games at Lionsgate, the film studio that made The Hunger Games and Divergent; Mike Gallagher, the president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association; Jens Begemann, the chief executive of German social mobile game publisher Wooga; Mitch Lasky, a general partner at Benchmark and an investor in Riot Games and Natural Motion; John Riccitiello, a gaming investor and the former CEO of Electronic Arts; Evan Hirsch, the founder of Engine Co. No. 4 (talking about seeing signs of trouble in game studios); Alisa Chumachenko, the CEO of Moscow-based mobile game maker Game Insight; and Tim Chang, the managing director at the Mayfield Fund.

Our advisers include Brock Pierce, the managing director of the Clearstone Global Fund; Eric Goldberg, the managing director of Crossover Technologies; Michael Chang, the managing director of Mavent Partners; and Chang. We’ll roll out a steady drumbeat of speakers as we get closer to the event. We expect to have about 100 speakers.

Each year, GamesBeat follows a big trend. In 2009, we focused on how “All The World’s a Game” with the explosion of games on the global stage. In 2010, GamesBeat@GDC focused on “Disruption 2.0.” In 2011, our theme was “Mobile Games Level Up,” focusing on the busy intersection of games and mobile technology. In 2012, we explored the Crossover Era, defined by the time when so many big game companies and startups were transforming themselves by expanding from one market to the next. Last year, we talked about the Battle Royale as barriers between the different industry segments came down. Now, in the bid for Total World Domination, the competition to become the biggest global gaming company is wide open.

As game companies adapt to change, we’re witnessing disruption, change, consolidation, innovation, and the arrival of big money. Billions of dollars that are at stake. Last year, more than 550 notables from throughout the game industry — social, mobile, online, PC, and console — attended the event. Please join us.

This year, we’ll see the return of our contest for the best gaming startup. The attention that these startups get for speaking onstage and winning the event is invaluable. An all-star panel of judges will pick the most promising game startup, based on freshness, innovation, and potential for business success. The top nominees will appear onstage, and the judges will pick the winner at the event.

We are still exploring our subthemes for the event and welcome your suggestions. If you’d like to sponsor, please send an email to sales@venturebeat.com.

Here’s what a couple of game-industry leaders said about last year’s event:

“Thanks for the contributions GamesBeat has made for this industry.”

–Bing Gordon, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

“It’s really refreshing listening to the cutting-edge innovation that is happening in the industry. I’m learning so much by being here.”

– Mike Gallagher, the president of the Entertainment Software Association

Purchase one of the first 50 tickets and save $400!

Thanks to the following industry leaders for supporting GamesBeat 2014: NativeX as Corporate Partner; Tapjoy as Gold Partner; and SponsorPay as Event Partner.