EA's ex-CEO John Riccitiello to speak at GamesBeat 2013

John Riccitiello, an active investor in game companies and the former chief executive at Electronic Arts, is a speaker at our  GamesBeat 2013 conference, which takes place Oct. 29-Oct. 30 at the Sofitel Hotel in Redwood City, Calif. This year, the GamesBeat conference will be a standalone event all about the full spectrum of gaming.

I plan to interview him in a chat, “Is ‘Mobile vs. Console’ the Right Question?”

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Is our thinking about the rising mobile industry versus the established console sector right? Is it inevitable that mobile wins? Will the free-to-play business model swallow all of gaming? Riccitiello, who has worked in gaming and entertainment investing since 1997, will help us parse the modern game business. He served as CEO of EA from 2007 to 2013. Before that, he was the founding partner and managing director at Elevation Partners, a private equity partnership focused on the media and entertainment sector (which acquired the BioWare and Pandemic studios, only to sell them to EA a few years later. BioWare is now a cornerstone of the publisher). At EA, he helped transform the company from a retail goods game company to a leader in digital games.

Here’s our the rest of our announced speakers for our event:

• Frank Gibeau, the president of EA Labels at Electronic Arts
• Tim Chang, a partner at Mayfield Fund
• Robin Hunicke, the cofounder of Funomena
• Wim Stocks, the executive vice president at Virgin Gaming
• Mark Donovan, the president of Xfire
• Gabriel Leydon, the CEO of Machine Zone
• Geoff Keighley, the host of Spike TV’s GTTV
• Adam Sessler, the executive producer of Revision3 Games
• Martin Rae, the president of Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
• Bing Gordon, a partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
• Clive Downie, the CEO of DeNA West
• Tony Bartel, the president of GameStop
• Tim Merel, the managing director at Digi-Capital
• Kevin Chou, the cofounder and CEO at Kabam
• Rick Thompson, the founding partner at Signia Venture Partners
• Brock Pierce, the managing director of Clearstone Global Fund

I am the master of ceremonies once again. Our theme for the conference is the “Battle Royal,” where all game companies compete across platforms, territories, digital and physical markets, and categories of games.

We’ve entered an era where many and varied companies are competing for gamers’ time in the same space. Apple and Google want to get in the living room and are waging war against Nintendo and Sony. Microsoft already has an edge in living room entertainment with its Xbox Live service, but it wants a piece of mobile as well. It’s a confusing time for game makers. Where should they take their games? What platforms will provide the best gaming experiences? Who will make them the most money?

Register here to save $100.

We’ll roll out a steady drumbeat of speakers as we get closer to GamesBeat 2013′s October date. We expect to have more than 80 of the gaming industry’s best lined up from our fifth annual event.

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 focused on “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.

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As companies adapt to change, we’re witnessing disruption, adaptation, consolidation, innovation, and the arrival of big money. We’re talking billions of dollars that are at stake. We’re expecting 400 notables from throughout the game industry — social, mobile, online, and console. Please join us.

Early Bird tickets are still available. Register by Aug. 31 to save $100. Sign up today!

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