GamesBeat 2014's latest speakers include a free-to-play pioneer, an ad man, and a gambler

We are excited to announce three more new speakers at GamesBeat 2014, our game industry conference that takes place Sept. 15 and Sept. 16 at the Parc 55 Wyndham Hotel in San Francisco.

Our newest speakers include Will Harbin, the chairman and chief executive of Kixeye. Harbin is a serial entrepreneur who runs the developer and publisher of online strategy and combat games such as Backyard Monsters, Battle Pirates, and War Commander. More recently, Kixeye has been creating new mobile games for hardcore gamers, including a mobile version of Backyard Monsters.

Harbin seems to enjoy controversy. He has talked about why developers don’t need publishers, why it was right to fire trash-talking employees, and why it’s OK to lob F bombs at rivals in recruiting videos.

Before Kixeye, Harbin co-founded Affinity Labs, which was acquired by Monster Worldwide. He also held positions at Netscape, MD Drinks, and Media1st.

Above: Rob Weber of NativeX

Image Credit: NativeX

Also joining us is Rob Weber, the co-founder and senior vice president of NativeX, a mobile-advertising platform company based in Minneapolis, Minn. Weber leads business development at NativeX, which promotes “native ads,” or those that monetize better because they are based on content that is native to a game. He is also a private angel investor in a number of music, game, and mobile-app startups.

Both Weber and Harbin will talk in a fireside chat entitled, “Data Science: The Newest Weapon in the Arsenal of Mobile Monetization.”

As the mobile market continues to grow and mature, the conversation around making money has become something fans hate to hear and developers despise discussing. The industry has changed to the point where the phrase “casual gamer” is being redefined and companies are learning how to cater to consumers accustomed to receiving content for free. Weber and Harbin will discuss how data science is helping companies maximize revenue and where the future of mobile monetization is heading.

Above: Monty Kerr, co-founder of Playstudios

Image Credit: Playstudios

In a separate breakout session on social-casino games, Monty Kerr, the co-founder and chief product officer of Playstudios, will also join us at GamesBeat 2014.

Kerr is responsible for product development at Playstudios, which has partnered with MGM to create branded casino games with real-world rewards such as comps in Las Vegas hotels. He is an advocate for blending innovative new business models (such as offering rewards in casino games) with the power of well-known casino brands. Before joining Playstudios, he was responsible for implementing the commerce and ad strategy at early social network Hi5 Networks. He was also the CEO of Big Six Games and was founder of Red 5 Games. He ran Glass Eye Entertainment, Knockabout Games, and Compulsive Entertainment. Much of his career has been about games and online gambling.

We’ll have plenty of other speakers to come.

Purchase a ticket now and save $200. Ticket prices go up on Friday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m.!

Our previously announced speakers include:

• Jeff Hilbert, the co-CEO of DDM
• Anatoly Ropotov, the CEO of Game Insight
• Roy Liu, the CEO of Forgame US
• AJ Redmer, the head of Gumi North America
• Andrew Wilson, the CEO of Electronic Arts
• Mike Vorhaus, the president of Magid Advisors
• Jay Eum, the managing director at TransLink Capital
• Mikihiro Yasuda, a partner at strategic investment office at DeNA
• James Zhang, the CEO of Spellgun
• Aditya Rathnam, the co-founder of Kamcord
• Taehoon Kim, the CEO of nWay
• Simon Khalaf, the president and CEO of Flurry
• James Iliff, the chief creative officer at Survios
• Andy Zhong, the CEO of FunPlus
• Mike Frazzini, the vice president of games at Amazon
• Dan Connors, the CEO of Telltale Games
• Chris Petrovic, the head of corporate development and licensing at Kabam
• David Helgason, the CEO of Unity Technologies
• Peter Molyneux, the CEO of 22cans
• Clive Downie, the chief operating officer of Zynga
• Jonathan Simpson-Bint, the chief revenue officer at Twitch
• Malathi Nayak, a reporter for Reuters
• Bob Meese, the global head of game business development at Google Play
• Lucy Bradshaw, a senior vice president of the Maxis label at Electronic Arts
• Rachel Franklin, the general manager of The Sims Studio at EA
• 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)
• Tim Chang, the managing director at the Mayfield Fund

Our advisers include:

• Eric Goldberg, the managing director of Crossover Technologies
• Michael Chang, the managing director of Mavent Partners
• Tim Chang, the managing director at Mayfield Fund

We’ll roll out more 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 Royal” 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 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 a ticket now and save $200!

Thanks to the following industry leaders for supporting GamesBeat 2014: NativeX as Corporate Partner; Tapjoy and SupersonicAds as Gold Partner; TrialPay, InMobi, and TapSense as Silver Partners; SponsorPay, LifeStreet Media, SGN, Funplus, AppLift and Personagraph as Event Partners; Pwnit and Nudge as Nest Partners.