Our next round of speakers for GamesBeat 2014: Total World Domination

We’re pleased to announce today more 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.

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

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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.

The next slate of speakers include:

• Mike Gallagher, the president of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association that represents video game publishers. The ESA recently reported that 181.3 million Americans play video games, 51 percent of U.S. households own a game console, and the average game player is 31 years old. It reported that 58 percent of parents whose children are gamers play games with their kids monthly. Gallagher joined the ESA in 2007, and he has focused on issues such as freedom of expression in video games and the use of games in education, health, and the workplace. Gallagher spoke last year at GamesBeat 2014.
• Jens Begemann, the chief executive of Wooga, a social mobile game publisher in Berlin. He will help give our conference an international flavor and talk about the science of making games with a disciplined filtering process. Wooga has successfully transitioned from social web to mobile games such as Jelly Splash and Pearl’s Peril, but it has also canceled a number of games in the filtering process. Begemann will share stories about some of those canceled games as well as new projects in the works.

Our previously announced speakers include 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 Tim 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 2010, 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.

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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 Caufiled & 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!

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