GDC China 2011 Debuts Square Enix, Kabam, HTML5 Sessions

Author: by Staff

This week, GDC China has debuted new batch of lectures for the show's Main Conference, featuring Square Enix CTO Julien Merceron on tech development for major publishers, Kabam on blending MMOs and social games, and a notable panel on the future of HTML5. Taking place November 12-14 at Shanghai Exhibition Center in Shanghai, China, the event will once again serve as the premier game industry event in China, bringing together influential developers from around the world to share ideas, network, and inspire each other to further the game industry in this region. This year, the show's Main Conference will feature three primary tracks, covering Online Game Development & Business, Global Game Development, and Social Games. Here are the latest talks to be revealed for the upcoming show: - In the Global Development track session, "Designing a Technology Strategy for a Large Publisher," Square Enix (Final Fantasy, Deus Ex) worldwide technology director Julien Merceron will examine the ins and outs of technology development at a large publisher. Drawing from his experience working at companies such as Ubisoft and Eidos, Merceron will look at the ways in which technology impacts major publishing strategies, and will call attention to the web and mobile trends developers should keep an eye on. - Elsewhere, in the Social Games track, Kabam's Andrew Sheppard (Dragons Of Atlantis) will host a talk dubbed "Creating MMOs for Social Platforms." Here, he will explain how Kabam strives to combine MMO gameplay with the interaction models found in social games, offering insight into the company's overall strategy for the social market. - Also in the Social Games track is a panel titled, "The Road to HTML5 Games: Challenges and Opportunities," which features five Chinese and Western web and mobile developers on the possibilities and implications of HTML5. Panelists including GameHouse's Alexander Mendelev, Kabam's Andy Riedel, Kano Applications' Tim Teh, Pixelmatic's Samson Mow, and RockYou Asia's Jia Shen will all offer insight on why HTML 5 matters (or why it doesn't), and what impact it could have on the industry at large. The above talks join previously announced sessions on Doodle Jump, Gamevil, and Fruit Ninja as well as another batch of sessions featuring Double Fine, Final Fantasy Tactics composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, and an in-depth look at Agile/Scrum development. With registration for GDC China now open, interested parties can go to the event's official website to start the registration process and gain access to the numerous talks, tutorials, and events the show will have to offer. Keep an eye out for even more news as the show draws closer, as GDC China organizers have a number of exciting announcements planned for the coming weeks. For more information on GDC China as the event takes shape, please visit the official GDC China website, or subscribe to updates from the new GDC Online-specific news page via Twitter, Facebook, or RSS. GDC China is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb, as is this website.