Discount passes are now available for next month’s Edinburgh Interactive Festival, the annual industry conference and public videogame showcase.
The event takes place during the Edinburgh Festival in the week commencing August 10, and though passes are normally £149 + VAT each, Edge readers can take advantage of three special offers by buying theirs using this form. It allows you to buy a single pass for £99 + VAT, a two passes for £149 + VAT and student passes for £60 + VAT.
EA Sports president Peter Moore will deliver the opening keynote address at the two day games industry conference, taking place from August 13-14. He'll focus on the challenge of reinventing the company’s sports brand through consumer insight, technology innovations, global partnerships and the launch of new product categories.
A panel session designed to expose the answer to the secrets behind successful browser-based games will take place later on the same day, and feature Timo Soininen, CEO of Sulake Corp (Habbo Hotel), Bigpoint Games chairmen Simon Guild and Simon Seefeldt, head of business development at Jagex (Runescape).
The last session of the day will be a debate proposing that the great age of big blockbuster games is coming to an end, featuring Eidos life president Ian Livingstone, EA Sports’ Moore, SCE UK boss Ray Maguire, Playfish CEO Kristian Segerstrale and GameVision CEO Sean Dromgoole.
The Edge Award For Innovation, which was awarded to Halo 3 last year, will be presented following the debate. The award will acknowledge the one title released in the last 12 months that has done the most to further the creative culture of games, and the shortlist will be announced on Monday.
On the Friday, Endemol UK’s MD of Digital Media, Peter Cowley, will discuss the evolution of branded games, covering titles that support TV shows, the rise of social gaming and the convergence of TV game shows within games.
Jim Crowley, president and CEO of Turbine, will also present a session focusing on improving multiplayer experiences through social technology, while Kieran O’Neill, MD & co-founder of Playfire, will round off the conference with a session taking an in-depth look at real time information about the games people play, looking at what they like, what they don’t like and how that translates into the game choices they make.
Game screenings and public game showcases will also feature during the festival. Free tickets, offering entry to game screenings and the public gaming area, can be downloaded from Gamestation’s website. Games set to be showcased in the public area include Wii Sports Resort, Batman Arkham Asylum, Mini Ninjas, Toy Story Mania, Disney Sing It Pop Hits and Eye Pet.