The GDC 2010 organizers have confirmed new lectures will be held by Pixar ‘notables’, Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, Double Fine's Tim Schafer, Final Fantasy XIII's director Motomu Toriyama, and fantasy writer R.A. Salvatore.
The latest list of big name keynotes joins the already confirmed appearance of Civilization creator Sid Meier. There will be almost 350 other lectures, keynotes, and panels.
Organizers have also released specifics on the new lectures:
- Pixar are giving a pair of two-hour lectures at the event -- the Toy Story and Up creators' Matthew Luhn will lecture on 'Storyboarding/Story Development at Pixar: Work Methods and Insights', while the Bay Area company's Andrew Gordon will speak on 'Character Animation at Pixar: Work Methods and Insights'.
- In a rare Western lecture, Final Fantasy XIII's director and scenario writer Motomu Toriyama will discuss the creator of FFXIII's story and mythos, "explaining the various processes involved in crafting The Crystal Mythos, creating the world of the game, character design, and the development of drama between the characters." He will also speak on the direction he hopes to take in future projects.
- Peter Molyneux will present a lecture called 'The Complex Challenges of Intuitive Design' with fellow designer Josh Atkins, discussing ways to "ensure that gamers of all abilities can quickly and easily immerse themselves in the game world." With examples from the upcoming Fable III, Molyneux will show examples of long-established game mechanics which Lionhead intends to replace with more user-friendly and modern iterations.
- In his first lecture aimed at the game industry, fantasy novelist R.A. Salvatore will present 'From Fantasy to Franchise: How to Build a Universe Worthy of Devotion', drawing lessons from his work in D&D's Forgotten Realms universe, and "presenting an examination of world building as a work in progress, through a sneak peek of his work with [Curt Schilling-backed Boston game developer] 38 Studios."
- Finally, Double Fine's Tim Schafer (Brutal Legend) will be appearing on a panel named 'Make 'Em Laugh: Comedy in Games', alongside Overlord writer Rhianna Pratchett and Telltale (Tales Of Monkey Island) writer/designer Sean Vanaman, analyzing "the challenges that face developers as they try to distill a sense of humor into their games."
Game Developers Conference 2010 takes place March 9 to March 13 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.