More LOGIN 2011 Speakers AnnouncedThe Call for Speakers ended last month, and the LOGIN team has been busy reviewing the submissions. We are extremely pleased to announce more speakers. We will be announcing more speakers and sessions over the coming months, so stay tuned for the complete list.
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Industry HighlightsUphill Battle for Setting Play Limits in South KoreaProposed South Korean regulations that will limit online gamers under the age of 15 from playing online games from the times of midnight to 6 a.m. is slogging down as the issues of legality and reach are discussed. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family disagree over whether the law should extend beyond just online PC games or not. There also is no agreement at this stage when such a set of regulations would be enacted, even if agreement between the ministries are reached. Perfect World Loses a Little Luster in Q4 2010Perfect World Co., one of China's more prominent online game developers, publishers, and operators, has announced it's absorbed a 54 percent profit loss in the fourth quarter 2010 against its fourth quarter in 2009. This dip is due in large part to expansion into countries such as Singapore and Japan, while acquiring new development houses and launching new games. Nickelodeon's Exploration in MMOGs May Add Only Minimal Value to ViacomNickelodeon, one of Viacom's largest media conglomerates under its umbrella (forming 16 percent of Viacom's stock value), will soon be launching a new MMOG, Monkey Quest. Nickelodeon is the highest-rated kid's channel in the United States, serving up television and movie content, reaching 98 percent of homes in the U.S. Given the size of Nickelodeon's reach within the Viacom empire, even with a $100 million annual profit, it is expected to have only a minor net effect on Viacom's bottom line (and stock value). Confirmed: Blizzard's Next MMOG Is Already PlayablePaul Sims, COO for Blizzard Entertainment, in an interview with Gamasutra, has offered a few more tantalizing hints about the status of the game developer's next project. According to Sims, the next game is already in an advanced state of development and is in fact already playable. Similar to the way Blizzard sees World of Worldcraft's long revenue tail for attracting and retaining customers has last over many years, so they see this game lasting 10, 15, even 20 years from launch. The launch date for the MMOG is, at the moment, rumored to be within Q4 2013. Gazillion Appoints Former Cryptic Head as CEOGazillion Entertainment has hired a new CEO who brings a lot of experience from the MMOG development business. John Needham, who formerly served in executive roles at Sony Online Entertainment, Cryptic Studios, and Atari, has been appointed as the CEO of the three-studio-strong Gazillion brand. Needham plans to strengthen the free-to-play business model within the company, which has become increasingly popular throughout the MMOG, mobile game, and social game development industry. Free Realms to Become First Free-to-Play Console MMO GameSony Online Entertainment has announced they are launching its second MMOG on the PlayStation 3 console platform on March 29. Unlike DC Universe, which was launched in January on the PC and PS3 simultaneously, Free Realms was first launched on the PC in 2009. Free Realms, by being a casual and free-to-play online game title, makes it a unique addition in the history of all consoles. PlayStation 3 Free Realms players will not be able to play with, or against, their PC counterparts within that game because of impractical logistical hurdles that would need to be resolved. |
Sponsorship Opportunities Available at LOGIN 2011Without our sponsors there would be no LOGIN! We are currently seeking sponsors for the 2011 event. Interested? To learn more about sponsorship opportunities at LOGIN visit the sponsorship page on our website, contact Cynthia Freese at cynthia@loginconference.com, or call 1.425.533.5973. |
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