WildTangent CEO and Co-Founder to Conclude Influential Seattle Game Conference with Visionary Session on PC Gaming

It’s only logical to conclude one of the world’s best conferences for online game developers with a closing keynote address from the chief executive of one of the world’s leading developers of online, downloadable game content. Alex St. John, CEO and co-founder of WildTangent, the largest privately held game property in the U.S., will deliver the closing keynote at the end of the final day of the 2008 ION Game Conference. The 2008 ION Game Conference, a high-level game industry event focused on the business and development of online games, will take place in Seattle, May 13-15 at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

St. John’s keynote address, "The PC Gaming Comeback," will focus on opportunities provided by the PC/online gaming model, and highlight the challenges the console market will face moving forward. The discussion will closely examine key differentiators between the two platforms, and the role that community and social gaming play in the equation. He will also demonstrate the economics for making premium games free online, supported by advertising, and how this model can generate more revenue than retail models.

"Alex has established himself as a forceful voice for out-of-the box thinking for online game development and distribution," said Peter Freese, director for the ION Game Conference. "He’s just the kind of voice we need to give some final food for thought to developers after taking in the ION experience."

WildTangent is the leading online game publisher with the most ubiquitous gaming platform on the Internet today. Prior to founding WildTangent in 1998, St. John was one of the principal creators of Microsoft’s DirectX technology, which became the foundation for all Windows multimedia applications, 3D graphics, media players, as well as thousands of PC and Xbox games. Alex is widely considered to have his finger on the pulse of the gaming industry and is a frequent speaker at industry events.
"Emerging trends among enthusiast and casual gamers indicate a sea change in the gaming industry at large," St. John said. "We’re finding that more and more consumers-especially young audiences-are spending an increasing amount of time playing games online from their laptop or PC. In fact, research tells us that gamers spend more time playing on a PC than they do on any console, which highlights the immense opportunities for developers and publishers of PC and online games."

St. John joins 110 online game industry leaders speaking at almost 70 sessions at the 2008 ION Game Conference. To take a look at the complete agenda planned for attendees, visit http://www.ionconference.com/agenda.php.

Two weeks remain before the supercharged networking and information-sharing of the 2008 ION Game Conference commences. An attendee pass at the 2008 ION Game Conference permits access to all keynotes, all sessions and panels, the expo area, lunches and snacks, as well as conference parties.

The ION Game Conference is an annual Seattle-based game industry event designed for an experienced international attendee audience or those who strive to network and learn about new online game development and business trends. Visit the official website at http://www.ionconference.com for the latest news and information about the 2008 ION Game Conference. For more information about the global and diversified advisory board supporting the ION Game Conference, visit http://www.ionconference.com/advisors.php.
To keep informed about the latest news about ION and the online game industry, sent straight to your e-mail Inbox, sign up for the free ION Connection newsletter at http://www.ionconference.com/signup.html. To network and share news with fellow members of the online game development community, join up with the ION Network here: http://ionnetwork.ning.com.