GDC Online 2011 Brings Together 3,350 Game Development Professionals for Record Breaking Attendance

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Game Developers Conference® Online (GDC Online, formerly GDC Austin) concluded on Thursday, Oct. 13 with record attendance numbers of 3,350 current and aspiring game development professionals, experiencing 12% growth over last year. The event, which took place at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, featured four days of sessions, business and networking opportunities, all of which spotlighted the evolving connected gaming industry. GDC Online will be returning to Austin, Texas on October 8-11, 2012.

This year's GDC Online featured more than 145 lectures, panels, keynotes and roundtable discussions presented by 226 industry-leading speakers and a bustling expo floor with over 100 exhibitors and sponsors. The week kicked off with focused summits that covered topics and emerging themes in Game Narrative, Smartphone & Tablet Games and Virtual Items. The summits and main conference tracks created a forum for attendees to gain and share knowledge on the connected gaming space, all in a community-based setting.

The second annual Game Developers Choice Online Awards, a special event honoring excellence in the online game development space, saw Trion Worlds' Rift honored with the top award as Best New Online Game; the title also took home the award for Best Online Technology. In addition, breakout sandbox building game Minecraft, developed by Mojang, won the prestigious Best Live Game award, along with the award for Best Community Relations.  Special Award honorees John Taylor and Kelton Flinn were celebrated for their work on the major genre forerunners Island of Kesmai and Air Warrior. EverQuest, the breakout 3D MMO title and beloved fantasy game, was inducted into the Hall of Fame during the ceremony.  For the full list of Choice Online Awards winners visit: www.gdconlineawards.com.

"As host to many key industry leaders who provided quality talks that covered current or future online game development issues and exhibited breakthrough tools and technologies, we can truly say that the conference was a huge success - - the event's record-breaking attendee numbers reflect that," said Izora de Lillard, Event Director for GDC Online. "The energy throughout the event was incredible and we're excited to return to Austin in October 2012."

For more information on GDC Online, please visit the official website: www.GDCOnline.com.  

About the UBM TechWeb Game Network  

A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the  UBM TechWeb Game Network – formerly known as the Think Services Game Group - offers market-defining content, and drives community through its award winning lineup of print, online, event and research products and services. These include the Game Developers Conference®, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com and network of sites, the Game Advertising Online ad network, the Game Developers Conference® Online, the Game Developers Conference™ Europe, the Game Developers Conference™ China, the Game Developers Conference™ Canada, Game Developer Magazine, Game Developer Research, the Game Career Seminars and GameCareerGuide.com, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards.  

About UBM TechWeb, a division of United Business Media

UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology.  Through its core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and professional information – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands, applications and services in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs, IT and IT Support managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software and Game developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively participate in UBM TechWeb's communities. UBM TechWeb brands includes: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Game Developers Conference (GDC), Web 2.0, Black Hat and VoiceCon; large-scale online networks such as InformationWeek,  Light Reading and Gamasutra; research, training, and certification services, including HDI, Pyramid Research, and InformationWeek Analytics; and market-leading magazines such as InformationWeek and Wall Street & Technology.  UBM TechWeb is part of UBM, a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.

SOURCE UBM TechWeb Game Network

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