Founded in 2003 by Klaas Kersting and Alexander Rösner, German based Gameforge quickly became the de-facto destination for European free-to-play gamers. With award winning games, both client and browser based, including OGame, Ikariam, and Metin2, Gameforge has attracted over 75 million gamers from around the globe.
Mr. Kersting is expected to share his knowledge and experience with GDC Europe attendees, and will deliver a track keynote titled, “Changes in the Games Industry – Free-to-play vs. Payment Models.” Kersting will share his thoughts and advice on the success of the free-to-play business model. He’ll also cover the differences between gaming attitudes and cultural backgrounds when it comes to various payment models.
“Gameforge develops pioneering and groundbreaking technologies in the browser-based game sector, which is driving the whole industry,” said Frank Sliwka, Vice President European Business Development of Think Services Game Group. “GDC Europe is focused on delivering content that appeals to a global audience, while presenting content that represents and showcases the European development community. Gameforge is one of those companies that exemplifies the European spirit of innovation, and as a market leader, we anticipate a keynote that is powerful, informative and inspiring.”
Kersting’s keynote speech should dovetail nicely into Double Fusion’s Direct of Developer Relation’s Brian Blau is expected to talk about in-game advertising. Blau’s talk will review the design and implementation aspects of dynamic in-game advertising placements. He’ll also be presenting examples of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in respect to which ads have worked, not worked so well, and outright failed.
Both Kersting’s keynote and Blau’s session will deal with the rapidly changing state of the gaming industry. One discussing the microtransaction position, the other the in-game advertising stance. As we’ve seen over the past year, a number of free-to-play titles are being introduced to the market in hybrid form. Meaning, these titles are choosing wisely, and not relying on simply one form of monetization, but diversifying and offering players subscriptions for premium content, microtransaction options, and perhaps a pre or post game advertising roll. Both of these sessions should be of high value and interest to any gaming developers looking into the future, and realizing that the state of play is no longer what it once was.
Taking place between the 17th and 19th of August at the Cologne Congress East Center in Cologne, Germany, the GDC Europe expects over 1,500 attendees from 48 countries around the globe. The GDC Europe is regarded as the preeminent European games developer conference.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=feb84c87-60e4-4078-b66a-e60f98fcd724)
