Wednesday, October 1 11:05 AM - 12:20 PM Session A: Internet Gaming - Understanding the Massively Multiplayer Universe The massively multiplayer game universe is growing into a full-fledged digital society. There are now millions of individuals online, committed, involved and addicted to one gaming or social universe or another. When it started – nearly decades ago – the universe was a powerful Net force in text-only formats. Now in today’s advanced graphical broadband universe game and role playing worlds are attracting hundreds of thousands each. With these numbers and the progressive expansion of the technology, the possibilities of how people relate to each other online will be endless. Developers will be able to reach and empower target player segments with greater success and offer people unlimited choice of worlds to live and experience ideas, creativity and fun. Ken Goldstein, Vice President & Managing Director, Disney Online Louis Castle, Vice President, Electronic Arts Los Angeles Scott McDaniel, Vice President, Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment Larry Dunlap, founder and Creative Director of Intelligent Life Games Matt Bromberg, GM, AOL Games Jason Rubinstein, GM, Ubi.com, Ubi Soft Entertainment Vince Broady, Senior Vice President, Consumer for CNET Networks, Moderator Louis Castle - Vice President; Electronic Arts Los Angeles: As a Vice President and a senior studio leader at EALA, Louis Castle is responsible for assisting the studio's management team in developing EALA's business strategies, as well as helping EALA's creative teams realize their product vision. Castle was co-founder of Westwood Studios, which became a part of EALA in January 2003. EALA creates product for some of the most successful and best-known intellectual properties within Electronic Arts' formidable portfolio including the original product lines of Medal of Honor and Command & Conquer and licensed properties Lord of the Rings and James Bond. Prior to EALA, Castle was the General Manager of Westwood Studios from 2000-2003 and served in creative, business and financial roles while growing Westwood from two employees in 1985 to over 250 in two locations in 2002. In his creative roles, Castle has contributed as executive producer, creative director, technical director, programmer and artist to over 100 games created by Westwood over the past 18 years. His business positions include serving as the COO and finance officer for Westwood Studios between 1992 and 2000, a period in which the company negotiated 4 multinational acquisitions. Castle is passionate about the products and the people who create them. His role as Vice President at EALA allows him to leverage his considerable interactive entertainment experience to add value across the spectrum of EALA's creative and business developments. Matt Bromberg, Vice President and General Manager of AOL Games, America Online, Inc.: As Vice President and General Manager of the AOL Games, Matt Bromberg is responsible for all gaming related activities across AOL Inc., including the AOL services, leading Web properties broadband and devices. AOL Games provides programming and promotions for online, PC and video console games for all AOL members and game fans on the Web, with a focus on creating enhanced, high-speed exclusives for AOL Broadband members. Under Mr. Bromberg’s direction as part of the new AOL Entertainment Group established in Summer of 2002, AOL Games has introduced new initiatives that bring AOL members exclusive content and maximize their overall gaming experience while delivering valuable promotional and marketing benefits to game industry partners. Previously, Mr. Bromberg was Vice President and General Manager of AOL’s Moviefone, the world's largest movie showtime, information and ticketing service, during which time Moviefone’s audience grew by more than 300%. Prior to joining AOL in 1999, Mr. Bromberg spent two years at CMP Media, where he served as Publisher and General Manager of Techweb Network, a leading network of information technology site as well as Director of Business Development for Informationweek, the leading IS publication in America. A Harvard Law School graduate, Mr. Bromberg has also worked at American Lawyer Media and at Faulkner & Grey. Scott McDaniel, Vice President of Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE): As vice president of marketing, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), a subsidiary of Sony Corporation and Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, Scott McDaniel brings more than 10 years of experience to his position. Mr. McDaniel is responsible for all facets of the company's marketing efforts, including: advertising, public relations and promotions, creative services, and direct and brand marketing. In this capacity, Mr. McDaniel will spearhead a consumer focused marketing and public relations strategy to enhance SOE's position as the premier destination for interactive game enthusiasts. Prior to joining SOE, Mr. McDaniel has held senior marketing positions at a variety of other top electronic entertainment companies, including The 3DO Company and New World Computing. During his tenure at The 3DO Company, the company experienced unprecedented growth and success. Managing the growth of the Might and Magic line since 1991 (Might and Magic III), Scott has launched over 30 different titles on a variety of platforms. Mr. McDaniel obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University. Jason Rubinstein, GM, Ubi.com, Ubi Soft Entertainment: Jason Rubinstein has 15 years of entertainment and technology experience and is currently General Manager of ubi.com, the online division of Ubi Soft Entertainment (www.ubi.com). Prior to joining Ubi Soft in 2001, Jason was VP/GM of the live music division at Riffage.com and produced critically-acclaimed programming for TV and the web including The 2000 New Orleans Jazz Festival, "BBC Music Live," and "Live From The Great American Music Hall." Before his 12 month tour of duty at Riffage, Jason managed Intel's games and music industry market development and technology initiatives and held posts in marketing and business development at Total Entertainment Network (renamed Pogo.com, then sold to Electronic Arts), DreamWorks Interactive and Sierra On-Line/The Imagination Network (sold to AT&T, then AOL). Prior to joining Sierra On-Line, Jason held both production and marketing posts at CBS Records and the Warner Music Group. Vince Broady, Senior Vice President of Consumer Media for CNET Networks, manages two major media properties for the company: GameSpot, the Web's leading online gaming site (which he also co-founded), and mySimon, the award-winning comparative shopping site. Prior to his current role at CNET, Broady served as Vice President, Product Development at ZDNet, where he managed the company's overall strategic development efforts, and as General Manager, ZDNet Consumer where he developed online destinations for magazines including Yahoo! Internet Life and FamilyPC. He also wrote a regular column for Anchordesk, ZDNet's popular email newsletter. Before beginning work on GameSpot in 1995, Broady had worked for several years at IDG's Multimedia World magazine, where he held the title of Executive Editor, with a focus on leading-edge multimedia technologies, software, and systems. Broady graduated from Brown University in 1990 with a degree in Religious Studies. A Texas native, he now lives in San Francisco with his wife and son