Wednesday, January 4 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM Track I - GP7: The Massively Multiplayer Gaming Explosion - from the PC, the Console and Mobile The multiplayer game universe is growing into a full-fledged digital society of friends and distant strangers playing card games for hours a day, mobile gamers joining in for a quick hand while at the airport to hardcore gamers who are playing action games in online competition. 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, PC gamers, console gamers and mobile casual gamers are all equally involved. With these numbers and the progressive expansion of the technology, the possibilities of how people relate to each other online will be endless. In this session, we will explore the state of online games, how the market is evolving from a marketing and distribution as well as technological perspective. Rich Wickham, Director for Windows Graphics and Gaming Technologies, Microsoft Corp. Robert Ferrari, Senior Director, Global Business Development, Turbine, Inc. Neil Harris, Executive Vice President, Simutronics Patty Fry, Global Offering Executive, Digital Content Creation (DCC) and Online Games, IBM Corp. Matt Firor, Vice President, Product Development, Mythic Entertainment Michael Goodman, Senior Analyst, Media & Entertainment Strategies, The Yankee Group, Moderator Rich Wickham, Director, Strategic Planning, Windows Graphics & Gaming Technologies, Microsoft: As Director of Strategic Planning for the Windows Graphics and Gaming team, Wickham drives online gaming strategy for the Windows platform. Wickham and his team are charged with the task of understanding and sizing marketplace trends, fostering a vibrant Windows online gaming ecosystem and improving online gaming on the Windows platform. Wickham is an established expert on gaming business models and the expected growth in the online market, especially concerning MMOGs and emerging markets. Wickham joined Microsoft in 2003, following a nine-year career as an attorney in private practice and in the Unites States Air Force. His legal practice included technology transactions, including software industry mergers and acquisitions, as well intellectual property and scientific litigation. Patty Fry, Global Offering Executive, Digital Content Creation and Online Games, IBM: Patty Fry is the global offering executive for digital content creation (DCC) and online games for IBM's Digital Media Emerging Business Opportunity. She leads IBM's efforts to craft meaningful solutions for the DCC and online games markets by applying IBM products, services and advanced technologies, together with products from industry specific independent software vendors, to the market's requirements. Fry was a founding member of the IBM corporate strategy online games task force, which was formed in 2002 to analyze the online games marketplace. Digital Media is one of the key strategic growth areas for IBM globally. IBM has made a multi-year, multi-million dollar investment in digital media products, services and alliances, in addition to building a focused team of hundreds of people. Fry has been a contributing member of this team since its inception. Fry’s prior IBM experience includes having been a principal for systems integration for IBM Global Services, as well as other solutions management, sales and technical sales support roles. She has experience working with automotive, health, government, utility, insurance and other industries. Previously, Fry was a software engineer at the former Hughes Aircraft Company. Fry earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. She is an associate member of the Visual Effects Society and has previously spoken at the Harvard Cyberposium, Digital Hollywood conference and Game Networks conference. Fry has been cited in key industry publications, including Warcry, Computer Graphics World, Tech News World and C!Net. She speaks conversational French. Neil Harris, Executive Vice President, Simutronics: Simutronics has been called "the original master of online multiplayer games." Founded in 1987, the firm pioneered the field with titles like GemStone, DragonRealms, and CyberStrike. The firm's many honors include the Inc. 500, Computer Gaming World's "Online Game of the Year", and the AOL Members Choice. Simutronics is currently developing Hero's Journey, a new MMORPG based in its revolutionary next-generation Hero technology platform, which will ship in late 2006. Hero's Journey was unveiled at E3 2005 to universal rave reviews and several "best of show" selections. The many innovations include completely unique design for each player character and quantum leaps forward in multiplayer game play and social engineering. Neil Harris joined Simutronics in 1993 as head of business development, marketing, and finance. He has built distribution and development relationships with a roster of many of the major companies in media, internet, and software, including AOL, Prodigy, Sony, Universal, Viacom, Time Warner, Microsoft, Excite, and Lycos. He has spoken at many events in the internet and computer games industries. Prior to joining Simutronics he spent five years as marketing director for General Electric's Genie online service, building it into the market leader in online games. Prior to joining the online industry, he spent ten years in the home computer business and was a key figure in the early years of Commodore and Atari computers including launching the Commodore 64, VIC-20, and Atari ST computer lines. He received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on entrepreneurship and marketing, and a B.S. degree in business & management summa cum laude from the University of Maryland. He lives and works in the Kentlands in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Matt Firor is Vice President of Product Development at Mythic Entertainment. In this role, he is responsible for overall vision and management of each project at Mythic, including oversight of game design and features. An expert in the development of online games, Matt has produced (or Executive Produced) all of Mythic's titles, including first-person shooters, top-down spaceship combat games, text-based MUDs, and the worldwide smash hit Dark Age of Camelot, and its expansion packs. He is currently working on Mythic's just-announced Warhammer MMORPG and other internal projects. Firor began developing games in the late 1980's, and co-founded Interesting Systems Inc. in 1991 with Rob Denton, Mythic's CTO, to make multi-player role-playing games. After leaving ISI in 1994 to concentrate on software development, Matt re-joined Rob and Mythic's CEO Mark Jacobs in late 1995 at the formation of Mythic Entertainment. He has been at Mythic ever since. Michael Goodman, Senior Research Analyst, Media & Entertainment Strategies, The Yankee Group: Michael Goodman joined the Yankee Group as a senior research analyst for the Media & Entertainment Strategies Planning Service in January 1999. Mr. Goodman’s responsibilities include research and analysis for the converging media and entertainment products and services among consumers. This includes such topics as broadband and mobile entertainment, digital audio, gaming, high-speed Internet access, and cable and satellite television. His areas of expertise have been applied in research spanning the media value chain including consumer adoption, retailer strategies, content strategies, competitor analysis, and partner selection. Other areas of expertise include audience research (television ratings), market research, and project management. Michael Goodman is a frequently cited industry expert in the broadband and mobile entertainment spaces. His has spoken at multiple tradeshows and client events including the E3, NAB and Digital Hollywood. In addition, Mr. Goodman’s research has been referenced in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, CNET News.com, CNBC and WSJ Radio Prior to joining the Yankee Group, Mr. Goodman was a marketing representative for Nielsen Media Research, where he was responsible for the design, management, analysis, and marketing of custom research projects. In addition to television audience research, topics covered included the penetration and usage of new technologies in the home, consumer satisfaction, market profiles, and concept testing. Prior to his position at Nielsen Media Research, Mr. Goodman held several positions with VOPAN Marketing Research, conducting market research on consumer products. Michael Goodman holds a B.S. degree in business administration from Boston University. Robert Ferrari, Executive Director of Business Development, Turbine Entertainment Software: Robert Ferrari serves as the Executive Director of Business Development at Turbine Entertainment Software - a global developer, operator and publisher of online entertainment. In this role, Robert manages strategic marketing, business development, digital distribution, and channel sales for Turbine's products and services. Robert is a seasoned executive with more than 15 years of sales and marketing experience in the convergence industry, driving the growth and profitability of global corporations and start-ups. He has experience in a broad range of industries related to software development, content creation and delivery, and digital device platforms in the PC, Gaming, CE, and Mobile industries. Robert also serves on the board of Convergence Ventures.