Leipzig's over and the Tokyo Game Show won't be till October. But that doesn't mean there won't be any other conferences around to satisfy ever-curious gamers' appetites. And this time, we won't even have to fly overseas. The Austin Game Developers Conferences is coming up next, and they've added in a nice touch to this year's event.

This year's Games Convention at Leipzig was a sure fire success. And though some of you might not think that the same could be said about E3, GC 2009 has already been scheduled. Via press release, we find out that this year's event has set records above and beyond what GC 2007 had, and reception from the masses has definitely shown a good sign that the video games industry is booming more than it used to.

The awards ceremony for the Leipzig Games Convention 2008 has already taken place. And out of the dozens of games that were on the show floor, only nine were chosen to be the cream of the crop. Read the full article to see who made it to the list of awardees.

Thanks to our pals over at N4G, we've heard something new from Ascaron Entertainment and their long-silent project that is Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. We've heard very few things about it since the action RPG's major showing at the last Game Developers Conference. Now news has come forth that says Ascaron and Intel are in cahoots for a major upbringing of gaming in mobile computing platforms, and it's got something to do with Intel's next generation Centrino platform.

Alexander Fernandez, founding member and CEO of Streamline Studios, has been named as the keynote speaker in the Asian Games Convention. The convention will be held on September 6 and 7 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Center.

Under Fernandez's directive, Streamline was able to deliver critically-acclaimed video games such as Gears of War, Saints Row, and Ghost Recon 2.

Fernandez's speech will be titled The Rising Value of Content Capital and will tackle the issues surrounding the importance of content-driven games and how outsourcing can help develop the industry.

"We view GC Asia as a key forum for addressing both the opportunities and challenges of the emerging content creation sector in Asia," said the Streamline Chief. "With game development ever more a global phenomenon, it's the perfect time to address the implications for all parties involved: creators and publishers alike."

GC Asia is the regional counterpart of the recently-concluded GC 2007 in Leipzig, Germany where talks about the industry as well as exhibits of the biggest gaming projects today were held. The event covers all forms of gaming from consoles, PCs, handhelds, and even mobile phones.

If you're interested in GC Asia and would like to participate, you can go to www.GC-asia.sg to find more information.

 

No matter what your game platform for this generation is, you've got a game lined up to be the most critically acclaimed at Leipzig. The Games Convention, very much like E3's Best of E3, will brand deserving games as the Best of GC 2007. But it won't be limited to just interactive entertainment: a Best of GC award will be pinned on a worthy hardware peripheral used in gaming.

Across 10 categories, there are at least two finalists queued up to win an award at the ceremony once it commences on August 24. And games from attending companies such as Take-Two Interactive, Konami Digital, Sony, Nintendo, SEGA, Namco Bandai, Eidos Interactive, Blizzard, and Crytek - among others - stand a chance to tout their creations as one of the best featured in the Leipzig Games Convention.

Get the full list of finalists at the full article!

Fusion seems to be the name of the game as Exit Games Neutron joins the efforts to make cross-platform gaming available. Exit Games software largely focused on multiplaying and general interconnectivity on mobile phones.

Starting now though, they plan to make the transition to the next generation as they plan to make cross-platform casual gaming possible on the Wii, PS3, PC, and mobile phones.

Harald Behnke, CEO of Exit Games, says about the new tech:

Neutron continues to lead the way with innovations that enhance social gaming capabilities. Cross-platform connectivity enables our customers to build game communities that reach over three billion devices, making Neutron a much anticipated multiplayer solution for true mass market casual gaming.

Although we probably won't see this new tech hosting cross-platform multiplaying for games like Unreal Tournament III, we might expect some games like Chess, Checkers and maybe even the classic Arkanoid make their cross-platform debut. Exit Games will be featuring this tech at the Leipzig Games Convention from August 23-26 at booth I51.

The industry-focused leg of the Games Convention at GCDC 2007 will take place">Leipzig is expected to break its previous record of 650 attendees, after Leipziger Messe GmbH announced through press wire that the registered attendee tally for the 2007 event has hit 850 attendees. The Games Convention Developers Conference (GCDC) will take place on August 20-22, just before the consumer and retailer exhibition.

 

Hailing from 35 countries all over the globe - 60 percent from the North American and UK regions - participants have the opportunity to witness the delivery of more than 80 event keynotes from over 120 speakers. And representatives from their respective industry segments - namely handheld, mobile, console, PC, Mac, and online markets - will expound on visions, themes and issues relevant to the industry's times.

Although much of the planned discussions will be focused on the industry side, there will also be discussions on how society and political bodies can properly recognize the gaming industry, and the significance of associations representing the game industry to the outside world.

And in another note, Leipziger Messe has particularly named Tim Schafer of Double Fine Production (Grim Fandango, Psychonauts) to deliver his keynote speech entitled "Games and Creativity," adapted for the new age of game development. If memory serves us right, Schafer and his studio has been secretly at work on a game project under Vivendi's revived Sierra Entertainment label.

It was claimed to be titled "Brutal Legend", but that has been under question for some time since it was retracted. But if former Leipzig revelations are were groundbreaking, then you may count that fellow blogger Schafer will spill more details on his ambitious "labor of love."

The 2007 Games Convention Developers Conference opening remarks will be delivered by none other than the Chairman of the European Games Development Forum (EGDF), Fred Hasson. More GC and GCDC news coming your way, before the Leipzig-filled week begins next Monday.

I-play's Stephane Labrunie has recently made a very bold statement at this year's Leipzig GC Developer Conference, stating that mobile gaming is set to overtake console gaming by the end of the year. This bold statement does come as cellphones get better and better, and as the mobile gaming market is booming; but can this market continue to grow and overtake the console market?

Of course, Labrunie wouldn't say such a statement at such a large meeting as the Leipzig GC Developer Conference without doing his homework - he backed up his statement with facts. Labrunie stated that "This market will sell more games on mobile than traditional consoles in 2006.", quoting figures that forecast 1.8 billion game-enabled handsets by 2008. Labrunie's figures also suggest that by 2010, the number of paid downloads per year is set to reach 1.7 billion, while gross revenues will rise to US$ 5.9 billion - overtaking the console market.

However, Labrunie did say that they would face problems, with 33 percent of mobile phone users not knowing if their phone supports games and figures that suggest only 5 percent of handheld-game enabled phone users actually downloading a game. 16 percent of gamers say that high pricing is what prevents them from purchasing more games, after all, why spend money on such a small game when you can get more value for money on a console game?

Concluding his speech, Labrunie said that "the best is yet to come", reaffirming that "Mobile gaming will be the fastest growing segment of the total videogames industry". Remember this speech, and let's compare the sales figures between mobile and console games by the end of 2006.

The world's first 3D fantasy MMORPG for mobile devices, Blades & Magic, is going to be launched for a selected audience at the Games Convention in Leipzig.

Leading developer of premium 3D mobile games, Fishlabs, unveiled Blades & Magic at this year's E3, now has reached alpha. It is based on Fishlabs' mobile game engine ABYSS 2.0, features a huge amount of graphical content with over 40 different and fully animated 3D characters and more than 120 skills and items. Approximately 250 locations, 24 single player quests and the sophisticated online multiplayer mode are to be discovered.

An almost gushing CEO of Fishlabs, Michael Schade says, "In spite of all the limitations on mobile phones, we have brought a colourful and vivid fantasy world to life with lots of detailed 3D characters and 3D locations. Parallel to opulent 3D graphics and deep game experience, the greatest buzz will probably be created by the sophisticated real time battle system for the online multiplayer mode. At GC we will show this live across various carries for the very first time in the industry.”

 

Download: [Blades & Magic Trailer]