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GMIC Preview: MySpace co-creator Chris DeWolfe on the new royals of gaming

Industry icon talks monster hits

GMIC Preview: MySpace co-creator Chris DeWolfe on the new royals of gaming

Many know Chris DeWolfe as the hip, visionary co-founder of MySpace who birthed the pioneering social network which revolutionised the indie music scene.

At the time of the MySpace sale to NewsCorp, DeWolfe was heralded as one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world and Barbara Walters' 10 most fascinating people.

In 2009, DeWolfe left MySpace on a mission to redefine gaming, and as the CEO of SGN, a leading developer and publisher of cross-platform games, he's been on a tear.

Digital media legend takes on gaming

At the Pocket Gamer Global Game Stars Track @ GMIC on Tuesday, 22 October, DeWolfe will take the stage in a Fireside Chat with Lori Kozlowski of Forbes to discuss "The New Royals of Gaming."

They'll take a look at the rise of indies, how pop culture phenoms have been able to slay legacy properties overnight, and the opportunity for media titans, who heed changing consumer behaviour, to have a win ahead with second screen experiences.

"The gaming industry as a whole is exploding. An increasing amount of consumers' disposable time is spent playing games," said DeWolfe.

"In fact, 75 percent of Americans played a game last year. More gamers and more devices equal unprecedented opportunities for game developers.

"We're excited to share what we've seen in the shifting landscape, and how big data and smart business intelligence can leverage audiences, de-risk game development and create profitable games."

Join the conversation

Over 10,000 attendees are expected to descend upon GMIC's mobile mega-conference in San Francisco.

As such, Pocket Gamer's Chris James and Martine Paris have programmed a full day of visionary keynotes, thought-provoking panels, thrilling pitch sessions and of course, a mind-blowing afterparty.

The Pocket Gamer Global Game Stars Track @ GMIC kicks off GMIC on Tuesday, 22 October, at Moscone South Stage C, Room 106, in San Francisco.

The impressive roster of track speakers includes:

  • Chris DeWolfe, CEO, SGN
  • Chris Early, VP digital publishing, Ubisoft
  • Chris James, MD, Steel Media
  • Chris Carvalho, COO, Kabam
  • Dave Roberts, CEO, PopCap
  • David Helgason, CEO, Unity
  • Dean Takahashi, lead writer, VentureBeat
  • Ed Fries, co-creator, Xbox
  • Fabien-Pierre Nicolas, GM Mobile, Perfect World
  • Giordano Contestabile, VP product and revenue, Tilting Point
  • Glenn Kiladis, VP & GM, Fiksu
  • Jay Wright, VP product management, Qualcomm
  • Jeff Lyndon, co-founder & EVP, iDreamSky
  • Kristian Segerstrale, co-founder and partner, Initial Capital
  • Kyu Lee, CEO, Gamevil
  • Lei Zhang, general manager USA, CocoaChina
  • Lori Kozlowski, editor, Forbes
  • Martine Paris, US events editor, Pocket Gamer
  • Mickey Maher, VP, Applifier
  • Mike Cohen, VP GM, InMobi
  • Mike Lu, VP product management, GREE
  • Nabeel Hyatt, partner, Spark Capital
  • Niccolo De Masi, CEO and president, Glu Mobile
  • Nick Ning Yang, Chaie, China Young Angel Investor
  • Patrick Mork, advisory board, Onavo & Pocket Gems
  • Perry Tam, CEO, Storm8
  • Remco van den elzen, CCO and co-founder, Distimo
  • Rick Liu, VP Asia Pacific & Latin America, NativeX
  • Becky Ann Hughes, VP product & marketing, PlayFirst

To enjoy GMIC and all it has to offer, click here for 20 percent off Gold and VIP passes or for a FREE expo pass, click here.

Then when the sun goes down, party like the future is here
with Pocket Gamer, Qualcomm & Everyplay. Delight in drinks, bites and beats by DJ R3Y in the swanky subterranean digs of Vessel nightclub. RSVP here for a free afterparty ticket.

This programming is made possible by the generous support of Pocket Gamer's Global Game Stars track sponsors UCWeb, Logitech, NativeX, SGN, Distimo, InMobi, Fiksu, HasOffers, and CocoaChina, and Pocket Gamer's afterparty sponsors, Qualcomm Vuforia and Everyplay.


Tech reporter Martine Paris covers trends across mobile, games, AR VR, wearables and IoT, the intersection of emerging tech, music, video and culture, and how to get featured, funded and monetized. You can typically find her at shows with a mic in her hand interviewing industry's leading voices. Follow her @contentnow.