Calabasas, U.S.A. — The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) unveiled on October 24, new details and opened registration for the 12th Annual D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit and Awards program, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, February 5 – 8, 2013.

The annual event, which draws some of the brightest and most influential interactive entertainment industry leaders, decision makers and visionaries, is evolving to better reflect the growth of the industry and foster deeper engagement and interaction among conference attendees. Changes include a new Summit format, a larger venue, and the renaming of the annual awards program, now known simply as the D.I.C.E. Awards.

The Academy established the D.I.C.E. Summit to celebrate the core pillars of the interactive entertainment industry: Design, Innovate, Communicate, and Entertain. Those ideals define the revamped 2013 Summit, which will include an all-conference keynote each morning, followed by focused sessions – centered on each of the core pillars – to drive the rest of the agenda. The first speakers announced include: Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software; Jenova Chen, creative director and co-founder of thatgamecompany; and Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games and distinguished professor of the Practice of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University.

“Interactive entertainment is ingrained in our culture. We’re a $60 billion global industry of individuals and companies who are pushing the boundaries of technology, creativity and artistic expression every day,” said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “The Academy established the annual D.I.C.E. Summit and awards program to not only celebrate our industry achievements, but to provide a dedicated forum to share ideas and foster innovation. Our industry is maturing, and we’re excited to reflect that with changes, such as the new format and new look for the Awards, so that we remain at the forefront of shaping and moving our industry into the next stage of its evolution.”

Each year, the Academy and the global game community gather at the D.I.C.E. Summit to celebrate the artistic achievements that push the scope of interactive entertainment with the annual Interactive Achievement Awards. These peer-driven, annual awards have become one of the highest honors to bestow upon video games and their talented game makers. This year, the Academy is unveiling a new name for the annual awards, the D.I.C.E. Awards.

“Over the past several years, our members and many supporters independently began referring to our awards program simply as the D.I.C.E. Awards – a nickname celebrating the shared history and principles embodied in the D.I.C.E. Summit moniker,” said Rae. “We began to think that this nickname, coined by our community, would serve as the best and boldest way to represent the awards. It truly encapsulates what we are all about – the celebration of the amazing designers, innovators, communicators, and entertainers within the video game and interactive entertainment industry.”

The 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards will be held the evening of February 7, 2013, on the main stage of Hard Rock Hotel’s acclaimed concert venue, The Joint. Call for nominations for the D.I.C.E. Awards will be announced in the coming weeks.

2013 D.I.C.E. Summit Format Changes

The 2013 D.I.C.E. Summit gets underway on Tuesday, February 5, 2013, with a full day of networking events for attendees. New activities this year include a 5K run and whiskey, beer and wine tastings, which join the annual golf, go-kart and poker tournaments.

A new all-conference keynote will kick off each day with a discussion that touches on all of the four pillars of the D.I.C.E. moniker. The rest of each day will offer attendees four separate experiences, each defined by one of those pillars, led by a track keynote at the start of each segment. Concluding each conference track will be a special networking event where attendees will have an opportunity to mingle with attendees and speakers in that section. The three-day event will be capped off with the 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards celebration.

First D.I.C.E. Summit Speakers

The D.I.C.E. Summit speaker program is renowned for jump starting the key industry conversations that resonate throughout the year, and impact the trends directly affecting the industry. The first speakers exemplify the types of industry luminaries who will enlighten, inspire and challenge the attendees.

• Randy Pitchford, co-founder, owner and President of Gearbox Software, and the individual who spearheaded the award winning, best-selling original franchises Brothers in Arms and Borderlands
• Jenova Chen, creative director and co-founder of thatgamecompany, and the visionary designer of the award-winning games Flow, Flower, and most recently the critically received Journey
• Jesse Schell, CEO of Shell Games, and Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University, who will be presenting for the first time a follow-up to his provocative 2010 D.I.C.E. Session talk on game-a-geddon, also known as Design Outside The Box.

Registration for the 2013 D.I.C.E. Summit is currently open. Register until November 9, 2012 to get the early registration pricing at www.dicesummit.org.

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