John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment, will be hosting the keynote address at this years GDC Austin. In his keynote address, Mr. Smedley will discuss the affect SOE's recently launched and wildly successful MMORPG, Free Realms, has had on expanding the base of MMOG gamers.

The Austin Game Developer's Conference will take place at the Austin Convention Center, and will run from September 15th, 2009 through September 18th, 2009.

Discounts are being offered for early registration, but the promotion will be ending on August 13th, so if you plan on going, it'd be a good idea to act now!

For more information, check out the official GDC Austin website.

Wildly successful? LoL

Shouldn't this be posted under the "Advertisement propaganda" forum?

Couldn't this news tidbit have been posted without that debatable description?

Will he also be addressing how to lose 500,000 subs in a month?

Hopefully he'll discuss his fine leadership during the SWG NGE period.........

Id love to see someone go to this and throw a rotten tomato/egg/anything at his stupid head.

Who would actually want to listen to this guy give a lecture? It would be like getting advice from the captain of the Titanic on the finer points of iceberg navigation.

I wouldn't go unless he gave a lecture on "How to fail and make millions and keep your job while doing it"

Here we go again more nonsense marketing hype.  Free Realms is not madly successful, I even doubt it would be proper to use the word succesful.   SOE laying off people is most certainly NOT successful.

I know it would be highly impolite, but if there is anyone I would love to heckle it would be Smedley.  He is so beyond clueless when it comes to this genre that it is pathetic.

Ahh, the GDC. Once a cheery hub for game developers in the industry.

Not anymore. They are accually letting this sliding retard give a keynote? The last thing we want is 100 ego inflated fat bastages like Smed sitting in this industry. Why not just invite Brad down, so he can give a keynote on vicoden usage, and how everyone else is to blame.

Though he'll be delivering in Austin, so there won't be a whole lot of IQ points to kill down there.

Wait, What?

Ok, seriously, after his reinactment of the Titanic with SWG you'd think event coordinators wouldn't touch this guy with a ten foot pole.

Originally posted by Khalathwyr

Wait, What?

 

 

Ok, seriously, after his reinactment of the Titanic with SWG you'd think event coordinators wouldn't touch this guy with a ten foot pole.

But he looks so friendly in that picture.

He's going to give a presentation on how not to deliver quality content in MMOs.

Originally posted by Laurann

Ahh, the GDC. Once a cheery hub for game developers in the industry.

Not anymore. They are accually letting this sliding retard give a keynote? The last thing we want is 100 ego inflated fat bastages like Smed sitting in this industry. Why not just invite Brad down, so he can give a keynote on vicoden usage, and how everyone else is to blame.

Though he'll be delivering in Austin, so there won't be a whole lot of IQ points to kill down there.

Yeah, because the University of Washington has "done more" that the University of Texas at Austin academics wise...

(nothing personal, you bash my state, I take a crack at your, lol!)

Originally posted by xiirot

He's going to give a presentation on how not to deliver quality content in MMOs.

Ahh, well, if that's the case, I'm alright with it.

Invert whatever he says and we will know how to make something a true success. 

Oh, to have the money for a ticket so I could show my "appreciation" to Mr. Smedley in a manner that he could understand (tossing Lego lightsabers and red jellybeans at his head comes to mind).

Maybe this year's keynote here in Austin is meant to be a comedy rather than a serious discussion...

Maybe they got confused, and he's really delivering the pizza for the event ?

That WOULD make alot more sense :P

Don't worry he's just going to show of his new cloth collection......MEH... http://www.johnsmedley.com/ 

Free Realms is doing really well. And Smeg is now bald and about 75 pounds heaver now. They really need to update that photo.

Of course once The Old Republic comes out. It's finally over for swg. I'll miss my old house. /tear

Originally posted by EbenEmael

Who would actually want to listen to this guy give a lecture? It would be like getting advice from the captain of the Titanic on the finer points of iceburg navigation.

That cracked me up!

Honestly, it's sad when your this big of a joke in the industry and don't even realize it.

Originally posted by Abrahmm

Originally posted by EbenEmael

Who would actually want to listen to this guy give a lecture? It would be like getting advice from the captain of the Titanic on the finer points of iceberg navigation.

 

That cracked me up!

 

Honestly, it's sad when your this big of a joke in the industry and don't even realize it.

Exactly. Are people that work in the MMO industry so out of touch? It would explain why there have been so many game failures. It seems that MMO players have a much better idea of what is going on then the executives do.

If you want to design a line of clothes for 12 year old girls, who do you ask what 12 year old girls like? Do you form a focus group consisting of 40+ year old men or do you ask 12 year old girls?

Bill Roper and this douchebag should not be in the gaming business at all. Let alone run one.

That's like having Joey Buttafuoco be the keynote speaker at a seminar on sensitivity toward women.

Originally posted by Erolis

Free Realms is doing really well. And Smeg is now bald and about 75 pounds heaver now. They really need to update that photo.

Of course once The Old Republic comes out. It's finally over for swg. I'll miss my old house. /tear

For those who haven't seen him recently, here you go:
 

He now looks like Fester.

Wow...such rabid hate.

Way to represent the gaming community in a positive non-psychotic light.