June 22^nd, 2005 (6:19pm) - The 5th Annual Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe) has announced both the keynote and conference line up for the August 30th to September 1st, 2005 event in London, UK. Industry veteran and Sony executive Phil Harrison will deliver a keynote address on Wednesday, 31 August, and Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi will deliver a keynote address on Thursday, 1 September.

During his August 31st keynote Q & A session, Harrison will discuss next-generation development and the state of the European interactive entertainment community, in an interview with GDC Europe Conference Director Jamil Moledina. Harrison is currently the Executive Vice President, Development for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Previously, he was responsible for the day-to-day management of Sony Computer Entertainment America extensive third party program, including licensee relations, product planning and strategic relationships. Harrison also cultivates new technology and business opportunities for the PlayStation brand.

Celebrated game developer Keita Takahashi will deliver the Thursday, September 1st keynote address. Takahashi-san made his directorial debut with the quirky sleeper hit Katamari Damacy. The game presents players with a refreshingly unique, genre-defying game design, in which the player rolls game objects into an ever-increasing ball, while working against the clock. In this session, Takahashi-san gives a detailed inside look into the development process for the game, and previews new gameplay innovations he will be presenting through his latest project: We Love Katamari.

In terms of the conference itself, GDC Europe has unveiled a program designed to keep developers current on development issues of today, and next-generation strategies for tomorrow. Attendees will gain access to innovative sessions drawn from successes made by developers of Killzone, Singstar, Project Gotham Racing 3 and more, choosing sessions from any of the five conference tracks including: Production and Management, Tools and Tricks, Case Studies, Vision, and Best of GDC. Through three days of lectures, keynotes, panels, and tutorials, leading developers will share practical information and artistic inspiration within a forum that is exclusively focused on the European game development community.

GDC Europe Mobile, a one day intensive seminar on August 30th, presents a unique opportunity for European mobile game developers by focusing exclusively on mobile game creation. From groundbreaking technical discussions in areas such as 3G games and developing in a fractured platform environment, the seminar will deliver detailed programming, design, and production sessions, featuring speakers from leading development studios, publishers, handset manufacturers, and carriers.

Early rate pricing for GDC Europe expires Wednesday, August 3rd. Please visit www.gdceurope.com to register for attendance and review conference information. Press registration is also available at this time.