Sydney, 13th May 2013 – Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) today announced the full line-up of gaming industry experts who will lead the Vivid Ideas THE MAKING OF… a blockbuster game panel discussion at this year’s Vivid Sydney festival.
Ricky Cambier, Game Designer from Naughty Dog Inc. will be joined by Cam Shea, Senior Editor of IGN Australia, and Patrick Lagana, SCE Aust.’s Head of Marketing Communications. Each having their own distinct views and experience of the gaming industry, the panel will delve into the process of bringing a bestselling game to the Australian market, focusing on elements from the critically acclaimed PlayStation®3 (PS3™) exclusive title, The Last of Us™ by Naughty Dog Inc.
California native Ricky Cambier‘s skill for storytelling stems from a theatre pedigree ranging across the US and Europe. Since 2005, his career portfolio spans the launch of eight titles including The Sims Stories, The Force Unleashed II and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception™.
“From the genesis of an initial story, through the development process, to the marketing campaign and the overall critical reception, this is set to be an insightful, explorative discussion, looking at the journey to market for a blockbuster title like The Last of Us,” said Cambier. “I am excited to see how the panel discussion will unfold as each panellist brings a unique perspective of the entire process to the conversation.”
Set 20 years after a pandemic has radically changed known civilization, The Last of Us is a genre-defining experience blending survival and action elements to tell a character driven story about a population decimated by modern plague. Combining gripping and suspenseful narrative with stunning graphics, The Last of Us has already been awarded multiple accolades and has been praised by critics.
Cam Shea has been commenting and writing about the games industry in Australia for over 15 years. Previously the editor of HYPER magazine, Cam currently leads the editorial team at IGN AU while regularly contributing to contributing to a variety of News Limited outlets. During his 14 years with SCE Australia, Patrick Lagana has launched award-winning titles and franchises with SCE Aust such as Crash Bandicoot®, Final Fantasy®, Gran Turismo®, God of War® among many others. Patrick has also launched the extensive PlayStation® hardware and services portfolio to the Australian market, including the PlayStation®3 (PS3™), PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita).
In addition, Stephanie Bendixsen (Hex) from ABC’s television show Good Game, will introduce and co-host the panel discussion, with Jess Scully, Festival Director of Vivid Ideas. Hex who has a cult Australian gaming fan base of her own, will lead the Q&A discussion.
THE MAKING OF… a blockbuster game panel will be held as part of the Vivid Ideas Exchange at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia – Forum, Level 6, on Tuesday 4th June 2013 from 9pm.
Tickets are available from http://vividsydney.oztix.com.au/default.aspx?Event=34810
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