NEW GAMEHOTEL EDITION: ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION

The second GAMEHOTEL edition in German-speaking Europe, held at Arena Filmcity in Zurich, received an enthusiastic reception from the audience, the media, and the industry. The event attracted thousands of game aficionados and a broad audience. | Event pictures |

The highlight of the two-day event was the electrifying GAMEHOTEL Live Show on Saturday evening. Packed with ideas, style, and a whole lot of fun, the three-hour extravaganza featured memorable appearances by some of the world's most respected game developers. 

Jade Raymond, producer of the highly anticipated Assassin's Creed, and Cevat Yerli, creator of the upcoming Crysis, blew away the audience with exclusive live demos of their titles. Cevat enjoyed the legendary GAMEHOTEL atmosphere (and the giant screen) so much that he even briefly left the show stage to experience his game amidst a delighted audience in the auditorium, with surround sound turned up to maximum level.

Alex Rigopulos rocked the house with an exclusive presentation of his latest master piece RockBand, performed by an ad-hoc band starring himself on the drums, and GAMEHOTEL director Bruno Beusch on the guitar. In the meantime, PGR4's Gareth Wilson took the audience on a high-speed journey behind the scenes of current game design. Industry notable Doug Church, head of the Steven Spielberg Project at Electronic Arts Los Angeles, switched into satellite perspective and offered fascinating first-hand insights into the future of interactive entertainment.

More captivating live action was provided courtesy of the highly successful Grand Game Battle. Four über-motivated gamers joined the international stars on stage to show off their skills in a breathtaking multi-round battle. 19 year old Gökhan emerged as the happy winner due to an explosive blend of gaming mastery, entertainment skills, and a hefty dose of irresistible charm. Among the other highlights was a fun live act by local indie band Schnitzer, who performed the official GAMEHOTEL hymn "A Gamer Is Me" on a portable gaming console.

"The resounding success of this new GAMEHOTEL edition demonstrates the massive interest people have for a high-profile international event that celebrates the most creative minds in interactive entertainment," says GAMEHOTEL executive producer Tina Cassani. "We easily surpassed our goal to double last year's attendance, and will now further extend our presence in this part of Europe."

The top-notch GAMEHOTEL Conference, held in conjunction with the GAMEHOTEL show, proved to be equally successful. Leading international speakers spotlighted the power of video games as a powerful advertising and marketing medium, and brought decision makers, opinion leaders, and practitioners up to speed on new business opportunities. Among the highlights of the conference were the opening keynote by renowned media economist Dr. Jörg Müller-Lietzkow, the inspiring visionary keynote speech by Doug Church, as well as a talk on Alternate Reality Games by Perplex City designer Adrian Hon.

The new GAMEHOTEL Expo attracted thousands of game aficionados and a broad audience who gladly took the opportunity to test drive the latest and hottest games of the year, from blockbuster titles to innovative new genres and casual games.

See also: event preview and program