Village Gamer

Infinite Game Publishing (IGP) and Piranha Games Inc. (PGI) have announced that Russ Bullock and Bryan Ekman, president and creative director of the acclaimed Free-To-Play title MechWarrior Online, will be attending PAX East for the Sunday afternoon panel, “Going Back to the Future – Calling All Mechwarriors, Tribes and Star Citizens”. Taking place Sunday, March 24 from 3:30-4:30 pm in the Arachnid Theater, Russ and Bryan will be joined by Chris Roberts, President, Cloud Imperium Games (Star Citizen) and Todd Harris, President, Hi-Rez Studios (Tribes Ascend) and moderated by Penny Arcade’s Ben Kuchera.

Designed to pull back the curtain on popular franchises that are leading the free-to-play and modern game distribution revolution in North America, audience members will hear from panelists as they discuss a variety of topics in this arena and take questions from fans.

Join the panelists’ discussion as they cover:

• Fascinating discoveries during the process of reinventing a beloved franchise for both new and old fans alike.
• Crowdfunding vs. Publishing:  stories of trial and triumph in bringing an idea to life in the brave new world of videogame funding.
• How crowdfunding, kickstarters, founders editions have broken the creativity shackles formerly in place by traditional publishers – and why that’s a GREAT thing for gamers.
• Player feedback – why the gamer and their feedback is more important than EVER before and how it can have an immediate effect on gameplay development.
• Speculation on where each team feels the future lies for more classic franchises making a comeback.

The panel is perfect for fans who hold a special place for these classic PC gaming titles or gamers who are interested in giant, stomping Mechs, massive interstellar spaceships and fast-paced FPS action games. An opportunity not to be missed, those in attendance will learn valuable game development information and have a chance to participate in a live Q&A.