Peter Moore to keynote Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2009

EA Sports president Peter Moore is to deliver a keynote address at this year's Edinburgh Interactive Festival, with other prominent speakers also newly confirmed.

Former Sega of America president and ex-corporate vice president of Microsoft's interactive entertainment division, British-born Moore will discuss the challenges of reinventing the EA Sports brand for the current market and how developers can apply his strategies to their own brands.

"I am honoured to be invited to deliver the opening keynote at the Edinburgh Games Festival. This event is a milestone on the interactive entertainment industry’s calendar, and I look forward to contributing to this year’s discussions," said Moore.

Also confirmed to speak at this year's event is Jim Crowley, president and CEO of The Lord of the Rings Online and Asheron's Call developer Turbine. He will discuss virtual environments and the importance of online communities, describing how Turbine has attempted to reach a broader audience with its own massively multiplayer online games.

"Across the globe, social media and the participatory habits of consumers are changing the way companies develop entertainment experiences," said Crowley. "I am honoured to participate in the Edinburgh Interactive Festival this year and am looking forward to discussing this topic with fellow executives and sharing some of the developments Turbine has made in its award-winning massively multiplayer online games."

Also speaking will be Sean Dromgoole of Some Research and GameVision, who will lecture on gaming trends and the changing demographics of the market. Finally, Smalti Technology founder Martin Owen will discuss his work with music technology enhanced learning in a talk named "Sound only games".

The Edinburgh Interactive Festival Conference 2009 is due to take place on August 13 and 14. A public showcase, as well as Dare to be Digital’s Dare ProtoPlay and the Games Screening programme, will run on August 14 and 15. Further information can be found at the official website.