Rein promises contentious keynote for Develop

Epic Games VP Mark Rein is to deliver a keynote address at the Develop Conference in Brighton next month which will attack the industry's thinking on next-generation development

In a speech aggressively titled "Studios need to smarten up or ship out when it comes to next-gen development," Rein plans to look past the discussion of design over graphics, and address how time and resources are being managed in development.

"Mark Rein is a big hitter and an influential figure within the community," commented conference director Susan Marshall. "We're looking forward to his presentation, which will no doubt pose some tough questions for our delegates."

Rein's keynote will be just one of several high-profile sessions taking place at the conference, with speakers including Rez and Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Halo composer Marty O'Donnell, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux, Singstar producer Pauline Bozek, Blitz Games founder Andrew Oliver, and top British film producer Andrew MacDonald.

"Attracting speakers of Mark's calibre is, I think, indicative of how well the community has embraced this event," according to Marshall. "It's going to be a cracking week in Brighton."

The Develop Conference runs on Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th July, with a Mobile Day planned for Tuesday 11th - with a keynote to be delivered by Nokia's Kamar Shah. The GamesEdu event and an ATI-sponsored graphics developer day will run on Friday July 14th.

For more information or to register for the conference, visit the Develop In Brighton website.