7 New eSports Speakers Announced for #DICE18

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is pleased to announce seven additional speakers for the 2018 D.I.C.E. Summit (#DICE18), taking place Feb. 20-22 in Las Vegas.  Leading video game executives and creators will gather to participate in the premier industry networking event and listen to key speakers address the conference theme - Made Better - tackling some of the industry’s biggest ideas and trends. 

The Future of Esports: Blizzard’s Long Competitive Quest

Blizzard CEO and Cofounder Mike Morhaime, Overwatch League Commissioner Nate Nanzer, and Esports Director of Operations Kim Phan discuss the company’s innovation in esports over two decades, from the original StarCraft all the way through the launch of the Overwatch League in January.

  • Mike Morhaime, President, CEO, and Cofounder, Blizzard Entertainment
  • Nate Nanzer, Commissioner, Overwatch League
  • Kim Phan, Director, Esports Operations, Blizzard Entertainment
  • Moderator – Geoff Keighley 

The Evolution of eSports

eSports is a massive industry that draws huge audiences and seems to be experiencing exponential growth.  Its success is drawing attention and investment from traditional sports organizations looking to get involved in this fast growing industry. This session brings together seasoned and successful team owners to share their thoughts on the evolution of eSports – past, present, and future.

  • Kevin Chou, Chairman and Co-owner, KSV
  • Andy Dinh, CEO, SoloMid
  • Jack Etienne, Co-Founder, Cloud9
  • Moderator – Geoff Keighley 

These industry experts will join previously announced speakers: Neil Druckmann, Creative Director, Naughty Dog; Chet Faliszek, Creative Director at Bossa Studios; Maureen Fan, CEO of Baobab Studios; Maja Moldenhauer, Executive Producer and Artist, Studio MDHR; Lidwine Sauer, Director of Insights and Trends for Ubisoft's Strategic Innovation Lab; Alex Schwartz, CEO (Chief Executive Owl) and Janitor, Owlchemy Labs;  Phil Spencer, Executive Vice President of Gaming at Microsoft; and Dan Trachtenberg, Director and Writer.

Click here for the full list of speakers.