New iPhone Game Summit set for March '09

New iPhone Game Summit set for March '09
By Jeff Smykil | Published: January 16, 2009 - 03:41PM CT

3rd Power LLC has announced that it will be holding the first iPhone Games Summit aimed at educating developers, investors, and executives about the iPhone gaming space. The summit will take place on Thursday, March 19 from 11:00AM until 5:30PM Pacific Time at the Mission Bay Conference Center on the University of California, San Francisco campus.



The schedule thus far isn't very informative; the two sessions listed are "Lessons Learned: Why iPhone Games Work" and "What Does the Future Hold for iPhone Games," with registration and lunch taking from 12:00PM to 1:00PM and no mention of what will happen from 11:00AM until noon. To date, 3rd Power lists Booyah, Tapulous, AdMob, SGN, and Zynga as participating companies, although the level of participation is not detailed.

3rd Power is currently looking for speakers for the summit and is currently accepting registrations. The organization is most interested in individuals with experience and advice regarding social games, distribution secrets, and using the GPS and accelerometer in games, among others. There is no note about monetary or alternative compensation, just a request to e-mail if you find yourself interested.

Right now, early-bird registration costs $299 for the single day and is available until February 19. Also available is Academic pricing, which allows a fulltime student or faculty member to attend the summit for $85. If it were me, I would like to see just who's speaking before plunking down any cash, but even then, $299 seems a little steep—especially if it's going to go up over time. Just for a frame of reference, the annual C4 conference, which lasts two and a half days, costs a little over $500. But C4 has a well-established reputation with well-respected speakers and a sold-out audience, so caveat emptor when it comes to plunking down the cash for this summit.