Ensemble Founders Reunite For Age of Empires GCDC Keynote

Organizers of the upcoming European game developer conference, GCDC, due to be held in Leipzig from August 20 to 22, have announced that the event will include a special keynote reuniting the original founders of developer Ensemble Studios, during which they will reflect back and discuss the development of the real-time strategy classic, Age of Empires. First released for the PC in 1997, the now 10-year old title combined elements of historical titles such as Civilization with real-time strategy company and and resource management, laying the foundation for a series that has since gone on the span multiple expansions and sequels, as well as a spin off PC title in 2002's Age of Mythology, as well as Age of Empires: The Age of Kings, a turn-based version for the Nintendo DS. The keynote will feature commentary from Ensemble Studios' head Tony Goodman and the designers Brian Sullivan and Bruce Shelley, as the trio discuss how the various parts of the game came together, including the topic, the scope, graphic look, and the feature set. They will also revisit the trials of starting a new game studio, building the team, creating such a big game, finding and working with a quality publisher, and keeping it all together. "The three of us have all gone on with our lives since 1997 and it will be entertaining, and I hope educational, to hear what the three of us think now about the struggle to make this game over ten years ago," commented Shelley, who has also worked on titles such as Civilization and Railroad Tycoon. In addition to this unique keynote, GCDC will also feature other presentations, including the recently announced keynote address by Double Fine founder Tim Schafer, as well talks by developer Peter Molyneux, Epic Games' Michael Capps, Cryptic Studios' Michael Lewis, EA Mythic's Jeff Hickman, and Stormfront Studios' Don Daglow, and others. More information concerning the event, including conference program and sponsorship opportunities, can be found on the official website.