Texas Governor To Keynote 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit

The Entertainment Software Association has announced that Texas governor Rick Perry will deliver the keynote address at its forthcoming July 15-17th E3 Media & Business Summit, addressing the steps the state has taken to support the games industry. ESA CEO Michael D. Gallagher, said the governor's keynote will be timely, "given the high concentration of entertainment software developers and publishers in Texas as well as the state’s long-standing support of our industry." The ESA says Perry "has focused his administration on creating a Texas of unlimited opportunity and prosperity through initiatives to improve education and the Texas job climate, keep taxes low and ensure state spending is disciplined." First announced in December of 2007, ESA officials have continued their plans to keep the event focused on "press events and small meetings with media, development, and other key sectors," rather than its former trade show environment. The 2008 Summit has moved, though to the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), as opposed to 2007's Santa Monica location. While Activision has most publicly withdrawn from the event, in its latest release, the ESA notes its confirmed attendees will include a wide variety of major publishers including Capcom, EA, Konami, LucasArts, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Take-Two, THQ, and more. Concluded Gallagher of Perry's keynote, “The Governor’s forward-thinking leadership in encouraging the growth and development of our $18 billion industry is a roadmap for other state executives who want to transform their state economies for the 21st century.”