Xbox Founder Fries, 2D Boy's Carmel To Keynote MIGS

Xbox project co-founder Ed Fries and 2D Boy's Ron Carmel have been revealed as the two main keynote speakers for this year's Montreal International Games Summit, set for November 8 and 9. Fries will discuss "beauty, constraints and the Atari 2600," according to organizers; Carmel will talk steps involved in developing an independent game, and share his predictions for the current industry. Along with these two keynotes, MIGS also said that the show's five tracks will each have their own keynotes. First up, on the business track, Fuzbi director David Edery will discuss the lifecycle of online distribution platforms. The art track will see a keynote from Gnomon School of Design chief executive Alex Alvarez, who will discuss the role education will play in inspiring and motivating artists. Third, on the design track, Playdom designer Scott Jon Siegel will talk measuring success in the casual games space, and why fear of innovation is unnecessary. The production keynote will be the purview of Autodesk's Tom Wujec, who will discuss methods of addressing current visual challenges. Lastly, Harmonix software developer Ryan Challinor will tackle the keynote on the technology track, discussing his company's unusual approach to controller design. Interested parties can find further info on MIGS at the event's official website.