WORLD OF WARCRAFT'S ROB PARDO, MICHAEL DELL, AND HUGO WINNING AUTHOR VERNOR VINGE HEADLINE AUSTIN GAME CONFERENCE ON SEPTEMBER 6-7-8, 2006

Austin, Texas, July 5, 2006 - The Game Initiative, the leading producer of conferences for professionals in the computer and video game industry, today announced keynotes and speakers for this year's Austin Game Conference (AGC) taking place September 6-7-8, 2006 in Austin, Texas. Headline speakers include: Rob Pardo, Blizzard Entertainment's Vice President of Game Design and lead designer for World of Warcraft; Michael Dell, Chairman of the Board, Dell, Inc.; and Vernor Vinge, Hugo Award Winning Science-Fiction Author. Austin Game Conference is the definitive worldwide conference for online game development, including massively multiplayer online games, casual games, online PC and console games.

Over three days 2,400 attendees from 20 countries will participate in concentrated discourse on the worldwide online game market, which is forecasted to grow from $3.4 billion in 2005 to over $13 billion in 2011. Attendees will network with colleagues, learn from industry leaders, stay informed about the latest tools, technologies and techniques and get business done in a relaxed atmosphere. The speaker roster, available at http://www.GameConference.com , includes 100 industry leading individuals participating in seven detailed conference tracks.

"We are extremely pleased to have so many visionaries and industry leaders join us at the fourth annual Austin Game Conference," said Game Initiative Executive Director Christopher Sherman. "With this year's theme of "Brave New Worlds" the Austin Game Conference hosts industry influencers, including game developers, technologists and business professionals from around the world. Austin is one of the top 5 cities in the United States for video game development with more than 60 video game development companies in the local area."

Headliners and Keynotes
Blizzard Entertainment's Vice President of Game Design Rob Pardo will deliver the conference opening keynote address on Wednesday, September 7, 2006 at 10am. Rob is the lead designer for the hugely successful World of Warcraft and he also supervises the progress of Blizzard's PC and console titles in development.

Michael Dell, Chairman of the Board of Dell, Inc., will speak with conference attendees in a special fireside chat in the Austin Game Conference Technology Pavilion on Thursday, September 7, 2006 at 4:45pm. Dell founded Dell, Inc. in 1984 with $1,000. In 1992, Mr. Dell became the youngest CEO ever to earn a ranking on the Fortune 500.

Hugo Award Winning Science-Fiction Author Vernor Vinge will deliver the Friday, September 8th keynote address at 9:30am entitled "Inside Out". Vernor is best known for his science-fiction stories, which include "True Names", "A Fire Upon the Deep", and "A Deepness in the Sky".