Okay, so you've got your agenda finalized. What's the next thing to do? Why, it's to announce the All-Star Speakers, of course.

Evergreen Events, the organizer of the 2008 ION Game Conference, has done precisely that. It's mentioned four important names to take note of. Find out who these four people are after the jump.

Take-Two Interactive Software, the distributor of Grand Theft Auto 4 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) and other games, has given word that it is planning to expand into Asia Pacific markets. The company has tapped an experienced senior executive to help them establish a foothold in Asia. For more information, don't hesitate to click on the "read more" link below.

During the first ever Games Convention Asia Conference (GC Asia Conference) held in Singapore, many countries proved how the industry is also strong in Asia outside Japan. Singapore, known as a big market for MMORPGs, even took a step forward to announce that they're ready to become a games industry center of excellence.

Minister for community development, Vivian Balakrishnan, revealed that around US$ 330 million (SG$ 500 million) of government funds went to research and development in the digital interactive sector.

A student exchange program called "GAMBIT" is also under way for Singapore and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to share their expertise.

Other parts of South East Asia expressed interest in the industry. A memorandum that "signifies the recognition of each other as ideal counterparts for future collaboration and co-operation in this region for the benefit of the games industry" was signed by ten Asian game developers associations from various countries like Japan, Korea, Australia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Asia-Pacific is expected to contribute 40% of gaming industry's US$ 39.8 billion annual revenue by the end of 2008, and Singapore wants a piece of the cake. "Singapore intends to be part of the action," said Balakrishnan.

 

Blizzard's undying love to games that have been on shelves for years is still apparent, as seen with the latest update on StarCraft. It's been almost a decade since the blockbuster RTS' release, yet thousands of fans still play it everyday. Props goes to Blizzard for addressing issues gamers encounter for no extra charge.

The new patch, while nothing stellar, is still something that League players and everyone else will appreciate. Here's the changelog:

• Made stability improvements to replay saving code.
• Fixed a bug where the map download progress was not shown.
• Pressing alt-f4 while in Starcraft and logged into a league now logs you out of the league.
• Updated some of the localization for the league page.
• Fixed an exploit that allowed nukes to fall anywhere on the map.

With all the buzz on StarCraft 2, it's very delighting to see support for this old fogey. StarCraft already made its mark, becoming a national sport in Korea and one of the few video games that double as spectator sports, yet Blizzard isn't just sitting in the back while enjoying royalties. Kudos goes to them.

Slipping back to our business suits, we've gotten word that U.S. market research firm Parks Associates has discovered that online gaming still outweighs video streaming or social networking over the Internet. The report entitled "Casual Gaming Market Update" claimed that at least 34% of adult Internet users play online games on a weekly basis. Games they play include casual games, confirming the rise in popularity of the casual gaming sector.

 

In contrast, 29% of those surveyed watch short online videos, and a smaller 19% visit social networking sites at least once a week. Additionally, online gaming is also experiencing a major surge in the North American region. Parks Associates observed a 79% year-on-year rise in online gamers, compared to the 46% climb of social networking users.

Still, video streaming users are ascending at a steep 123%, and the online gaming sector would do well to challenge that rate in the following years. The online gaming sector is becoming a ripe source of income, and Parks Associates still recommends the tried-and-tested Western business models for the region.

In the Eastern front, the online gaming sector is becoming a blossoming playground for the Asian gaming industry, as Taiwan, Korea, and China have experienced phenomenally market booms in the previous year. Market predictions are also off-the-roof for the Far East, and it may have already grown leaps and bounds in the first half of 2007.

Because people WoW and click Flash more than they Facebook or Youtube, we'll be monitoring for more developments as they come clicking by.

The Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) has recently released an official announcement ticking off the need-to-know facts of this year's Tokyo Game Show (TGS). The freshly wired press release claimed that an anticipated 168 exhibitors will strut their stuff on 1,708 booths over eight spacious halls in Makuhari Messe, Mihama-ku, Chiba City starting September 20, 2007.

 

From 2007 onwards, the TGS will serve as a essential part in Japan's International Contents Festival (CoFesta). And while it will serve as a bid for major publishers towards the end-of-year season of software releases, it will also bring mobile telephony forward to the tech-savvy masses, courtesy of special sponsor NTT DoCoMo.

TGS2007, extending its show to four days for the first time, will also be introducing new exhibitors from around the world, including companies from The Netherlands, Sweden and Thailand, adding to the 51 international participating exhibitors from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

The business leg of the event is also stretched to two full days, a conclusion of which is succeeded with open exhibition to a targeted gathering of 180,000 attendees on September 22-23. The first two days of the Nikkei co-organized event will be open only to attendees with business in mind, touting a TGS Forum 2007 program keynoted by none other than Kazuo Hirai, Sony Computer Entertainment's (SCE) president and group CEO.

Need to know more? Then head on over to the full article, right after the jump!

(From the Editor: Another week, another issue of the QuickJump QuickPeek for all of us! The gaming community was pelted with hard hitting updates the past seven days, fortunately for you guys our hardworking writers from various teams managed to squeeze in some time for this awesome issue. This ish is extra beefy since it marks the first month since our weekly compilation of heaps of gaming info was initialized. To celebrate that, we're once again showcasing a comment from one of our more in/famous regulars. Last week it was Mister Common Sense, I wonder who it'll be this week? Read the whole article to find out!)

Whoa! It's really hard to keep track of time especially when you've been deeply absorbed by the gravity of your current undertaking. Hmm, "gravity". That sounds a pretty good word to describe the week's recent events. Gravity's synonymous to "implications", and the things we're about to report will surely eat up our time figuring out what the backlash will be. Surprised? Try imagining what will happen to Microsoft after the resignation of Peter Moore. Or imagine the possibilities opening for the PlayStation Portable with a super team of hackers reportedly working on another custom firmware. You could also try to figure out what kind of new PS3 controller, announced by Kaz Hirai, Sony and Immersion could come up with. Brain juices oozing with possibilities? Read on to find more:

The full issue awaits after the jump!

Earlier today, CMP Media LLC announced that the Game Developers Conference Korea (GDC Korea) to be held in metropolitan Busan has been "changed" and will no longer occur this coming September. Although the official announcement at the event's official web site still claims CMP will be pushing through with the event, it appears a specific 2007 event will not be possible.

In fact, the new logo now suggests that a new GDC Korea is on the drawing boards for next year. "We will continue working on a plan that best meets the community's needs," goes the official word, offering more updates to vigilant, interested parties and frequent site visitors.

In other fronts, however, GDC Austin, GDC China, and GDC 2008 have not been affected in any way, and it may be safe to say that the next GDC event in Austin will push through this September.

Gaming in Asia is often associated with Japan, South Korea and China, but the region as a whole is catching up to the growing industry as evidenced by more events being organized to forge cooperation and spread new knowledge on the field.

Games Convention Asia Conference (GCAC) is among the first of such large scale events outside the three aforementioned nations. It's the equivalent of Europe's GCDC and this year, Singapore is hosting it.

The event is none-business in nature and more oriented on talks which seek to impart insights on the state of the industry. However, such conferences have been known to be venues where parties interested in starting commercial ties get acquainted and start partnerships in the long run.

Speakers from Europe, North America and Asia are in the roster of those who will be taking the stage as facilitators of discussions. Bob Bates, story writer behind Unreal Tournament II, will be there, as well as Steve Schnur, EA's Worldwide Executive for Music and Audio.

Local stalwart Chris Natsuume will also be among the first to speak in the events. He was largely responsible for the creation of the game Far Cry. Frank Sliwka, GCDC Project Manager, commented on the new event, stating:

We are confident that the GC Asia Conference will establish itself as the leading platform for the game development community in Asia. The program we put forward will provide attendees with the kind of practical knowledge and numerous networking opportunities for which GC development conferences are well known.

The Games Convention Asia Conference will commence September 6 and last for two days, although no particular venue in Singapore has been named as of press time.

The Entertainment Software Association has applauded the recent forging of a free trade agreement between the US and South Korea which will not only make it easier for publishers to bring games to and fro, it also helps fight software piracy.

According to the USA, opening better trade relations with one of the most economically-successful countries in Asia will result in "non-discriminatory and duty-free treatment for all digital products." This means that both countries will enjoy equal opportunities in the market to sell their wares.

This also means, according to software publishers, that the campaign against piracy has been bolstered because intellectual rights will be safeguarded whether they're in retail stores or up for sale in the internet.

Both the US and South Korea have populations where gaming is a big business. They also have extensive broadband connections among the citizenry to make them two of the world's most wired nations. Business opportunities abound as the game makers in the regions are innovative and successful at what they do.