BERLIN, June 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- Hilmar Petursson to Inspire Continued Industry Growth in Europe

Hilmar Petursson, Chief Executive Officer of CCP, one of the world's largest independent game developers, will deliver a keynote address at the 2009 Game Developers Conference Europe entitled, CCP: Winning the War. GDC Europe will take place August 17-19, 2009 at Cologne Congress Center East in Cologne, Germany, bringing together top talent from across the globe to meet, exchange ideas and showcase some of the recent advances in video games and supporting technology.

In his address, Petursson will discuss CCP's rise to success from relative obscurity and how the small Reykjavik-based studio overcame the stigma of producing a niche product that's now one of the largest massively multiplayer games (MMOGs) in the world: EVE Online. As a testament to the industry's potential for growth despite widespread economic turmoil and as an inspiration for up-and-coming independent studios, Petursson will give an exclusive first look at the company's latest project, which is currently in pre-production.

GDC Europe is gearing up to be one of the industry's most essential events. I am honored to have this opportunity to share some of the valuable lessons CCP has learned with such a prestigious audience, said Hilmar Petursson.

Appointed CEO in January of 2004, Petursson has led CCP's explosive growth in terms of size and influence, including the company's expansion into Asia and North America. Earlier this year, CCP announced plans for an extensive global expansion of the company, reflecting the global uptake of MMOGs and as evidenced by EVE's ongoing prosperity.

To learn more about this keynote, and the up-to-date speaker and session lineup for GDC Europe visit: www.gdceurope.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Simon Wondracek, Gerriet Ohls, Europe +49(0)251-7481123 sw@fragster.de, go@fragster.de Ben Veechai, North America +1-415-947-6280 bveechai@think-services.com GDC EUROPE CONTACT: Frank Sliwka, VP European Business Development +49(0)171-1288898 fsliwka@think-services.com

Media, Simon Wondracek, Gerriet Ohls, Europe, +49(0)251-7481123, sw@fragster.de, go@fragster.de; or Ben Veechai, North America, +1-415-947-6280, bveechai@think-services.com; or GDC Europe, Frank Sliwka, VP European Business Development, +49(0)171-1288898, fsliwka@think-services.com