A franchise spanning literature, comics, film & television, board games, and widely popular video games, The Witcher has touched millions with its engaging characters and exciting adventures. A diverse panel of experts discuss the many aspects of this renowned universe. Be the first to see new Dark Horse publications, see the first-ever live consumer demo of the upcoming The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt video game, and get a chance to meet the team behind Wild Hunt. Panelists include actors Doug Cockle (Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher franchise), Dark Horse Comics author Paul Tobin (The Witcher House of Glass), Nick McWhorter, CD PROJEKT RED's game developers Damien Monnier and Lukasz Wnek (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), and Rafal Jaki. Moderated by SpikeTV's Geoff Keighley.
Thursday July 24, 2014 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Room 6A
Prepare for your next step in the Halo Journey with a deep dive into Halo: Nightfall, the upcoming live-action digital series from 343 Industries and Scott Free Productions. Panelists include 343's Kiki Wolfkill (executive producer) and Frank O'Connor (franchise development director) along with key Halo: Nightfall cast and crew. Be among the first to get the details of the story and production.
Thursday July 24, 2014 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT
Room 6BCF
The game's always changing for League of Legends-it's a constantly evolving universe. Whether it is adding new content, updating champions and maps, reworking gameplay, or just giving older art a fresh face, League of Legends is constantly trying to level up the quality and player experience wherever it can. Sit down with members of the art, game design, sound, and production teams as they share insights and swap stories from their time spent working on League of Legends. The panel will kick off with a discussion about current and recent releases before opening it up for Q&A.
Thursday July 24, 2014 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 6BCF
Go behind the scenes with the research that went into building Far Cry 4's open-world Kyrat for the next generation. The team traveled to Nepal with VICE to draw inspiration and create authentic Kyrati characters and environments native to the region. Also learn more about Far Cry 4's Quest for Everest, when panelists pick a winner for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be the first to play a video game on Mount Everest.
Thursday July 24, 2014 3:15pm - 4:15pm PDT
Room 6DE
What does it take to animate a video game? How does animation in video games differ from conventional animated media and where does it overlap? ASIFA-Hollywood invites you to join the panel for a lively discussion on the wide array of disciplines and possibilities in video game animation, which will include artists who have experience in CG key frame, motion capture, sprites, hand-drawn and dynamic animation. This is a panel aspiring game animators don't want to miss!
Thursday July 24, 2014 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 5AB
Moderator Francis Mao (Capcom) and a panel of Capcom staff members share the latest updates on all the hot, new Capcom games, including Ultra Street Fighter IV, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Dead Rising 3, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, plus sneak peeks at all the latest cool Capcom merchandise and maybe a surprise or two.
Thursday July 24, 2014 4:45pm - 5:45pm PDT
Room 6BCF
UPDATED: Sat, Jul 12, 09:35AM Xbox Live's Major Nelson gives an inside look into the inspiration behind the vibrant and off-the-wall style of Sunset Overdrive, a new open-world action game coming exclusively to the Xbox One this fall. Audience members will be the first to see new Sunset Overdrive content illustrating the creative freedom the game offers players. Hear directly from Insomniac Games's Drew Murray and Marcus Smith (game and creative director, respectively) along with art director Jacinda Chew and lead character artist Gavin Goulden.
Thursday July 24, 2014 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 5AB
Firefly Online (FFO), the first and only officially licensed video game based on the cult-hit TV show Firefly, aims for nothing less than to bring Firefly back to life for millions of fans. Executive producer Andy Gore, technical director John O'Neill, voice-over and casting director Andrea Romano (Batman: The Animated Series plus many others), game director Adam Cogan, art director Ben Lichius, and composer David Joseph Wesley present the first official public demonstration of FFO. FFO is a multi-user strategic role-playing game set in the universe of Joss Whedon's beloved TV show Firefly. You'll see how to get a ship, hire a ragtag crew, and do whatever it takes to survive in The Black! The demonstration will be followed by Q&A. Also, expect a few surprises.
Thursday July 24, 2014 6:30pm - 7:30pm PDT
Room 24ABC
UPDATED: Tue, Jul 15, 11:42AM Join this high-powered panel divulging how much of an impact video games can have on people's lives in-game as well as offline. Parents advocating for a learner-centered approach often brings up the question, "Won't my kids just play video games all day?" Although the answer to that is multifaceted, no experience is devoid of learning. In fact, some experiences may have more opportunities for development than first believed. Genese Davis (The Holder's Dominion, MMORPG.com, The Gamer in You) Stephan Frost (games design producer Carbine Studios), Kate Edwards (executive director International Game Developers Association) and Justin Burnham (director of operations Devolver Digital, project manager South by Southwest) as they discuss the benefits and potential drawbacks to video games and how to navigate both. This high-powered panel will plunge into video game culture and its social development, divulging how video games affect our lives and education.
UPDATED: Mon, Jul 21, 06:48PM Bang Zoom! Entertainment brings you this one-hour panel/workshop about voice acting that covers practical dubbing techniques, important issues such as studio protocol, and what to expect at your first audition. This is a great opportunity for attendees interested in the voice-acting profession to get firsthand advice and experience from the pros in an intimate yet dynamic setting. You will learn directly from some of the best voice actors and directors in the world and also get some inside information on how to break in and what the industry is really like. Panel guests include voice director Andrea Toyias (World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment), and voice actor Jonathan Adams (Diablo III, World of Warcraft).
Thursday July 24, 2014 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
343 Industries's executive producer Dan Ayoub , senior producer Dennis Ries, and franchise director Frank O'Connor, along with Certain Affinity's president and original Halo 2 multiplayer designer, Max Hoberman, offer an in-depth conversation about Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Fans can hear about what to expect from the highly anticipated compilation and discuss the efforts being made to bring the story of the Master Chief and Halo's legendary multiplayer to a new generation.
Friday July 25, 2014 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
Room 6BCF
ADDED: Wed, Jul 23, 06:49AM Want to work in a fandom-related industry you're passionate about, but not sure where to start? These professional "Nerds for a Living" will discuss careers within gaming, film, comics, illustration and more. LeeJoyner (director of admissions, Cinema Makeup School), TomKurzanski (art director, TeeFury), ClaireHummel (production designer, HBO; concept artist, BioShock Infinite), KarenHallion (artist and illustrator), BradHerman (lead product designer, DreamWorks Animation), and PatLoika (Loikamania Podcast) will share their career-building experiences. Topics include training, online resources, networking, and tactics to use (and avoid) for breaking into your dream industry. Moderated by WendyBuske (marketing director, Nerd For A Living). This panel will conclude with an audience Q&A.
Katsuhiro Harada (director of the Tekken series, Bandai Namco Games Inc.) and a special guest discuss all things Tekken as well as Harada-san's newest title. In addition, producers from Rise of Incarnates, a game developed from the same DNA as the Tekken and Soulcaliber series, will be showing off this exciting new franchise from Bandai Namco Games. Moderated by Mark "Markman" Julio (Mad Catz).
Friday July 25, 2014 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
Explore the realm of the Ring like never before when Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment presents an in-depth look at the groundbreaking Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor video game. Focus on the time between The Hobbit and LOTR and learn the secret history of the Rings of Power and their relationship to the Wraith-and maybe get some tips on how to dominate the Dark Lord Sauron's army and other enemies. Panelists Michael de Plater (director of design, Monolith Productions, Tom Clancy's EndWar, Rome: Total War), lead writer Christian Cantamessa (Red Dead Redemption), Phil Straub (art director, Monolith Productions, Utherworlds, D'artiste Digital Painting), the voice of Talion Troy Baker (The Last of Us , Batman: Arkham Origins, BioShock Infinite, Batman: Arkham City), and moderator Professor Janet Croft reveal new gameplay and story details and discuss the innovative approach to storytelling through the Nemesis System. Surprises, revelations and giveaways await you! Middle-Earth: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC Shadow of Mordor will be released on October 7 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Learn about how the blockbuster Assassin's Creed franchise has been re-imagined for the next generation of gaming. Meet mysterious Arno, the new hero in Assassin's Creed Unity, learn more details about the game, and be the first to hear about new announcements for the Assassin's Creed franchise! Rob Zombie and Tony Moore (The Walking Dead co-creator) will be debut an animated short inspired by Assassin's Creed Unity. Meet and ask questions from the team behind Assassin's Creed Unity.
Friday July 25, 2014 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 6BCF
Taking lessons from their success on Dead Space, Steve Papoutsis (executive producer) and Ian Milham (creative director), discuss how they are moving the Battlefield series in a bold new direction with Battlefield Hardline. Learn how the team at Visceral Games is collaborating withBill Johnson (Justified), Kelly Hu (Arrow), Eugene Byrd (Bones), and Benito Martinez (House of Cards) to fuse the interactive medium of video games with the creative presentation of TV crime dramas to deliver a wholly new and unique experience to gamers. New footage of the engaging single player campaign will be on display showcasing the game's story about the war on crime in the gritty and glamorous streets of LA and Miami.
Comic-Con fans will get the first glimpse at Atari: Game Over, the Xbox Originals documentary that chronicles the fall of the Atari Corporation through the lens of one of the biggest mysteries of all time, dubbed "The Great Video Game Burial of 1983." As the story goes, the Atari Corporation, faced with overwhelmingly negative response to the E.T. video game, disposed of hundreds of thousands of unsold game cartridges by burying them in the small town of Alamogordo, New Mexico. Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, original Atari video game designer Howard Scott Warshaw (E.T., Yar's Revenge, Raiders of the Lost Ark), two-time Academy Award-winning executive producer Simon Chinn (Searching for Sugar Man and Man on Wire), Emmy Award-winning executive producer Jonathan Chinn (FX's 30 Days and PBS's American High), director Zak Penn (X-Men 3, Avengers, and Incident at Loch Ness), Fuel CEO Mike Burns, and more as they take fans behind the scenes and share an inside look into the making of this weird and wonderful film. Moderated by Larry Hyrb (Xbox's Major Nelson).
A lot has changed since Dark Horse first released Mass Effect: Redemption #1 back in 2010. For the first time ever, video game franchises found a legitimacy in comics that had been practically unheard of previously. Adding new titles to a line of comics and deluxe art books, which includes the bestselling Hyrule Historia: The Legend of Zelda, the publisher now works with some of the biggest studios and brands in the business. Get news and announcements on everything from Tomb Raider, Plants vs. Zombies, The Witcher, Dragon Age, HALO, Naughty Dog Studios, and of course, Mass Effect!
Moderator Francis Mao (Capcom) and a panel of Capcom's Street Fighter experts share the latest news on the greatest fighting game franchise in the world! Find out about the latest updates for Ultra Street Fighter IV and how you can earn big money and everlasting fame by competing in the Capcom Pro Tour culminating in the Capcup Finals in December. Panelist Joey Ansah (writer/director/actor of the smash hit Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist web series on Machinima.com) makes an exclusive appearance to share behind-the-scenes details of making the film as well as answer questions. Ultra-special guest Yoshinori Ono (Street Fighter franchise producer), returns to SDCC for his trademark special appearance and who knows what kind of hijinks are in store? Hadoken!
Friday July 25, 2014 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
The multi-million blockbuster zombie franchise is expanding its universe! With three Dead Island games spanning three different genres concurrently in development, sit in on discussions with producers and developers from all games, moderated by Aubrey Norris (director of marketing & PR, Deep Silver). The panel will detail both newly announced games, Dead Island 2 and Escape Dead Island, as well as detail how all three games tell their own unique perspective on the larger Dead Island universe. Attendees can look forward to receiving exclusive swag, only given away during this panel presentation.
Friday July 25, 2014 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
Moderator Francis Mao (Capcom) returns with another edition of this popular panel shedding insight on the wide variety of professions available in the video game industry. You'll find out that it's not all programming and digital art, as a panel of industry insiders from various companies share the unique ways that they got into the video game business, tell what they do each day, and most importantly share suggestions on how you can get into the industry, too. Q&A session as well as networking opportunity with panelists after the panel.
UPDATED: Tue, Jul 22, 11:07AM David Brevik (CEO Gazillion, visionary behind Diablo and Diablo II) sits down and talks with James Schmalz (CEO, Digital Extremes), Chris Lee (CEO, En Masse), David Eddings (VP, Gearbox) and Jared Gerritzen (VP, MLG) about the evolution of the action-RPG genre. From turn-based to real-time action, hear from the movers and shakers on how far the action-RPG genre has come and where it will be going in the future. Don't miss this chance to ask those burning questions you have in the Q&A session moderated by Genese Davis (The Holder's Dominion, MMORPG.com, The Gamer in You).
Friday July 25, 2014 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
Take a trip to the frontiers of gaming culture as Nerdist Gaming editor Malik Forté and guests look ahead at the exciting year of video games to come. Join Malik to discuss everything from next gen systems to the state of gaming culture directly with the people behind the bits.
Friday July 25, 2014 7:30pm - 8:30pm PDT
Room 24ABC
The most talked-about thing in pop culture this year was Mega64, and the whole crew is at Comic-Con for a panel in an intimate setting. Rocco Botte, Derrick Acosta, and Shawn Chatfield talk about their comedic legacy and why everyone should come to this panel and bail on the rest. Garrett Hunter, Eric Baudour, and Bryan Abou Chacra agree.
Monster Hunter is one of the most popular video game franchises in Japan, and the excitement is catching in the West! A panel of Capcom staff members a share the new features and exclusive insights from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (coming in early 2015 on the Nintendo 3DS). The game features all new weapons, monsters, and native online support. The panel will include gameplay footage, as well as some special surprises. Followed by a Q&A session.
Saturday July 26, 2014 3:30pm - 4:30pm PDT
Room 24ABC
We're seeing a groundbreaking evolution happening in e-Sports as pro players become recognized as professional athletes who are awarded visas and salaries. However, their journey has not been easy. Esteemed panelists Genese Davis (The Holder's Dominion, MMORPG.com, The Gamer in You), Ryan "Fwiz" Wyatt (VP of programming and eSports commentator, Major League Gaming), Sam "Samzorz" Hall (pro gamer, Mortality eSports, Twitch, founder of CODpedia), and John "ZeRo4" Hill (pro gamer, world champion: Quake) as they discuss the obstacles players face when seeking viable careers as e-Sports competitors. This high-powered panel will divulge exactly what it takes to become a pro gamer and how the e-Sports evolution is impacting the video game industry at large.
Saturday July 26, 2014 4:30pm - 5:30pm PDT
Room 26AB
Giants of the video game industry join forces for this panel. Genese Davis (The Holder's Dominion, MMORPG.com, The Gamer in You), Ryan "Morello" Scott (League of Legends), Kate Edwards (executive director International Game Developers Association), and Jennifer Zhang (Twin Galaxies) give their insight on everything ranging from creating futuristic video games to delving into themes that span the most prevalent elements of pop culture. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at video game story details, gameplay features, and the influence of video games in both video game culture and pop culture at large. These high-powered panelists will discuss the past of video game culture as it compares to today and how "gamification" is making it possible for everyone to become a gamer.
Saturday July 26, 2014 6:30pm - 7:30pm PDT
Room 24ABC
Chris Castagnetto (DJ Helsing) hosts the Official Gaia Online panel, your chance to meet the Gaia staff, including Princess Angelishia, get your burning questions answered, and take a sneak peek at some of the great stuff Gaia has planned for 2014. Expect plenty of fun and some great prizes.
Saturday July 26, 2014 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 5AB
Learn more about one of the largest Nintendo 3DS meet-up groups in the country. Administrators Adam Bitting, David Denni, and Yuleni Denni are joined by Michelle Hernandez and Adolfo Coronel as they discuss the group and share competitive advice and tools for video games developed by themselves and the community.
Sunday July 27, 2014 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Room 29A
Get ready for action in San Diego! Paul Kaminski (Archie Comics executive director of editorial) is joined by Mike Pellerito (Archie Comics president) and artists Jon Gray (Sonic, the Hedgehog) and Evan Stanley (Sonic, the Hedgehog) to bring you an hour jam-packed with action and adventure as you go behind the scenes and get the latest news on all things Sonic and Mega Man. Attendees will power-up with a free gift bag ticket chock full of Archie Action Awesomeness!
Sunday July 27, 2014 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 32AB
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games present an inside look at LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, its upcoming, multiplatform game. Produced by the creative geniuses of TT Games, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham puts Batman, Superman, and the heroes of DC Comics in an out-of-this-world adventure to various Lantern worlds battling Brainiac and some of the universe's most cunning villains. More than 150 characters with amazing powers and abilities provide a whole new twist on the popular action-adventure game. Be among the first to see a Comic-Con exclusive game-play demonstrations and character reveals, receive exciting prizes and giveaways, and witness a true blockbuster announcement. Panelists include TT Games game director Arthur Parsons and executive producer Phill Ring, as well as several members of the stellar voice cast, many of whom are reprising their roles in the famous franchise, including Troy Baker (Batman: Arkham Origins ), Travis Willingham (LEGO Batman: The Movie: DC Super Heroes Unite!), Laura Bailey (Batman: Arkham Origins), Dee Bradley Baker (Phineas and Ferb), Josh Keaton (Green Lantern: The Animated Series)-and special guest star Adam West!LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham will be available in the fall.
Sunday July 27, 2014 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 6BCF
Remember when Sonic took on Mario and tried to prove that Sega does what Nintendon't? Revisit the first generation of console wars with author Blake J. Harris (Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation) and some of the video game personalities who were in the trenches-Tom Kalinske (Sega of America), Al Nilsen (Sega of America), Bill White (former Nintendo of America employee), and Perrin Kaplan (former Nintendo of America employee), as well as Julian Rosenberg, producer of the upcoming Console Wars documentary.
Sunday July 27, 2014 2:30pm - 3:30pm PDT
Room 23ABC
Interested in a career doing voices for animation and video games? There are plenty of people around who'll take your money and tell you how to go about it...but here's 90 minutes of absolutely free advice from folks who work in the field. Come hear cartoon voice actor Bill Farmer, talent agent Sandie Schnarr (AVO Talent) and others, along with your moderator, voice director Mark Evanier (The Garfield Show).
Sunday July 27, 2014 3:00pm - 4:30pm PDT
Room 25ABC
Hear all about how key toys from the film were brought to life! Brian Bowler (brand marketing director, LEGO) will lead the discussion on the development of The LEGO Movie with Matthew Ashton (executive producer and vice president of product design, LEGO), Michael Fuller (senior product designer, LEGO), and Jadon Sands (actor, The LEGO Movie).