Over the past 24 hours, two names at the top of the list of attendees scheduled to speak at Milia Games have sent their regrets to the show's sponsor, Reed Midem. Milia Games will be held in Cannes, France, from February 8 through February 12.

　　Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, who holds the singular rank of President of the Jury for Milia Games, and Gabe Newell, managing director of Valve Software, will not be attending the event as was previously expected.

　　Bushnell has come down with a bad case of laryngitis – which is doubly painful to consider since Bushnell was scheduled to not only lead the games jury in deliberation leading up to choosing the winner in four special games categories, but also deliver the keynote address at the Milia d'Or Awards ceremony on the event's opening night. Milia Games will announce a replacement for Bushnell shortly.

　　We were informed that Newell tendered his regrets only after looking closely at the development schedule for Team Fortress, Valve's current work in progress. Newell was scheduled to speak on a panel titled The New Blood of Computer and Video Gaming.