The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' DICE Summit traditionally attracts a ranging guest list of influential game-industry luminaries to its annual hobnobber in Las Vegas. Be that as it may, the AIAS tapped outsider Gore Verbinski to deliver last year's opening keynote address, in which the Pirates of the Caribbean director advocated "madness" to bust open the doors of game design.

　　Gabe Newell This year, the AIAS is playing its speaker series a bit closer to home. The industry organization has announced that Valve cofounder and president Gabe Newell will be on hand to deliver this year's opening remarks. Newell, whose company has not only produced such hit properties as Half-Life, Portal, and Left 4 Dead but also launched the highly regarded online distribution platform Steam, is expected to focus his presentation on "entertainment as a service."

　　This year's DICE Summit will return to the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, and run from February 17-19. The event will also play home to the Interactive Achievement Awards, which will again be hosted by comedian Jay Mohr. Last month, the AIAS announced nominees for this year's awards categories, with Sony's PlayStation 3-exclusive Little Big Planet garnering 10 nods.

　　The full lineup of announced speakers is listed below.

　　Dan Bilson, THQ

　　Chris Cao, Sony Online Entertainment

　　N'Gai Croal, Newsweek

　　Michael Denny, Sony Corp. EU

　　Anita Frazier, NPD Research

　　Julianne Greer, The Escapist

　　Lars Gustavsson, D.I.C.E. Studios/EA

　　Michael Haigh, SCE Worldwide Studios

　　Mona Hamilton, Capcom

　　Rich Hilleman, Electronic Arts

　　Todd Howard, Bethesda Studios

　　Geoff Keighley, Spike TV

　　Alex Laurent, LucasArts/ILM

　　Ralph Osterhout, Serial Inventor

　　David Perry, Acclaim Entertainment

　　Ted Price, Insomniac Games

　　J. Paul Raines, GameStop

　　John Riccitiello, Electronic Arts

　　Seth Schiesel, New York Times

　　Bruce Shelley, Ensemble Studios

　　Mike Snider, USA Today

　　Jun Takeuchi, Capcom

　　Chris Taylor, Gas Powered Games