"From TV to film and now award-winning mobile apps, there’s no question that J.J. has his finger on the pulse of the entertainment industry, and we’re thrilled to welcome him and our 2013 Hall of Fame inductee, Gabe Newell, to the D.I.C.E. stage,” said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. “J.J. thoughtfully weaves together suspense, action, emotion, and fun into every one of his projects – elements every game developer aspires to capture as well. Each year, the D.I.C.E. Summit sets the tone for the year ahead in games and adding J.J. and Gabe’s shared insights is a natural fit as we see all forms of entertainment converge."
The keynote itself will be more laid back. There will be no moderator, so the two giants of their respective industries will just have time to chat it up in front of the audience. Many of you are probably unaware, but Bad Robot Productions, which was founded by Abrams, already worked with Gabe Newell and Valve for a promotional, interactive teaser for Super 8. This was included when Portal 2 shipped.
Gabe Newell will also have another conference on Thursday, entitled "A View on Next Steps." This particular keynote will take a look at where the game industry is headed, the future of Steam and Big Picture, and other topics.
And then on top of all of that, Newell is being inducted into the 2013 AIAS Hall of Fame on February 7th! He's going to need a vacation from his own rock star lifestyle after all of that is said and done.
(via 2013 DICE Summit)