Levine to keynote UK's Develop

This year's Develop Conference & Expo will be taking place July 30-31, and the organisers seem determined to cram as much into the Hilton Brighton Metropole as they can.

The keynote address will be delivered by Ken Levine, where he and members of the creative team at 2K Boston will examine the secrets of the success of sci-fi first-person shooter BioShock. Along with Levine, colleagues Christopher Kline, Nate Wells, and Bill Gardner will also be speaking.

Other speakers include David Braben, the cocreator of Elite and founder of Frontier, who will address 'Why the Future is Brighter Than Ever.' Naughty Dog's Richard Lemarchand will discuss the PlayStation 3 exclusive action adventure Uncharted: Drake's Fortune in 'Working Hard and Having Fun.'

The business keynote will come from Phil Spencer, recently promoted general manager at Microsoft Game Studios, and be titled 'The Broadening Imperative.' The talk will address the importance of seeking a wider audience to continue to grow the industry.

Alex Evans and Mark Healey, cofounders of Media Molecule, will be chatting about LittleBigPlanet in 'The Experiment Further Along,' whereas Jonathan Smith from Traveller's Tales--famous for the Lego Star Wars games--wants to tell the world 'How to Make Children Cry.' Peter Molyneux will also be getting a few words in, chatting about Fable 2 in 'New Gameplay Dimensions in Role-Playing Games.'

More information about the Develop Conference can be found on the official Web site. GameSpot will be at the event to bring you reports on the sessions, along with news of the winners of the annual Develop Awards.