The Last of Us Part 2 director will speak at DICE

DICE is one of the smaller events in the gaming calendar. But its intimate atmosphere and reliably strong roster of speakers make it a valuable alternative to E3, PAX and the increasingly frenetic Game Developer Conference.

Organized by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, this year’s DICE will be keynoted by Microsoft games chief Phil Spencer. Today, the AIAS announced some appetizing new speakers.

Neil Druckmann is creative director of The Last of Us, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and the director of The Last of Us Part 2. He’ll join Dan Trachtenberg, director and writer of 10 Cloverfield Lane and Black Mirror episode “Playtest” to speak about “the creative process in crafting character-driven experiences for video games”.

Cuphead’s executive producer and artist Maja Moldenhauer will share an in-depth look at StudioMDHR’s creative process in bringing its highly regarded game to fruition.

Maureen Fan, CEO of VR house Baobab will talk about the power of storytelling in virtual reality, and her mission to “create experiences with the empathy of film, agency of games, and motivation of real life.”

Previously announced speakers include Chet Faliszek (Bossa Studios) and Lidwine Sauer (Ubisoft). DICE takes place Feb. 20-22 in Las Vegas. We’ll be covering the event live, including the associated DICE Awards.