The luminaries this year are Will Wright, Brian Fargo, David Perry, Neil Young, Rob Pardo and Warren Spector. The talk will be chaired by Gary White.

Follow along with the fly-on-the-wall observation of the chat in the live blog.

Last week, Perry - the man behind Aladdin, Earthworm Jim, MDK and...Enter the Matrix - came out and said a new PSP was on the way, and that unlike the current model, it wouldn't have a UMD drive. Sony said, in a roundabout way, "nunh ungh".

But David Perry just won't let it go. Today, he's all "unh hunh", and has challenged Sony to come out and confirm that the next model of the PSP will have a UMD drive:

John Koller is publically questioning my post about PSP 2. So I confirmed with Top PSP 2 developers. John, state that PSP 2 WILL have UMD.

Whatever the modern equivalent of pistols at dawn is, can't wait to see these two get it on.

dperry [Twitter, via GI.biz]

"I spoke to a developer who is working on it right now," he said. "I know this developer is already working on it, so that means they have a prototype. That would sound like a fall release to me."

Perry said he is excited about the news.

"I've been pounding on Sony for a long time to make the PlayStation Portable relevant and not to let Apple stroll away with the portable game market," he said. "Look at what Apple is doing now. Why are so many investors investing in Apple game development? Trying to pitch a PSP game to investors right now is brutal."

The idea of a UMD-free PlayStation Portable begs the question of how games will be loaded onto the device.

Perry believe it will be done through digital downloads and direct connect to a computer.

The ultimate goal, he says, is for the PSP to go 100 percent digital. Not only would that allow Sony to have a more direct connection with their customers and get a larger piece of the sales pie, it would essentially kill the used game sales market.

As a stopgap to keep retailers like GameStop interested in selling the PlayStation Portable 2, which they make little to no money on, Perry thinks that Sony would at least initially sell games for the device on Memory Sticks, as they currently do with some movies, or with pre-paid cards.

As for backwards compatibility, it stands to reason, Perry says, that all current PSP titles would show up on PlayStation's online store.

While Perry insists that the PSP2 is real, and already been developed for, a lot of the details about distribution and release are more speculative on his part.

It does make sense that games will one day go digital only, it seems inevitable. But is now too soon for something like the PSP?

If there aren't dramatic changes to the format and staff, I'm never going again...The concept is broken, it's expensive, messages are diluted, consumers are ignored (remembering that the future of this industry is direct connections with consumers – not retailers), the ticket policies are stupid, and if the entire industry worldwide doesn't participate, it's not real anyway.

Tough words! Tough, but true. Who'll be next to let us know of E3's impending demise? Stay tuned!

Perry: E3 is an embarrassment [GI.biz]

Acclaim said 60,000 entrants signed up to submit content for Project Top Secret, and Perry will be the executive producer on the winner's project. The original plan, said Acclaim, was to let the community collaboration design the game while a team of professionals actually made it, but Project Top Secret has since shifted into being an entirely community-produced effort.

Now in its second "building" stage, the project also has a million-dollar prize at stake along with the publishing deal and a real-deal professional development contract.

Full announcement follows the jump.

roject ‘Top Secret’ - Winner to be Announced Soon

Los Angeles (June 16, 2008) – The biggest video game design project ever “Project: Top Secret” is about to reach an historic landmark when one lucky contributor is chosen as the winner this month, and then their dream comes true.

Acclaim Games, Inc. decided to re-define what user generated content means to the video game industry by letting the gamers design their own professional game from scratch. Over 60,000 signed up to help, immediately making this the biggest game development team on record.

“There was no book we could follow on how to do this. In fact, the books out there seemed to think it was impossible! Could so many non-professional developers come up with new game designs never seen before? Of course they can, and they did!” said the project’s Director David Perry.

Acclaim wanted to make all this effort really worthwhile, so the winner will receive the biggest career jump possible, going from a game player with big dreams to a game director, a full time job, running an important game project for Acclaim that’s fully funded and is being developed from scratch. (And you can bet it will include user-generated content!) “I’ve offered to be their Executive Producer,” says Perry, “to make sure that they get a really fair shot at this.”

The original plan was to have the community design the game, then have a professional team make it. That all changed when the community asked to design AND build the final product.

So the second “building” stage of this project continues, and we have ten independent development teams working on the related Top Secret development contest hoping to win a prize worth up to a million dollars, a publishing deal, and a professional development contract going forward.

The Top Secret design winner and runners-up will be announced by next week. Stay tuned for more!

To find out more about this exciting project, just visit: www.videogameteam.com or www.acclaim.com

Perry tells PDF publication Disposable Media, in response to a question about ways Microsoft can tap into the "Blue Ocean" market Nintendo is targeting, that those casual fans will come around. They just need a shiny object to look at.

Perry speaketh:

The 360 and PS3's graphical power is essential in attracting the Wii's userbase. The fact is, gamers are attracted to beautiful looking games, they always have been, even back when the Konix was thought up. When a game comes out - a game like a Halo or something, something they haven't seen before - they'll drop everything and they'll drop their Wii controllers when it does.

You know, Perry may be right. Gamers weened on a series of quick, pick up and play games may look for something a little more robust when... HEY A NICKEL!!!

Disposable Media Issue #8 [Disposable Media via Next-Gen]

What the survey fails to take into account is the fact that most drivers between the ages of 16-24 suck, and probably shouldn't be driving in the first place. No offense to any young drivers out there, but it's true. I'd daresay some of them are better off imagining they're in a video game.

Besides, everything you do affects how you drive. Take it from David Perry, who randomly showed up in the BBC article I took the story from.

"Anything that affects your emotions will affect how you drive. The guy in front, the music on the stereo...those are the things that make you speed up, not a game you played an hour ago."

David Perry sat down with Gamespot to talk about the logistics of running a development team that could top "more than 1,000 people":

The moderators will pull them together as far as keeping them focused. We'll take votes on it; sometimes we'll have people coming in to help decide the winner of something. The most important thing is we'll be directing this so it's not just a crazy forum of people talking about random stuff. The goal is to try and keep them all going forward. We'll be working through the individual milestones just like a professional game. We're starting with a prototype and they're all going to get copies of that, like a build so they can play at home, and get more ideas and talk about that as we move forward to get to the next milestone.

What about getting paid? When will it ship? And why? Why, damn it?! Perry does his best to clue us in to how his free MMO will not suck out loud. Michael McWhertor

Q&A: David Perry's Top Secret [Gamespot]

Confused? Maybe Acclaim CEO Howard Marks can clear things up.

Top Secret is like 'The Apprentice' meets 'American Idol' meets 'The Video Game Industry'. We're giving our players a chance to work on an online game that we will actually develop and publish. Our community really loves these games and knows what it takes to make a hit. And it will be a dream come true for one lucky star that shines the most throughout the project.

Perry, formerly of Shiny and better known for games like MDK and Earthworm Jim, is looking for "pure, focused, passionate talent" and promises "surprise guests [...] to inspire and mentor the contributors."

Hit the jump for further explanation in easy to swallow press release form. Michael McWhertor

Acclaim Games Unveils the 'Top Secret' MMOG Project

Los Angeles (February 23, 2007) - Acclaim Games and video game industry superstar David Perry have partnered to present the ground-breaking "Top Secret" project. In this project, players actually get an opportunity to participate in the entire video game development process from start to finish.

In an unprecedented move for the game industry, these players will be given a chance to have their work featured in a massively multiplayer PC game that will be published by Acclaim and directed by David Perry. Perry will choose a winner from the contributors, and Acclaim will be giving them a breath-taking prize, 'A Video Game Industry Directorship', working on a new fully-funded massively multiplayer online PC game. David Perry will be their Executive Producer to help them as needed on their game, and once they complete their project, they will even earn royalties from the game sales!

"I've always loved the idea that someone, from their bedroom, reveals their passion and talent, then suddenly can have an absolutely stunning career explosion, becoming a famous Game Director with a pre-built fan base. We're going to make it happen!" says David Perry who is a Game Director and Chief Creative Officer for Acclaim Games.

David Perry will be building the new online game from scratch and is offering members of the Acclaim player community a rare opportunity to help him develop this video game in a collaborative effort with some of the industry's best talent. "We will bring in some surprise guests along the way to inspire and mentor the contributors," says Perry.

One lucky winner who shines the most during the development process will be given the top prize. "This is the only chance I know of to jumpstart a directorship career in the video game industry," continues Perry. "Everyone wins. They get to learn how to make professional games, and if they get anything in, they get a real professional credit on their resume." Perry finishes, "But, if they win, well then they get their life changed."

Interestingly, applicants don't need any prior game development experience. In fact, Perry refuses to look at resumes. "We only care about the pure, focused, passionate talent they show up with," he says.

"Top Secret is like 'The Apprentice' meets 'American Idol' meets 'The Video Game Industry'. We're giving our players a chance to work on an online game that we will actually develop and publish. Our community really loves these games and knows what it takes to make a hit. And it will be a dream come true for one lucky star that shines the most throughout the project," says Acclaim CEO Howard Marks.

This is a first-of-its-kind project from the new Acclaim, a resurrected company with a very well known name. The new Acclaim will focus entirely on providing quality multiplayer online games for free. The games will be supported with a mix of advertising and virtual item stores. Acclaim has already partnered with IGA Worldwide to provide in-game advertising for its other online game titles.

The entry period will be limited, and so will the number of people allowed in to see the project, so sign up now to become a team member on Top Secret. To register for a free account and find out more about Top Secret, visit http://topsecret.acclaim.com.

About Acclaim Games

Based in Beverly Hills California, Acclaim Games is a revolutionary new company with a familiar name. In 2005 the cofounder of Activision, Howard Marks, purchased the company confident that the Acclaim name would surpass its former glory as one of America's marquee brands. Today, Acclaim Games offers only the finest online games with a focus on accessibility, playability and most importantly fun. To learn more please visit www.acclaim.com.

About David Perry

David Perry is a 20+ year video game industry veteran. He is the Chief Creative Officer for Acclaim Games and also CEO of GAMECONSULTANTS.COM, and prior to that was the founder of Shiny Entertainment, Inc. For more information, please visit: www.dperry.com & www.gameconsultants.com

Fun Leipzig anecdote, from an anonymous but totally journalistic source! Upon witnessing the bedraggled state of IGN's GC06 team at the Nintendo press conference last Wednesday, said source asked why they looked so wasted. "Dude," one IGN editor confessed, "Last night, after we landed, we hit the strip club, and watched two strippers suck hot wax out of each other's ass!" The IGN team then spent the next five minutes exchanging high-fives.

Why such an impressive gonzo tale was not posted as news on IGN's website by these princes of gaming journalism is anyone's guess. Especially since it's certainly more newsworthy than this: courtesy of IGN's news feed, comes this exciting announcement: the jacuzzi of IGN Xbox and 360 Editor-In-Chief Doug Perry is no longer functioning.

Doug Perry's jacuzzi is in dire need of repair and, at this point, is non-functional.

As a result, all bikini-bashes and super fun summer flings have been put on hold by Perry, the editor-in-chief of IGN Xbox and IGN Xbox 360.

"I feel drained, no pun intended," said Perry, clearly distraught.

He later added, "Actually, pun intended."

What is this pun he intended? Psychic seances with Lewis Carroll's disembodied spirit turned up no answer. "Whatever the fuck he's talking about, that's not a pun," Carroll ectoplasmically noted, his lower lip quivering in contempt. Has the hot tub been drained? Or is Perry referring to his own scrotum? It's really anyone's guess.

Only two things are for sure. One: this is an important scoop for one of the internet's premiere 360 news sites. Two: gaming journalism just found it's Bangs-Kael Frankenstein hybrid. Florian Eckhardt

Doug's Jacuzzi Busted [IGN]

Well, maybe it wasn't a rash, bad-blood kind of departure, according to the Orange County Register. Just before Atari announced that they'd be reducing their stuff and putting their development studios up for sale, Perry resigned from the studio he founded in 1993, Shiny.

Perry says he's doing it for the good of the studio, that he can help attract potential buyers, but not while employed at Shiny. According to DP:

"If I m an employee of Atari, then I d be stepping all over them. This way, I m representing a buyer. I can act swiftly and get buyers on the table. I pitched Shiny last time and got $47 million."

Good luck, David. But no more Matrix games, please and thank you!

Shiny Entertainment founder resigns [Orange County Register]