Firaxis Games, celebrated developer of Sid Meier’s Civilization V, will deliver the keynote at the Building Iconic Online Games Summit, hosted by GameSpy Technology at GDC Online, in Austin, on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010. The Summit is a dedicated day of talks and tutorials aimed at helping development studios of all size better realize the value of online features in creating enduringly successful games.

At this full-day event, industry leaders who’ve come, seen and conquered the online frontier will share their strategies for building the next iconic online game. Firaxis Games will present an in-depth look at its integration of user-generated content in Sid Meier’s Civilization 5. Industry leaders Sean Ryan, General Manager for NewsCorp Games, David Perry, CEO of Gaikai, Susan Wu, CEO of Ohai, and Brandon Beck, CEO of Riot Games, will offer experiences and strategies in approaching game design and monetization in a post-retail world. The Summit will also provide real-world use-cases on making it all work, such as harnessing the explosively engaging power of user-generated content, implementing flexible in-game commerce solutions to un-cap the revenue pipe, and sharing game data in ways that encourage users to celebrate and collaborate.

"The games that people play for years, and remember forever, now have one thing in common: a killer online experience," Todd Northcutt, Vice President, GameSpy Technologies said. "Whether you’re running a start-up indie studio or a AAA publisher, it’s time to lay big bets on the true power of online. You can excite players with dynamic data, turn players into collaborators, and run a profitable and flexible business built entirely in-game."

Recently IGN Entertainment announced a residency and support program for independent developers called Indie Open House. Attendees will be able to learn more about the initiative and find out more about the tools and tech another recent program, GameSpy Tech Open, offers.