E3 KEYNOTES
March 7, 2001

The Electronic Entertainment Expo today announced that the show will be kicked off by a keynote panel consisting of top executives from Microsoft, Nintendo of America, and Sony Computer Entertainment. Panelists Robert Bach, Peter Main, and Kazuo Hirai will discuss the current state and future of video games.

"We at E3Expo are honored to be able to bring together these three industry leaders for an unprecedented in-depth discussion, allowing those who want to know what's next for video games to hear it directly from those who are making it happen," said Doug Lowenstein, president of the IDSA.

The E3Expo 2001 keynote address is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, May 17 in West Hall room 515 of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Access to the keynote is available to registered show attendees and media on a first-come, first-served basis.

Robert Bach serves as senior vice president of the Games Division and Chief Xbox Officer at Microsoft. In his role as CXO, Bach is responsible for overall management of the Xbox, including the teams that drive hardware, game development, Xbox operations, marketing, research, sales, and support.

Executive vice president Peter Main is responsible for all sales and marketing activities for Nintendo in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. Main has overseen the launches of multiple platforms (SNES, N64, several iterations of Game Boy) as well as hundreds of games. Main joined Nintendo as vice president, marketing in April 1987.

As president and chief operating officer of SCEA, Kazuo Hirai's experience spans more than 16 years with Sony. Hirai was promoted to president and chief operating officer in April 1999. Prior to that, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer, a position he assumed in July 1996. Hirai is responsible for the day-to-day management of the company's business operations, including licensing, third-party relations, business development, strategic planning, and marketing and sales.