Robert J. Wallace is principal of Strategic Alternatives, a consulting enterprise providing business and marketing strategy, positioning, infrastructure development, publisher relationships, and acquisition counsel to independent game developers and industry development evaluation and guidance to governmental economic development agencies.
   

Strategic Alternatives was formed in 1985 when the laser printer company Robert was CEO of and had co-founded was sold to a larger public company. The company grew from zero in 1980 to $30M on $100K of invested capital. Strategic Alternatives was originally focused on providing services to start-ups and turn-around companies in the field of digital imaging hardware and software. In 1995 the company transitioned to a games industry focus by providing business strategy consulting to newly formed Ensemble Studios, ultimately managing the sale of the company to Microsoft in 2001.

Current game clients include: Arkane Studios (FR), Blue Fang Games, Bonfire Studios, BreakAway Ltd., Her Interactive, Legacy Interactive, Massive Black, Newtoy, Robot Entertainment, Schell Games, Sidhe Interactive (NZ), Subatomic Studios, and Tencent Boston (China). Strategic Alternatives recently completed an industry development evaluation and guidance study for New Zealand.

Former clients include: Big Huge Games (sold 2008), Cryptic Studios (sold 2008), and Ensemble Studios (sold 2001). Strategic Alternatives also managed the sale of the City of Heros IP by Cryptic Studios to NCsoft in 2007.

Session Description
The subject covers the expansion of opportunities for developers and developer-publishers in the games industry related to platform, genre and audience proliferation and, in addition, the actions needed by Governmental economic development agencies to position their countries for maximum economic benefit from this opportunity.