Creative minds from around the games industry will be on hand at SXSW Gaming, including Randy Pitchford, Jade Raymond, Phil Spencer, Palmer Luckey, Andrew Wilson, Feargus Urquhart, Chris DeWolfe, Matias Myllyrinne and many more.

Once again, Marvel Comics returns to SXSW Gaming to bring the audience news on the future from Marvel’s comic book, digital media, gaming and television divisions, with Axel Alonso, TQ Jefferson , Kristin Vincent , Ryan Penagos and Arune Singh. Last year, you may remember that Marvel broke the news on Infinite Comics at SXSW and this year, they’re promising even more. Learn how fans are a unique part of the Marvel Universe, be the first to hear exclusive news about Marvel’s hottest games and get a first look at new footage from “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” the hit series airing Tuesdays on the ABC network.

This year marks the first ever SXSW Gaming Awards, presented by Intel and iam8bit, hosted by iJustine and SMOSH, with halftime entertainment courtesy of Cirque de Soleil (along with a few other surprises), which will honor the year’s best major studio games, as well as recognize the most innovative titles from the indie side of the fence.

Three solid days of geek and gaming culture are represented on stage with a number of amazing presentations, talks and panels, including:

• “Two Sides to Every Story” –  Tales from the Borderlands Unveiled at SXSW with Randy Pitchford, Anthony Burch, Matthew Armstrong (Gearbox Software), Kevin Bruner and Harrison Pink (Telltale Games)
• Geoff Keighley of Spike TV interviews Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Studios
• Jade Raymond of UbiSoft Toronto talks about The Growing Impact of Games on Entertainment
• Palmer Luckey, Nate Mitchell, Ryan Brown take the audience Exploring the Future of Virtual Reality with Oculus
• Crowdsourcing Lessons with Kickstarter delivered by Feargus Urquhart (Obsidian Entertainment)
• Starr Long talksabout How New Tech is Innovating Game Experiences
• Unearthing the Atari Graveyard: The Search for ET with Mike Burns (Fuel Entertainment) and Jonathan Chinn (Lightbox Entertainment)
• The World of Minecraft as seen by Mojang’s Director of Fun, Lydia Winters

On the show floor, the public will be able to check out new games and tech from companies like Nintendo, Microsoft Studios, Oculus VR, Wargaming, Intel, Dolby Laboratories, Devolver Digital, Gunnar Optics and Polk Audio.

The Indie Corner is a huge part of the event, with playable titles on hand from That Dragon, Cancer, ARTE France (Type:Rider), Barking Mouse (Lost Toys), Blendo Games, Breadbros Games, Gorogoa, Free Lives (Broforce), Loveshack (Framed), Messhof, Tengami (Nyamyam), Orthogonal Games and more!

No gamer event is complete without the analog attractions of pen-and-paper, card and boardgames from designers like Steve Jackson Games, Mayfair Games (Settlers of Catan), Deck Around, Japanime Games, Magic: The Gathering and Albino Dragon to name a few.

For anyone who ever wanted their own personal action figure, Captured Dimensions will be creating “mini-mes” of attendees using a full surround array of digital cameras and a 3D printer.

Throughout the three days, there are plenty of additional events, such as

• Cosplay Competition
• Game Jam presented by Air National Guard
• Video Game History Museum presented by NES Remix
• Into the Pixel Art Gallery presented by the Entertainment Software Association
• SXSW LANFest presented by Intel and Dell with featured tournaments including Chivalry, Kerbal Space Program, Minecraft, and League of Legends!!
• eSports Tournament Stage presented by Monster and Logitech courtesy of the Evil Geniuses with Dota 2 as the battleground!!
• Karting Reimagined. Powered by Pennzoil.®, which partnered with Nintendo, will be creating a life-sized Mario Kart track!!

And all of this comes to a close, in style, with the Bonus Round Closing Party presented by Video Game Voters Network, bands presented by Alternative Press with Itch and Anamanaguchi playing live!