SOE prez delivering GDC Austin keynote

We sure hope that attendees of GDC Austin 2009 want to hear about the unimaginable success of Sony Online Entertainment's Free Realms, because that's exactly what they're getting. SOE president John Smedley will deliver the keynote address at the event, which is set to kick off September 15.

Considering Free Realms was initially announced at the Lone Star State's annual gaming convention in 2007, we can expect a majority of Smedley's speech to focus on the free-to-play online title -- particularly on how it hastily acquired five million players. Actually, by the time said event opens its doors, we wouldn't be surprised if that number was in the low-to-mid billions.