Producer of Final Fantasy XI, Hiromichi Tanaka is set to keynote this years Game Developers Conference (GDC), held in Austin. Tanaka, an executive officer at Square Enix and lead developer of the successful massively multiplayer online (MMO) game Final Fantasy XI, will discuss the challenges of designing and creating a MMO for multiple platforms. Final Fantasy XI is in fact the first in the series to allow both console and PC gamers to unite in the online world.

GDC Content Manager, Jane Pickard had the following to say regarding the announcement of Tanaka’s keynote speech:

We are honored to have Hiromichi Tanaka, a leading figure in the online game developer community deliver the International Keynote at this year’s event. Tanaka’s presence at our conference is indicative of the event’s global appeal. The Austin GDC attracts both national and international attendees due to its historically laid back and intimate environment, and specialized industry topics covered via the show program.

GDC takes place September 5-7, 2007 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin Texas.