Articles from Game Developers Conference

The Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, has appointed longtime GDC advisor and videogame advocate Mark DeLoura as the Executive Director of Innovation & Growth, a new leadership role to ensure GDC’s strategy, programming and presence are future-facing and deeply connected to the industry it serves. Heading into its 40th edition, GDC is transforming into a Festival of Gaming, expanding its scope to represent the full game-making ecosystem and better meet the needs of the contemporary games industry. GDC 2026 will return to the Moscone Center in San Francisco next year, Monday, March 9 to Friday, March 13, 2026.

The 2025 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, has come to a close after hosting nearly 30,000 registered attendees across five full days of inspiring sessions and networking opportunities with peers and leaders across the games industry. GDC also introduced the first annual GDC Nights after-hours event, with two evenings of engaging community content that blended TV, movies, comedy, gaming and fun activities to further underline GDC’s commitment to bringing the world together through games. GDC will be returning to the Moscone Center next year, Monday, March 9 to Friday, March 13, 2026. The call for submissions for GDC 2026 will open in early July 2025.

The indie roguelike deckbuilding game Balatro has taken the pot at the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), receiving the highly coveted Game of the Year Award. The title also secured the win for the Best Debut, Innovation Award and Best Design, tallying up four total wins for the title at the ceremony. The GDCAs are the premier accolades for peer recognition in the digital games industry. Each year, the Choice Awards recognize and celebrate the creativity, artistry and technical genius of the finest developers and games created in the last year. The award ceremony takes place each year as part of the Game Developers Conference (GDC), which is taking place this week at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center.

The independent game Consume Me, developed by Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P and Ken "coda" Snyder has won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game at tonight’s 27th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards. As part of the 2025 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the IGF Awards is the longest-running festival, summit and showcase honoring the most innovative and excellent independent games of the past year.

The 2025 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest annual gathering of game industry professionals and enthusiasts devoted to the art and science of making games, begins its 39th edition today at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. In support of this year’s theme of “Connecting the World through Games,” the conference is introducing GDC Nights, an after-hours experience designed to bring attendees from across the globe together for two unforgettable evenings on Monday and Thursday. The week-long Game Developers Conference will feature more than 1,000 experienced speakers, 725 insightful sessions, workshops, roundtable discussions and networking events alongside 400 exhibitors on the GDC Expo floor, coming together from more than 100 different countries.

Organizers of the 25th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the premier accolades for peer recognition in the digital games industry, have revealed the recipients of two of the award show’s most prestigious awards. This year, the international game development community will honor Sam Lake, writer for games such as Max Payne, Alan Wake, Quantum Break and Control with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, Lucas Pope, the renowned mentor, designer and developer who has worked at major game companies for over 20 years in the industry, will be recognized with the Pioneer Award for his outstanding contributions to the industry. The Pioneer Award is given to key individuals who elevate video games and the industry as a whole, including 2023’s recipient Mabel Addis, the first female game designer, and other industry icons including Jordan Mechner, Gabe Newell, Alexey Pajitnov and many others.

The 25th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers, has announced the list of finalists for each of the ceremony’s prestigious categories. The winners in each category will be honored at this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, which will be taking place on Wednesday, March 19. This celebration of the top games from the past year, as well as the developers who created them, takes place each year at the Game Developers Conference (GDC). The GDC, now in its 39th edition, will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 17 - 21. The GDCA is held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards). All GDC 2025 pass holders will be available to attend these award shows. Those at home can also tune in via the official GDC Twitch channel.

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) has released the results of the 13th annual State of the Game Industry Survey, which reflects key trends and changes within the games industry based on responses from more than 3,000 game developers who took part in the survey. The State of the Game Industry Survey sheds light on industry-wide sentiment and insights in the lead-up to GDC 2025, which returns to San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 17 - 21.

Organizers of the 2025 Game Developers Conference (GDC) have revealed the finalists for the 27th annual awards ceremony of the Independent Games Festival (IGF), the longest-running festival, summit and showcase celebrating independent games and their creators. The IGF is part of the 2025 Game Developers Conference, which will be held in person at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 17 – 21.

The Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, is joining The AI Summit New York to present the GDC Stage, a series of presentations and discussions around generative artificial intelligence (AI) in game development, and GDC Zone, an exhibition space with interactive demos and networking opportunities with top developers. GDC will be partnering with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and New York City Tourism + Conventions at The AI Summit New York, which takes place at the Javits Convention Center on December 11-12, 2024.

This year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, has officially come to a close after hosting nearly 30,000 registered attendees for five full days of inspiring sessions and networking opportunities with peers and leaders in the games industry. GDC will be returning to the Moscone Center next year, Monday, March 17 to Friday, March 21, 2025, and the call for submissions for GDC 2025 will open in early July 2024.

Baldur’s Gate 3, the critically acclaimed role-playing game by Larian Studios, has been presented with the Game of the Year award during the 24th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCAs), the prominent peer-based video game event that celebrates the developers who have created the year’s top games. In addition to Game of the Year, Baldur’s Gate 3 also claimed three other distinguished awards at tonight’s ceremony: Best Narrative, Best Design and the Audience Award. The GDCA ceremony was presented as part of the 2024 Game Developers Conference (GDC), which is taking place this week at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center.

Visai Games’ Venba won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game at the 26th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards tonight. The IGF Awards is the longest-running festival, summit and showcase honoring the most innovative and excellent independent games of the past year. It took place as part of the 2024 Game Developers Conference (GDC) at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco from March 18–22.

The 2024 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest gathering of game industry professionals and enthusiasts who are devoted to the art and science of making games, begins its 38th edition today at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. The week-long conference will feature more than 1,000 experienced speakers, 700 insightful sessions, workshops, roundtable discussions and networking events alongside 345 exhibitors on the GDC Expo floor.

Organizers of the 24th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the premier accolades for peer recognition in the digital games industry, will honor Yoko Shimomura, composer for games such as Kingdom Hearts, Super Mario RPG, Street Fighter II and Final Fantasy XV with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Fawzi Mesmar, who has worked at major game companies for over 20 years in the industry and is an active mentor, author, public speaker and more, will receive the Ambassador Award, awarded to individuals who elevate video games and the industry as a whole to a better place.

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) has released the results of the 12th annual State of the Game Industry Survey, which reflects key trends and changes within the games industry based on responses from more than 3,000 game developers who took part in the survey. The State of the Game Industry Survey sheds light on industry-wide sentiment and insights in the lead-up to GDC 2024, which takes place at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 18 - 22.

The finalists for the 24th Annual Game Developers Choice awards, the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers, have been revealed. The winners in all categories will be honored at the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) ceremony, which takes place at the 2024 Game Developers Conference (GDC) on Wednesday, March 20 and is held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards). The ceremony will be available to attend for all GDC 2024 passholders, and will be streamed for free on the official GDC Twitch channel. The GDC, now in its 38th edition, will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 18 - 22.

Informa Tech, organizers of the 2023 Game Developers Conference (GDC) have revealed the finalists for the 26th annual awards ceremony of the Independent Games Festival (IGF), the longest running festival, summit and showcase celebrating independent games and their creators. The IGF is part of the 2024 Game Developers Conference, which will be held in-person at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 18 – 22.

The 2023 Game Developers Conference (GDC) Showcase begins today, offering an all-digital event designed to unite the global dev community online. The three day virtual conference will feature live fireside chats, interactive roundtables, networking opportunities, new and past GDC sessions with live speaker Q&As, and insights from some of the top companies in the industry. The event is presented in partnership with Gala Games.

This year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, is officially complete after a full five days of inspiring sessions, networking opportunities with peers and leaders in the games industry and more. The conference saw more than 28,000 registered industry attendees from March 20-24, more than doubling the number of in-person attendees from last year at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center. GDC will be returning to the Moscone Center next year, Monday, March 18 to Friday, March 22, 2024 and the call for submissions for GDC 2024 will open this summer.

Cosmo D Studios’ Betrayal At Club Low won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game at the 25th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards tonight. The IGF Awards honors the most innovative and excellent independent games of the past year, and took place as part of the 2023 Game Developers Conference (GDC) at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.

The 2023 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest event for professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, begins its 37th edition today, in-person at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. The week-long conference will feature more than 330 exhibitors, over 1,000 speakers and more than 650 sessions, workshops, roundtable discussions and networking events.

Organizers of the 23rd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers, have revealed the recipients of the ceremony’s prestigious special awards. Mabel Addis, recognized as the first female game designer, will posthumously receive the Pioneer Award, which honors breakthrough business, tech and game design milestones. The award-winning game designer, level designer and programmer John Romero will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on such iconic and genre defining first-person shooters like Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM and Quake.

The finalists for the 23rd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers, have been revealed. Winners in all categories will be honored at the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) ceremony, taking place at the 2023 Game Developers Conference (GDC) on Wednesday, March 22 and held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF). The ceremony is available to watch for all GDC 2023 pass-holders, and will be streamed on the official GDC Twitch channel. The 37th edition of GDC will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 20 - 24.

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) has released the results of the 11th annual State of the Game Industry survey, revealing trends in the game industry ahead of GDC 2023, which will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 20 - 24.

The 2022 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, concluded its 36th edition today, after a week of networking, learning and inspiration. The conference was the largest in San Francisco in the past two years, with a total of 12,000 industry professionals attending at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 21-25 and a further 5,000 joining on the virtual platform of the conference, which was available to increase attendee accessibility, for a total of 17,000 attendees. The conference prioritized health and safety for all attendees and required proof of vaccination and face masks to be worn indoors. GDC will be returning to the Moscone Convention Center Monday, March 20 to Friday, March 24, 2023. The call for submissions for GDC 2023 will open in the summer.

Inscryption, the genre-bending, deckbuilding roguelike game that consistently surprises the player, developed by Daniel Mullins Games, transcends expectations once again to win the Game of the Year Award at tonight’s 22nd annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) ceremony, as well as the Seumas McNally Grand Prize during tonight’s Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards), making it the first game to ever do so. The IGF Awards is the sister awards show which was held immediately before the GDCAs on the same stage. The ceremony was part of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2022, which returned in-person to the Moscone Center Center in San Francisco.

Daniel Mullins Games’ Inscryption won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the 24th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards tonight. The ceremony, which honored some of the most innovative and excellent independent games of the past year, took place as part of the 2022 Game Developers Conference (GDC) at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.

The 2022 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s longest-running event for professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, begins its 36th edition today, in-person at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. The week-long conference, which also includes a virtual component, will feature more than 200 exhibitors, over 1,000 speakers and more than 600 lectures, tutorials, roundtable discussions and networking events. Safety is a priority for the conference, with proof of vaccination required at the event and face masks worn indoors in compliance with California and local requirements.

Organizers of the 22nd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers, have revealed the recipients of the ceremony’s prestigious special awards. Steven Spohn, a driving force for accessibility in games and Senior Director of Development of the AbleGamers charity, will receive the Ambassador Award, given to someone who has helped video games advance to a better place through advocacy and action. Yuji Horii, the creator of the legendary Dragon Quest series, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of dedication to the craft of video game development.

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) has released the results of the 10th annual State of the Industry Survey, revealing trends in the game industry ahead of GDC 2022, which will be held in-person and virtually at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 21 - 25. The survey’s results reflect the responses of more than 2,700 game industry professionals, offers a look into the many issues that these professionals have on their minds and shows how the game industry is evolving and expanding. Some of the highlights from the results are below.

Supergiant Games’ stylish roguelike Hades was honored by the game development community as the recipient of the Game of the Year award at tonight’s 21st annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) ceremony. The ceremony, which honored some of the biggest and most innovative games of the past year, took place as part of the 2021 Game Developers Conference (GDC). An archive of the award ceremony, as well as the full presentation of the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards), can be viewed at http://twitch.tv/gdc.

Organizers of the 21st annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers, have revealed the recipients of this year’s Pioneer Award and Lifetime Achievement Award. Tom Fulp, creator of Newgrounds and trailblazer of the Macromedia Flash games that helped define a generation of indie developers, will receive the Pioneer Award, while influential game designer with 28 years of experience working across all genres, but particularly on ground-breaking MMO games, Laralyn McWilliams, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Informa Tech, organizers of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2021 have revealed the finalists for the 23rd annual awards ceremony of the Independent Games Festival (IGF), the longest running festival, summit and showcase celebrating independent games and their creators. The IGF is part of the Game Developers Conference 2021, which will take place as a virtual event from July 19 through July 23.