06 Mar JUST ANOTHER GDC POST
Did you know that GDC will have its 38th anniversary this year? Me neither. What I do know is that I have attended GDC for at least 20 years, as the organizers reminded me last year, giving me an unexpected pin for my 20-year loyalty to the event, which means I also do remember GDC from its glorious days.
60.000 game developers, all flocked around Moscone Center. It was a dream. All major players of the industry are packing the showfloor. Talks, Panels, Roundtables, everything was packed. You crossed paths with your idols in the corridors, you attended talks that changed the way you saw how games were made. You took lessons and started applying them in your own work. San Francisco was expensive, but all the investment made sense compared to the perceived value of the event. Also, the city was damn beautiful, clean, full of great attractions and cool stores. Not going to GDC was not FOMO, it hit even harder. It was unthinkable not to attend.
Fast forward to 2025. COVID happened. GDC cancelled in 2020. San Francisco went through a downward spiral of negligence from administration after administration. The city rot. Shady neighborhoods expanded into downtown and the financial district and even the Embarcadero. Walking at night (and even during the day!) is no longer safe. The prices were still crazy expensive. The attendance went down to 30.000 courageous. Despite having a good show in terms of ROI, I left the city in 2025 with a very bitter feeling. We know this isn’t news anymore. 2022 was worse than 2019, 2023 worse than 2022, so forth and so on. Then, here we are in 2026, GDC decided that a rehaul was needed, and boom, The Festival of Gaming. Wait, what? What does that mean? I still have no idea. It’s kind of a “wait and see”, right? Unfortunately, the industry is not buying. On top of everything, please add safety and immigration concerns from the current US administration. Ugh, that’s a tough sell. Am I going to GDC this year? Yes. I’ll be there. I’m just sad to imagine if my fears are true, and GDC becomes an expendable event. I won’t be there in 2027. I bet most of us won’t as well and the event might crash (E3 feelings, anyone?).
At the same time, Gamescom is rocking the event boat. Leadership Summit in February, Latam in April, Cologne in August with the excellent Gamescom.DEV combo, Asia and more. That summed with a nice bunch of great events happening and appearing in Europe and Asia. Is the U.S. dominance of game events finally over? Is this connected somehow with the massive layoffs in the region? I wish I had the answer, but I will let you know after DICE in Vegas and GDC “Festival of Gaming” in March. Honestly, I hope I’m super wrong.
“If you are going to San Francisco, put some flowers in your hair…”. Yeah, right.
Andre Faure – CEO