The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has affected much of the video game industry, but live events like the Game Developers Conference (GDC) particularly struggled in 2020 and had to adapt. GDC 2020 was postponed last February as multiple corporate giants dropped out due to public health concerns, and the summer event that replaced it was entirely digital. It appears the annual conference will follow similar precautions this year.
Last August, staff announced that GDC 2021 would look into a hybrid event, with a physical conference taking place in San Francisco, California at the same time as interested parties could attend virtually. However, a new post to the conference's website today by GDC GM and Informa Tech Entertainment Market VP Katie Stern shows all planned events will now be digital-only.
Stern said there are still many unknowns going into 2021, but that "we have been able to look at the year ahead and reimagine how we can serve the game industry." For the 35th GDC a traditional week-long conference with content curated by its advisory board will be held between July 19 an 23, but there will also be a "family of GDC events" with more flexible and accessible online content, "Including more fluid networking and matchmaking opportunities."
Four events are listed as a part of GDC 2021's offerings in the blog post:
- GDC Masterclass: (March 4 - 5) One-and-two-day virtual workshops with hands-on training regarding "some of the most important challenges facing game developers today."
- GDC Showcase: (March 15 - 19) A free showcase event that will "provide a taste of what GDC is all about" with spotlight lectures, AMAs, interactive panels, and more.
- GDC 2021: (July 19 - 23)
- Independent Games Festival (IGF) and Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCAs): (July 21) Back-to-back awards shows being hosted on Twitch. Nominees for IGF will be announced in early May; more information for GDCAs are to-be-announced.
In the outline of what the week-long GDC event in July will entail, Stern said an in-person component was considered, but it was "more important" to ensure speakers, attendees, and sponsors are as safe as possible. However, she ends the post saying she "can't wait to be back on campus with everyone again," and thanks people for their continued support.
The post details GDC's intent to still publish its State of the Game Industry survey this year so it can help shape topics of conversation around video game development. When the 2020 survey published last July, one third of developers said their games were delayed by COVID-19, so it will be interesting to see how things have changed following ongoing struggles to deal with the virus in places like the United States especially.
There are also plans to host GDC-branded events in the second half of 2021, though details are not available as of this writing. At the same time, the post discusses plans to update the GDC vault with additional talks and reveal a "long-overdue" rebrand of Gamasutra. With E3 2021 also reportedly being planned as a digital show, it seems COVID-19 will continue to impact live gatherings for some time.
GDC 2021 will be hosted online from July 19 to July 23, with other events taking place throughout the year.