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GDC introduced earlier this 12 months that it could be rebranding as “GDC Festival of Gaming,” which led many to take a position that the business-focused occasion is perhaps intending to ask customers as effectively.
That’s not the case. As the GDC organisers defined final week, the occasion will nonetheless be industry-only. The huge change is {that a} new “Festival Pass” will supply entry to the present at virtually half the value of the earlier “All-Access” go – however the caveat is that it will not present entry to the GDC Vault, which hosts digital variations of the convention talks. There’s additionally a brand new, premium “Game Changer Pass” that moreover offers entry to a three-day “Luminaries Speaker Series” aimed toward executives, in addition to unlocking the GDC Vault and varied different perks.
On prime of this, there will likely be some tweaks to the present, equivalent to an prolonged and extra assorted content material program throughout an entire week, probably with the return of keynote classes and the addition of recent codecs. “The festival part of the GDC Festival is that we’re broadening out what the conference is and does, but not into a consumer space,” mentioned Mark DeLoura, GDC’s Executive Director for Innovation and Growth, who has additionally responded to the negativity across the CGI adverts used to advertise the GDC rebrand. “I think if people are talking about your ads, you’ve done something right.”
But despite the fact that the Festival Pass makes attending that bit cheaper, the occasion remains to be not low-cost: a Festival Pass will set attendees again $1,199, discounted to $649 till February 20, 2026. The Game Changer Pass, in the meantime, prices $2,499, discounted to $1,699. Digital entry to the GDC Vault and on-line networking will set you again $799, and a restricted variety of sub-$650 choices can be found to start-ups and lecturers.
GDC founder Chris Crawford has steered that GDC is vulnerable to turning into a “dinosaur” because it’s outdated by digital networking and occasions, and others have expressed issues about travelling to the US, in addition to the expense of the present’s location in California.
GamesBusiness.biz reached out to a spread of outstanding figures within the video games {industry} to seek out out their response to the modifications – and whether or not they intend to go in 2026.
“I had high hopes that the new Festival of Gaming would reflect the reality of the whole games ‘ecosystem’ and not just cling to the industry-only line,” says Baglow, who began his video games profession at DMA Design forward of the launch of the unique Grand Theft Auto, and who thinks the modifications to GDC do not go far sufficient. “There is much extra to video games and gaming than the present all-consuming give attention to the buyer video games market as we all know it.
“Where are the players, the communities, the educators and academics? We’re the largest creative industry in the world and we’re still locked inside a silo of our own making. We need the film, TV, music, and wider world to be a part of this. I think it’s a missed opportunity.”
Baglow says he will not be attending GDC subsequent 12 months, as a result of he needs to look out totally different teams. “I do know I’ll see numerous beautiful individuals, most of whom I’ve identified and labored with for 30 years now. I wish to meet individuals I do not but know and people engaged on the periphery of video games, or in games-adjacent sectors. I’m going to the Web Summit, SxSW, Wild Rumpus, PHASE, and Scottish Games Fest.
“Game developers talking to game developers about game development happens at every single games event. I want something new.”
“I loved GDC the moment I went there for the first time in 2001,” says Lesser, who can be president of the European Game Developers Foundation. “For years, I told everyone to go there and attend the sessions and feel the vibe. That passion has been gone for a long time though.”
Lesser applauds the thought of a change. “I have to say though, I am not sure if it’s rather late,” he cautions. “The overall thing reads a bit like Pokémon – gotta catch ’em all. It’s DICE, Gamescom, Amaze, Gamesbeat, and more in San Francisco. I am mildly sceptical.”
“Why cram it all in a week?”
Hendrik Lesser
He will not be attending subsequent 12 months, “primarily because of the current administration,” he says. However, he is inspired by most of the bulletins, which he thinks “could be great” and appear to reconnect with “that passion and thought leadership of old times.”
Yet he additionally worries it is making an attempt to do an excessive amount of. “It’s so many target audiences with different needs and existing alternatives. So why cram it all in a week? I still wish them the best, and it would be great if it works out. I wouldn’t bet on it, unfortunately.”
“My immediate thoughts are it feels the event has been shifting the focus to serve players more than developers,” says Xiaojun, whose studio labored on final 12 months’s Lego Horizon Adventures. “More to celebrate games than a forum for development. I really hope the organisers don’t compromise the breadth and quality of discussions in order to reach a wider audience. GDC has been a very valuable conference to help developers furthering the craft.”
“I will still go regardless, as it’s the most important event to meet developers and partners in person all over the world.”
“They’ve given it a consumer brand and teased it like a consumer event,” says an company head who would like to stay unnamed. “But it’s not a consumer event. That has given them short-term buzz, but now it’s revealed as a rebranding of the same stuff, but with a more convoluted pricing structure to try and get some whale money. It feels empty and shallow.”
They will not be attending in 2026, “mainly because everything, from flights to hotels to food, is eye-wateringly expensive, and the returns, at least for us, are too inconsistent to make it a sound investment. Fine if you’re on an expenses account from a major publisher or media company, but is that really what GDC is meant to be about?”
“To me, the proposed changes don’t line up with the rebranding,” says Shodan, whose firm launched Detective Dotson earlier this 12 months. “Given that name, it could have been the perfect addition to include players. It’s probably going to bring more attendance to the expo and sessions, which is great, but the GDC Vault really should have been included [in the Festival Pass].”
Shodhan has been to the previous two GDCs to advertise and discuss Detective Dotson, however he says it is unlikely he’ll go once more. “While I definitely met a lot of great people and had meetings with potential, the sheer time and resource costs of attending the show have not paid off in outcomes.
“I feel that I could have those same meetings online. Both parties might have a better chance of retaining information from such a meeting than one of many at a whirlwind show. And I could use the time, energy, and money saved in improving my game and reaching out to my customers.”
“Originally, the announcement of the new name sounded a bit gimmicky,” says Makin. “But now they’ve introduced the modifications, it makes much more sense.
“Over the previous decade, I’ve seen an increasing number of individuals ‘going to’ GDC, however not really attending GDC itself. Rather, they’re in San Francisco as a result of all people is, and so they have their very own conferences and do their very own factor.
“The new modifications look like GDC has responded to this and created an evolution of the present. The incontrovertible fact that hotspots just like the W – nice for impromptu conferences and catch ups – at the moment are a part of GDC is promising.
“It sounds like a very promising evolution of GDC”
Bob Makin
“The reality they’ve lowered the costs goes towards every thing that everybody else is doing. This is nice, as it would enhance the quantity of individuals we take, and permit smaller devs to attend too.
“It seems like a really promising evolution of GDC. I hope it really works out and continues to be a flagship occasion of the gaming enterprise calendar.
“Behaviour Interactive always attends GDC. Not only is it a great place to do business, but we invite our developers to learn from the talks and network. It’s always been a great place for people to learn and grow.”
“GDC was in dire need of change,” says Wein, who was beforehand head of communications for Deep Silver (and who offered just a few insights into what went on with Dead Island 2 earlier this 12 months). “The real GDC happened around the Moscone Center and not inside. It was the conversations at the Marriot, the W, and so on that brought the value. And from the information I have seen so far, I don’t see that changing.
“Yes, there is perhaps some tweaks on the scheduling and a few tinkering on the passes, however the huge gamers like Sony, Unity, or Epic deserted the present ground years in the past, and I do not see a cause for them to come back again. It will proceed to be an important networking alternative – however that may proceed to occur across the present somewhat than on the present. And eradicating the vault from the brand new Festival Pass (which was the All Access Pass) is absolutely going to harm.
“I am simply not willing to take any risks with the very volatile regime in the States”
Martin Wein
“So, to me, this rebrand does not solve the underlying issues of the show. Who is the target audience? What are the main objectives of that audience? How do you attract people back to the show floor? And on top of all those questions, Festival of Gaming is an obvious B2C branding. Why?”
Wein says it is possible he’ll go on going to GDC subsequent 12 months. “But that has more to do with the current political situation in the US rather than the event itself. While the show has always been expensive, it was a great opportunity to network and generate business. But I am simply not willing to take any risks with the – let’s put it mildly – very volatile regime in the States.”
“I really welcome the changes that the organisers have made, especially in finally seeking to address the lack of dedicated networking space at the conference,” says Lacy, COO of the Middlesbrough-based studio Radical Forge, which raised £2.6 million in funding final 12 months.
“Hopefully this won’t solely make it a a lot safer expertise, but in addition allow these builders who aren’t staying in the most well-liked (costly) accommodations to stumble upon one another serendipitously.
Reducing value is clearly a really constructive transfer and makes an enormous distinction for smaller studios like ours.”
She says that Radical Forge will likely be attending GDC in 2026, and can all the time strive to take action. But she provides that their focus is much less in regards to the convention programme and extra about “business development and meeting with US publishers and co-dev partners.”
“GDC has always been a huge melting pot of games industry people of all shapes and sizes,” says Kaczmarczyk, head of the gross sales and enterprise intelligence firm IndieBI. “Between creative tracks, expo, bizdev in hotel lobbies, and friends just hanging out on the green in Yerba Buena, I’m sure you’ll find groups that love the broader direction and ones that hate it.
“Me in my businessy hat and all the other friendly bizdev gremlins would probably prefer if GDC just split up instead – made a separate few days for the business and networking side of things, and a separate few days for the creative tracks and the expo. This would be one way to make the event feel less crowded, hectic, and expensive – and would stop forcing attendees into tradeoffs between building industry relations and going to talks to be knowledge sponges.”
“The benefits still far outweigh the problems”
Tom Kaczmarczyk
Kaczmarczyk says he will likely be attending GDC in 2026. “Despite the post-pandemic and up to date turmoils, it nonetheless has greater than sufficient vital mass of video games {industry} associates, colleagues, and unbridled creativity to make it exhausting to flee its gravity effectively. GDCs and IGFs had been an enormous a part of how I bought my very own begin within the {industry}, and it is nonetheless top-of-the-line reveals to hang around with outdated associates and purchasers, say hi there to new ones, meet up with platform holders, and have a good time upcoming releases in individual – multi functional place.
“GDC is for sure not without its issues, but the benefits still far outweigh the problems.”
He likes the best way the rebrand displays the organisers’ readiness to make modifications. “The whole Game Changer/Luminary track seems like a nod vaguely in the direction of making the event a better fit for us business gremlins (who would previously often not even bother buying passes, as we’d just hang out on the green and in hotel lobbies anyway). I’m not sure if that’s exactly how I’d approach the issues myself, but I also don’t know the first thing about organising massive events for tens of thousands of people, so I’m just happy that it looks like smart people are actively working to solve problems and improve things.”
Griliopoulos, who was a contract journalist for publications like Edge, IGN, and The Guardian earlier than transferring into video games writing for titles equivalent to Nightingale, RimWorld: Anomaly, and Total War: Warhammer, thinks we must always give GDC’s rebrand an opportunity.
“I admire our industry’s tendency to instinctively punch upwards, but GDC is an institution worth keeping,” he says. “Yes, the old version had a unique wholesomeness, purpose, and prestige, but it couldn’t stand still while the sands were moving under its foundations, and it had accreted mess over time. As with all industry-focused events, the business deals and social side long ago moved out of the main venue, and no-one needs to attend a talk in person, really, so experiments were necessary to find a continuing form of the institution. I’m glad they’re trying!”
He doesn’t, nonetheless, plan to attend, mainly owing to the price of travelling from Europe. “There are local events that offer the social and business side of industry gatherings at less than half the cost (I’m thinking Gamescom, Develop and Reboot, which are excellent value for European developers.)”
“Slicing down the ticketing types to specific audiences is smart”
Dan Griliopoulos
He nonetheless appreciates the modifications. “The new format is more tempting than the previous version,” he says. “Making it fill the week is wise – it had unfold to that anyway, so why not personal it? And additional slicing down the ticketing sorts to particular audiences is wise.
“But the price of passes is still way out of the non-corporate developer’s range, even if they’re apparently cheaper. The limited indie/start-up passes are a good attempt to account for that, especially if bought as early-bird at $450. If I was US-based, I’d be grabbing one of those straight away.
“On the flipside, I’m not sure the $2,500 Game Changer pass works. If you’re looking to pitch games, dropping that wodge to talk to people you can talk to elsewhere doesn’t say ‘reassuring financial sense’ to me. And taking on DICE by targeting executives with the Luminaries Speaker series is another gamble. The breaking up of the specialist summits is also sad – if I want to exchange gossip and best practice with my peers, I don’t want to have to hunt out the sessions throughout the timetable or organise our own meet-up.”
Sleijffers, who co-founded the gaming and esports company ELO, thinks that GDC’s title change is a constructive transfer, however admits it led him to suppose the present can be client centered. Not concentrating on customers is “a miss,” he thinks. “Many gamers do like to know about the creation process.”
“We feel we get more from an event like Gamescom”
Wouter Sleijffers
He provides that he is not planning to attend in 2026, a call that principally comes all the way down to budgets. “Whilst not exactly the same, we feel we get more from an event like Gamescom, which is closer to home,” he says. “Even with the reduction in pricing, a trip to GDC is still a large commitment budget- and time-wise. It’s great for networking, but not always great for (immediate) business.”
The on-line portion of the present can be “pricey,” he says, concluding that there’s “not enough consideration for the international audience.”
“With the games industry constantly evolving, I believe it’s important for any event to keep iterating and remain as inclusive as possible, welcoming new entrants and businesses,” says Jackson. “At Pitchify, our focus is global, connecting funders to developers, and we’re eager to meet our developers, investors, and publishers face-to-face whenever we can to better understand their funding needs.”
“This year, we’ve prioritised events in Cape Town, Bucharest, and Middlesbrough, and GDC feels like another valuable opportunity to connect with the community. I had already planned to attend before the recent changes became clear.”
Browne, who was head of exterior publishing at Digital Extremes earlier than founding Blue Moon, says he’s “genuinely happy about the fresh face of GDC” and that “something needed to be done to reboot it.”
“The format seems much broader and more open, and the new pricing obviously is going to help in hard times,” he says. However, like many individuals, he was left scratching his head by the rebrand reveal. “People were confused when it came out without any details, but I think subsequent information has cleared that up.”
“A lot of people simply don’t want to travel to America”
Richard Browne
He additionally worries that the convention is lacking a digital trick. “Given the situation in America at the moment, I do feel not wholly embracing online attendance with all sessions streamed is a mistake. A lot of people simply don’t want to travel to America. The vault access solves much of this, but after the fact, and obviously doesn’t allow for online participation.”
Browne will likely be attending GDC subsequent 12 months, however not as a ticket holder. “From a business development standpoint, I think meetings will continue to be conducted in the surrounding hotels, and for me, the sessions and events don’t hold the value that they do for a day to day developer.”
Overall, he thinks the proposed modifications ought to assist the occasion, “but it’s going to be tough with so many prevailing headwinds.”
Marshall, whose studio not too long ago revealed the upcoming journey recreation Earth Must Die!, offers a blunt response when requested whether or not he will likely be attending GDC in 2026.
“Ha ha, Christ no, absolutely not. The financial investment required to go to GDC for what is functionally a massive jolly is madness. It was madness when it was just GDC, but in the current climate where every penny counts, it’s throwing money away.
“I’m an enormous believer in ‘networking’ at occasions, I feel it is actually, actually good, however except you are actively making an attempt to safe cash from a writer or discover a job, for many recreation devs this stuff are simply not definitely worth the money, except it’s extremely fast and straightforward so that you can get to, otherwise you’re ready to deal with it as a stunning little vacation.
“Also, putting it politely: travelling to America in 2026? I mean, we’ve all seen the news, right? We’ve all seen the news and the pictures and we’ve heard the stories and it’s honestly difficult to muster the enthusiasm to travel there for any reason whatsoever at the moment.”
Still, he’s tickled that the Festival of Gaming rebrand ends in the acronym FOG, on condition that it takes place within the famously foggy San Francisco. “That is excellent pun work, and I wish them every success purely because of that.”
Before founding the writer No More Robots, Rose was a author for Gamasutra, which was the official web site for GDC. “So when I used to go,” he says, “I got a staff pass, which got me unbelievable access. I got into all the craziest parties, too, those were the days.”
As you’d count on, this implies he has a delicate spot for the present. “Unfortunately, for the reason that pandemic, travelling to San Francisco is simply – effectively, there isn’t any means on God’s Earth that I’ll ever do it once more. There are many causes, however the principle ones are: I don’t have all the cash on this planet; the town bought an increasing number of grim every time I went; the final time I went, there have been actually large crypto banners in every single place; the US is an absolute mess; and plenty of extra causes.
“San Francisco is just too expensive for anyone to visit other than the rich”
Mike Rose
“Pile that on top of the quite frankly CRAZY badge prices for the show, and it’s just absolutely not been worth going whatsoever. Which feels horrible to say, because it used to be such a meaningful place to me… but let’s be honest, capitalism won.”
He additionally finds the rebrand complicated. “I’ve looked at this Festival of Gaming thing twice now, and both times, I just had no idea what I was looking at. I’m not entirely sure what is actually new. Maybe it’s loads and I’m not understanding it, but it reads to me like they know their numbers are dropping, so they’re trying to splash a new coat on it, and hope people forget about all the problems. When really, we all know that the answer is ‘go somewhere else’ – San Francisco is just too expensive for anyone to visit other than the rich. If you want the whole industry to go to your event, go somewhere they can actually afford.”
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