Rebranded GDC Festival of Gaming attracts 20,000 attendees

GDC Festival of Gaming welcomed over 20,000 distinctive attendees in 2026. The sport business convention rebranded final yr and applied a serious pricing overhaul and simplified cross construction in an effort to make content material extra accessible to attendees.

The week-long showcase occurred from March 9 to March 13 on the Moscone Center and Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA in San Francisco, California. 

The occasion hosted over 700 cross-disciplinary periods from 1,100 audio system, hundreds of networking conferences, and greater than 300 exhibitors. 

According to organizer Informa Festivals, final yr’s occasion attracted 30,000 attendees—together with 6,000 throughout the GDC Nights night program. 

“This was the primary yr of a daring new idea for GDC,” said GDC president Nina Brown in a press release. “We are thrilled that 20,000 distinctive attendees representing our world group confirmed up from over 85 international locations and trusted us with this evolution.

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“The energy across the Festival, from packed sessions to a vibrant show floor and thousands of meetings happening throughout the week, demonstrates how powerful it is when our industry comes together to learn from one another, build partnerships and shape what comes next for games. This transformation was built directly from community feedback, and we’re excited to continue listening, learning, and evolving the GDC Festival of Gaming as we look ahead to 2027.”

GDC will return to the Moscone Center subsequent yr from March 1 to March 5, 2027. The name for submissions for the GDC Festival of Gaming will open in early July 2026.

Game Developer and GDC Festival of Gaming are siblings underneath Informa Festivals.