GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 holds its place as a banger of the video video games occasions calendar. Whilst numbers had been down on final yr, as has been talked about by a couple of folks on right here, I felt vitality ranges… | Matt Hitchcock

GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 holds its place as a banger of the video video games occasions calendar.

Whilst numbers had been down on final yr, as has been talked about by a couple of folks on right here, I felt vitality ranges had been good and optimism excessive. There had been a great deal of folks pushing fascinating issues ahead, from the beginning ups to the grizzled veterans getting again on the entrance strains, and many chat about potential futures.

For me, the candle burned at each ends and I wanted somewhat R&R time (therefore my GDC recap put up being somewhat late!) however right here I’m to tag among the previous buddies and new that I met out in sunny San Francisco:

– Conference MVP Gareth Bushell, serving to me discover late evening adventures, meals (and repair elevators)
– Everyone from the Department for Business and Trade mission, from the organisers to the delegates. Way too many to checklist however gotta shout out to the nice peeps at Ukie and Game Republic together with my common occasion / Foley’s / Clift (IYKYK) buddies Viki Freeman 🔜 GDC, Simon Hope, Matt Knott, Aidan Kessell g. d. c., Declan Paul 🔜 GDC, Stefan Seicarescu, Alexandra Nitescu 🔜 GDC, Theodor Diea, Mikołaj Marcisz 🔜 GDC (king of elixirs), Wojtek Becla 🔜 GDC (aka Antonio), Tomasz Wąsikowski, Philip Stilgoe, Melissa Brown 🔜 GDC (and the superior home occasion), Max Louis, Simon Barratt 🔜 PocketGamer ✈️ DICE ✈️ GDC, Bernard Bachrach and those who my foggy post-GDC mind has did not recall however nonetheless loves!
– Loads of recent buddies, however just a few photographs for proof… Great to fulfill Derek Lieu IRL on the BINS and BYTES Video Game Trailer and Cinematic Artists Community meet up. And though we chatted extra about music than video games, hanging out with Ben Kvalo was enjoyable. 
– Thanks to Jamie O’Flanagan for sliding me a coveted ticket to the Annual Cinematics Awards afterparty the place I met an superior bunch of creators together with Ana Krstajic, Dunja Stojanović, Bosko Ognjevic & Jenna Melfi 🔜 GDC, while being woefully underdressed.

It was a brilliant intense week, as conferences usually are, with hundreds to unpack (not least being the 7kgs of US sweeties that introduced my suitcase to 19.9kgs and nearly busted the load restrict).

What will subsequent yr’s GDC seem like? I’m not even going to aim to foretell (past there being much more AI centered stands and merchandise), however we do understand it’ll be in San Francisco once more – a metropolis that I heard lots of people hating on.

For me it’s a metropolis with some very low lows and a few staggeringly excessive highs, and it’s in contrast to anyplace else I’ve ever been. The structure is unimaginable in locations, it has some wonderful sights to see and a few nice meals if you understand the place to look too…

Until subsequent yr then SF!