The organizer of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) has officially announced that its 2021 iteration will be an online only affair. The annual event had originally planned to make GDC 2021 a hybrid in-person/online showcase, but concerns from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have rendered that impossible, forcing organizer Informa Tech to go all digital.
“While we can’t wait to gather in the halls of Moscone [San Francisco] together again, and we did consider an in-person component this year, we have decided that it’s more important that our speakers, attendees and sponsors be able to plan ahead, to continue to be as safe as possible, and to spend our attention on delivering the best possible GDC,” said Informa Tech in a press statement. “As in a more traditional year, this year’s conference will be filled with deep content developed with our advisory board, a focus on community-building, networking and celebrations that GDC is known for.”
GDC 2021 is scheduled to take place the weekend of July 19-23, and will offer developers and publishers the opportunity to network and converse online, showcasing their respective wares, discussing the industry, and looking for new talent and opportunities. Both the Independent Games Festival and Developers Choice Awards will take place on July 21.
Additionally, GDC has several workshops and presentations planned for next month. March 4-5 will see GDC Masterclass offer in-depth advice and training via a series of “virtual workshops” held by industry veterans. A GDC Showcase event is also planned for the weekend of March 15-19 and will include AMAs, panel interviews, podcasts and presentations from various developers and publishers. Fore more information, check out the official GDC website.
Source: Destructoid GDC 2021 drops ‘hybrid event’ plan, will be fully digital due to COVID-19 pandemic