UBM TechWeb unveiled details of the 39th edition of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) that will take place from March17 to to March 21 in San Francisco.

Ashley Corrigan, conference manager and head of content for GDC, said in an interview with GamesBeat that the theme of GDC 2025 will be connecting the world, with a focus on the global impact of the game industry.

Corrigan explained that GDC is the international hub of the game development community, where creators from every corner of the world come together to connect, collaborate, and celebrate the power of games as a unifying force. GDC 2025 shines a spotlight on the profound global impact of games, where they serve as powerful tools for cultural representation and awareness, including their unique ability to bridge cultural divides, share diverse stories, and foster a deeper understanding among players worldwide.

“Connecting the world through games is an overarching theme for 2025. We will be talking about the global impact of the games industry, of video games, on the economy, and celebrating games as a medium for cultural representation and spreading awareness as well,” Corrigan said. “So, we’re excited to really dive into that and celebrate the internationality of the games industry as a whole.”

GDC 2025 is world’s biggest event targeting professionals dedicated to the art and science of making video games across platforms – consoles, PC, mobile devices, social, online, virtual reality and others.

Last year, the event drew 30,000 people to San Francisco over five days for more than 725 sessions and more than 400 exhibitors and sponsors. The sessions are decided upon and supported by the GDC Advisory board, which is composed of more than 100 seasoned game and VR/AR industry professionals who volunteer their time and efforts to review the hundreds of speaking submissions. Notable developers on the GDC Advisory Board include Mark Cerny, Soren Johnson, Angie Smets, Kate Edwards, Chris Charla, Victoria Tran and many more.

“Our guiding principle behind our program is constant: by developers for developers,” said Corrigan. “One thing that’s fairly unique to GDC is we work with over 100 developers from around the world who we call our advisors. And they review our submissions and work with speakers, provide content direction, and really just ensure that we are reflecting the developer experience and focusing on knowledge sharing and being representative of developers.”

This year features 19 separate summits, four workshops and the game career seminar — each with its own set of advisers. As for year-round activities, past talks spanning more than 20 years are available in the GDC Vault, and Game Developer is the official editorial partner of GDC.

Among the sessions addressing key topics is one on future funding, featuring the expertise of Jason Della Rocca a game business consultant, investor, funding advisor and ecosystem strategist to discuss how game makers of any size can go about securing the funding they need to bring their projects to the market.

“Funding and investment is a huge theme for us this year. This is very top of mind for developers right now. The landscape has changed a lot, and a lot of people are really looking for guidance on what to do, how to approach it,” Corrigan said.

There will be a panel on publishers, on VCs, and one on self-publishing and talking about this new form of publishing that are more like co-development and co-funding projects, Corrigan said.

GDC Safety Measures

San Francisco has been in the news for its safety issues. GDC said it prioritizes the safety of all attendees during their week in San Francisco, and works closely with the city to bolster security and navigation around the Moscone Center.

Many safety measures have also been implemented, including the GDC Safety Helpline, CA safety training, walking groups, guidelines for safely navigating the conference, the city, and after-hours/satellite events, easily accessible information about San Francisco’s new law requiring bars to carry drug testing kits and more. Like it or not, there are good reasons for doing this kind of work at a San Francisco event.

GDC has a 24/7 GDC Safety phone line to contact for any issues faced by attendees. It has convention center phones throughout Moscone buildings for reporting emergencies with quick dial access. It has expanded training of CAs (Conference Associates) to flag and handle cases of harassment and other serious issues.

It also features GDC Travel Together, a walking buddy system to help attendees easily coordinate and assemble to travel in small groups around the the convention center. And it has Coat Check to prevent item theft. It also works with SF’s Safety Welcome Ambassadors, who show up in their signature bright orange jackets, with the words “Welcome Ambassador” written on the back. These ambassadors can help with directions, transit questions and safety concerns. They are stationed near the Moscone Center.

“We are very grateful to the city of San Francisco for having this program. We’ve received a lot of great feedback on it and I personally have had a lot of really great interactions and experiences with these folks,” said Corrigan.

There will also be bolstered security presence onsite and escorts provided upon request/as needed; ;artnership with surrounding venues, local hotels, SF Travel and the City of San Francisco to ensure safe environment for all attendees; and GDC guidelines and safety standards for outside venues are posted online for organizations looking to host GDC-timed events.

“This is something we will be promoting through hotel lobbies and our email communications. We are making it easily accessible and we are spreading awareness around this resource for folks to be able to get help or report issues,” Corrigan said. “We have a walking buddy system where we have designated hotels strategically placed around Moscone and in the area where people can form groups walking to and from the conference to navigate their way to and from the conference safely. And it’s also a really great way to meet people.”

GDC Accessibility Efforts

GDC said is committed to making the conference accessible to and inclusive of every member of the game development community with the help of 700+ scholarships, a low-income pass lottery and an equal opportunity attendance program. The even also features babysitting services, an ADA accessible kiosk at the IGF Pavilion, reserved seats for those with visual or audio impairments, and pronoun ribbons.

The team also supports efforts to open access to GDC content, including free GDC Vault sessions with captions and translation in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese, and an Advocacy Track open to every badge type.

GDC job resources

GDC is a place where people reconnect with friends, learn from colleagues and importantly, find jobs in the industry. GDC also hosts Career Development sessions and Game Career Seminar, a longstanding resource for attendees looking to explore employment opportunities in multiple job fields in the industry. There will also be countless networking, recruiting, portfolio reviews and mentoring opportunities throughout the week.

I’ll be hosting a GDC panel on transparency around game jobs in the industry in a session with Amir Satvat, a champion for game jobs who has helped thousands of people find jobs through his game job resources. He was recently awarded the first-ever Game Changers award at The Game Awards for his work.

GDC itself offers the Game Career Seminar, which offers strategies for devs on pitching their games, how they can land an investor/publisher and how to build their careers in the game development directly from industry experts. It also has Portfolio Reviews available during this program.

Content Offerings will be happening all week, focused on career development with actionable takeaways devs can immediately incorporate into their careers. Speed Networking will happen where attendees rotate around the room for six meetings lasting seven minutes each.

And attendees and exhibitors have an option to add “We’re Hiring” to virtual booths in Swapcard or “I’m
Hiring” ribbons on attendees’ GDC badges.

Inside the official GDC, there will be two GDC After-Hours Experience evenings. For the first time ever, GDC is bringing two nights of networking and entertainment, all in a fun atmosphere right onsite at GDC.
Taking place Monday, March 17 and Thursday, March 20, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., this is where casual chats turn into powerful collaborations, and where game fans, industry and leaders come together to unwind, connect, and get inspired.

“We’re setting out to create a fun space, a fun and safe space for people to get together socially and have something to do after hours and celebrate games,” Corrigan said.

Not only will all attendees be able to take part, but the general public will be welcomed to join in the festivities.

The 27th annual IGF recognizes the most influential, innovative and acclaimed independent game developers around the world. IGF distributes nine major awards at its ceremony annually and the festival consists of the IGF Ceremony, the two-day Independent Games Summit on the Monday and Tuesday of the week and the IGF Pavilion on the GDC Expo floor Wednesday through Friday.

The IGF Awards are a staple of the Game Developers Conference and have an important role in the industry as the largest and longest-running festival celebrating independent game developers worldwide. They have been crucial to the success and recognition of now iconic titles including: Minecraft, Betrayal at Club Low, Neon White, Tunic, Her Story, Papers Please, Outer Wilds, Limbo, Fez, Night in the Woods, Hyper Light Drifter and more.

The IGF Awards will take place on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. Pacific time. Finalist games will be playable for attendees in the IGF Pavilion at GDC, accessible with any pass. The IGF Award winners will receive more than $20,000 of prizes in various categories, including the $10,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize. All IGF finalists this year also receive a $1,000 stipend.

The IGF Awards and Game Developers Choice Awards ceremonies are available to attend for all GDC 2024 pass-holders, and will be livestreamed online via http://twitch.tv/gdc.

Game Developers Choice Awards

The 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) is the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers. Like the IGF Awards that immediately precede it, the GDCAs are decided upon by other developers in the community, and honors the dedicated artistry and craft behind the year’s best titles. Previous award recipients rank among the most acclaimed games of all time, including Baldur’s Gate III, Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarök, Stray, Pentiment, The Last of Us, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Portal, Journey and The Sims.

In recognition for their historical contributions to games, the GDCAs also bestow Lifetime Achievement Award to developers who have impacted games and game development; the Pioneer Award which honors breakthrough business, tech and game design milestones; and the Ambassador Award that celebrates an individual that helped the game industry advance to a better place. Past recipients include John Romero, Mabel Addis (the first female video game designer), Yoko Shimomura, Steven Spohn (founder of AbleGamers), Hideo Kojima, Tim Sweeney, Amy Hennig and more.

“This is representative of the industry as a whole, whether it’s an independent single developer to triple-A — it’s really just the best of the best standout games from the last year,” corrigan said. “Of course, as a part of this, we also have our individual awards where we have three potential awards where we pick two every year. The Lifetime Achievement, Pioneer, and Ambassador Award are the three that we pick from.”

The GDCA Awards take place on on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, immediately following the IGF ceremony that begins at 6:30 p.m. Pacific. Industry professionals from around the world nominate recipients in twelve categories, celebrating creativity, artistry and technical genius.

Alt.ctrl.gdc: Co-helmed by veteran indie curator John Polson and returning for the 11th year, this exhibit will take place from March 19-21 and is one of GDC’s most acclaimed community spaces. Visitors can play games using alternative controllers and meet the developers behind these uniquely interesting projects.

Attend GDC 101 on Sunday evening and Wednesday morning for a crash course on how to navigate the week at GDC. After the presentation, stick around for informal networking to make a friend or two and stay in touch through the week.

From Wednesday through Friday, GDC will offer Speed Networking for on-site attendees. These will be one-hour sessions on the Expo floor with attendees rotating around the space. No pre-registration is required and attendance will be first come, first served.

On Wednesday at 12:30pm Pacific time, GDC will host a musical spectacle curated by renowned composer Austin Wintory (best known for his work on the scores for Journey, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Abzu, Banner Saga 1-3 and more). This will also be streamed on the GDC Twitch channel. That’s the closest thing to a keynote speech. I miss the historic GDC keynotes of years past like those given by former Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata and former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates.

GDC Summits

GDC Summits are curated deep dives into specific topics, covering a comprehensive range of game development disciplines. The GDC Summits solicit proposals from speakers with deep industry expertise and innovative ideas from a particular niche or emerging area of the game industry. 2025 GDC Summits include: Animation, Game AI, Game Narrative, Level Design, Live Services, Machine Learning, and Thriving Players (formerly focused on addressing player toxicity). I like to look at these summits to see what’s trending in games over time. For instance, the Live Service Summit has replaced the Free-to-Play Summit.

GDC Workshops are interactive full- or half-day sessions designed to teach skills and promote critical thinking. Workshops can consist of lectures, hands-on exercises, and group discussions.

Highlighted sessions

And as for the big sessions of GDC, the highlights include:

• The Making of Astro Bot (Nicolas Doucet at Sony Interactive Entertainment);
• The Charm and Potential of Command Battle Systems: Evolving Atlus RPGs with Metaphor: ReFantazio (Kenichi Goto at Atlus)
• Prince of Persia:The Lost Crown: Making a Modern Metroidvania Both Challenging and Accessible (Remi Boutin at Ubisoft)
• Dredge and Yarn Spinner: Building Narrative with Open Source (Jon Manning atSecret Lab)
• A Matter of Perspective: Mixing Sound in Split Fiction (Joakim Enigk Sjoberg at Hazelight Studios and Philip Eriksson at Hazelight)
• Designing Endings and Balancing Player Expectations: Illustrated by the Epilogue of ‘Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (Moritz Lehr and Pawel Ochocki at CD Projekt Red)
• Reimagining Leaders for Civilization VII (Chandrahas Tanguturi and Rue Taylor at Firaxis Games)
• A Cup Of Liber-Tea: Scoring Satire with Sincerity in Helldivers 2 (Wilbert Roget at RogetMusic)
• The Case of Balatro: Turning Low Resolution into High Praise (Wout van Halderen at Playstack)
• Independent Games Summit: Developing at 5mb per Year: The Making of Animal Well (illy Basso Game Developer, Shared Memory)
• Level Design Summit: Silent Hill 2: The Mystery of the Remake (Anna Oporska-Szybisz at Bloober Team)
• Monument Valley 3: Understanding the Past to Create a Modern Sequel (Emily Brown at Ustwo Games)