The Game Developers Conference was scheduled to take place this week, but as worries over the spread of the coronavirus mounted, the event’s organisers officially made the decision to postpone the show just a few weeks ago. Now, they’re already willing to commit to a new date: GDC Summer is scheduled to take place this August.
Described as a “three-day celebration of the art, craft and business of game development,” GDC Summer is set to take place August 4-6 in San Francisco, CA at the Moscone Center – the same venue which has traditionally hosted the show. That’s two days less than GDC’s usual run, and will feature the usual industry panels alongside a “freestyle two-day expo show floor.”
I don’t know how a freestyle expo hall works either, friends. The show will also feature spaces for developers and publishers to host meetings and office locations onsite, and the organisers say “this program enables GDC as an organization to reach areas of the industry previously untapped due to space restrictions.”
San Francisco is currently in lockdown due to the virus outbreak, and it’s unclear when conditions in the city – or the state, country, or world at large – are going to improve. At this point in time, it seems more than a little premature to set a new date, especially when an event like GDC will be set to encourage a whole lot of international travel.
“Safety remains the GDC organizers’ paramount concern and the GDC team will continue to monitor the latest information from health officials to ensure a safe and compelling event for everyone at GDC Summer, GDC 2021 and beyond.”