More conferences, conventions, and other industry related events are being added to Events for Gamers’ calendar every day for 2023! Check out the calendar’s current listings and let us know if you are attending an event we should add.
We also will be increasing our stories throughout next year, covering all the main events with interviews and other exciting updates from your favorite events. The trend in 2020 and 2021 of more Online and Hybrid events will also continue to be tracked in our monthly event updates. In 2020, there was a surge of Online events due to the pandemic and necessity in continuing conversations about game development. Then in 2021 and through most of 2022 the industry saw the benefits of Online and Hybrid events.
We at Events for Gamers expect 2023 to continue the trend that began in late 2021 but focusing this time on more Hybrid events than Online ones. Onsite events will dominate as they did in 2022, but we expect to see more of them support some form of Hybrid offerings to those who cannot directly attend.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Discord, and now Mastodon for the latest social updates and event news. If you have an event to share for our calendar, please let us know! Any support you can provide is appreciated.
What events in 2023 will be winners? Let’s find out together. See you next year as we join you at these industry’s events!
SAN FRANCISCO – March 25, 2025 – The 2025 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, has come to a close after hosting nearly 30,000 registered attendees across five full days of inspiring sessions and networking opportunities with peers and leaders across the games industry. GDC also introduced the first annual GDC Nights after-hours event, with two evenings of engaging community content that blended TV, movies, comedy, gaming and fun activities to further underline GDC’s commitment to bringing the world together through games. GDC will be returning to the Moscone Center next year, Monday, March 9 to Friday, March 13, 2026. The call for submissions for GDC 2026 will open in early July 2025.
During the inaugural GDC Nights program, which ran on Monday, March 17 and Thursday, March 20, the 6,000 attendees participated in a slate of activities that included a screening and roundtable featuring the stars of Hulu’s Deli Boys, a screening of the deeply emotional and affirming Netflix documentary, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin and a live comedy show taking place in the world of Animal Crossing hosted by comedian Jenny Yang.
GDC 2025 hosted 1,000+ speakers across 750 sessions, workshops and roundtable discussions, in addition to a plethora of networking opportunities. GDC featured developers, exhibitors and attendees from over the globe with 400 top game industry teams including Meta, Tencent Games, Snail Games, and Servers.com, exhibiting their latest products, services and innovations.
The hustle and bustle of the GDC 2025 expo floor (image: Official GDC
It was also a space for attendees to play and connect with the developers behind new and exciting independent games, including the finalists from the Independent Games Festival (IGF) in the IGF Pavilion and the alt.ctrl.GDC exhibit that is home to games that use alternative controllers including a seesaw, a cat’s furry behind and a broken shower.
“Seeing the the engrossing lectures, the collective labor organizing and the amazing performances from Austin Wintory alongside the artists at GDC Nights has been an affirming experience and helps reinforce the value of GDC’s mission to connect developers through their shared passion for game development,” said Stephenie Hawkins, GDC Event Director. “The past few years have seen increasing challenges for game developers the world over, but we’re proud to see GDC continue to serve as a beacon. We look forward to seeing our friends here again, and hope that the connections and insights they gained will carry through to their next amazing game projects.”
GDC featured workshops and sessions led by some of the biggest names in the games and entertainment industry. Esteemed developers shared their insights into the creations of hit games including Astro Bot, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Like a Dragon, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Split Fiction, Helldivers 2, Silent Hill 2, Monument Valley 3, Tekken 8 and many more. During GDC, there were several major announcements and reveals, including the formation of the first North American industry-wide union of video game workers, the United Videogame Workers-CWA Local 9433. Qualcomm made waves with the reveal of their Pocket S2, a new Android-based handheld gaming device that will be powered by the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 chipset and Roblox announced the launch of its new open-source model called Cube.
The GDC Main Stage featured a pair of presentations that helped celebrate games and bring the joy of the art to even more people around the world. On Wednesday, composer Austin Wintory (Stray Gods, Journey, Banner Saga Series) conducted a wholly new musical performance known as “GDC Main Stage: A Developer’s Concert” following the success of the performance’s debut during GDC 2024. The hourlong concert was performed by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and featured lush orchestrations that spanned decades of beloved game scores including works by Wilbert Roget, II, Darren Korb and others. On Thursday, the GDC Main Stage hosted the unveiling of ESA’s landmark Accessible Games Initiative, a cross-industry effort to provide consumers with clear information about the accessibility features available in video games. The initiative (www.accessiblegames.com) is fully supported by founding members Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America and Ubisoft.
GDC 2025 honored the top developers of the past year with the 27th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards and the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA). At the IGF Awards on Wednesday night, the independent game Consume Me won the Seumas McNally Grand and The Nuovo Award, which honors experiences that make both players and the awards jurors think differently about gaming as a medium. At the Game Developers Choice Awards Balatro was awarded the highly-coveted Game of the Year award, as well as Best Debut, Best Design and the Innovation Award. Astro Bot, developed by PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, also claimed high honors at the show, winning the Best Audio and Best Technology Awards.
Building off of its introduction in 2024, GDC continued to expand upon its Travel Together program to help attendees form networking walking groups between multiple hotel locations throughout San Francisco and the Moscone Center; a 24-hour GDC Safety phone line (+1 925-852-4361) that is available 24/7 throughout the event; the Game History Gallery that showcased games from marginalized developers as well as tips on how to preserve games. GDC also continued multiple programs to expand access to GDC content, including the Equal Opportunity Attendance Program, which offers 1,000 complimentary GDC Expo passes to applicants who were otherwise unable to attend without considerable financial assistance. This year, 700+ passes were donated through the GDC scholarships program, made in partnership with more than 25+ organizations dedicated to supporting and uplifting underrepresented voices in the industry.
In addition, GDC provided all IGF finalists travel stipends to ensure they could attend and participate in the conference. GDC celebrated finalists with the annual IGF Pavilion with a kiosk and equipment to highlight their games to the public at no cost and IGF Award winners receive prize money for their incredible work.
Other support resources included affordable onsite childcare services, an ADA-accessible kiosk at the IGF Pavilion, accessible controllers at alt.ctrl.GDC, and reserved seating at all sessions for those with visual or auditory impairments. To increase access to GDC beyond the conference halls, GDC partnered with a diverse group of co-streamers to broadcast key programming, including the “GDC Main Stage: A Developer’s Concert,” the IGF Awards and the Game Developers Choice Awards, live on Twitch and YouTube to global audiences. These co-streamers included IGN, PlanoPlaysGames, JoeyPrink, Ekate (Spanish), lyksaber (English & Tagalog) and others. Across GDC’s Twitch channel and co-streamers, there were more than 3,000 unique live streams of the awards and concert. Additionally, GDC posts a selection of sessions to its video archive, GDC Vault, available at no cost to the game developer community every year. All sessions added to GDC Vault include closed captions in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese.
To ensure an inclusive environment, all GDC attendees were required to abide by GDC’s strict Code of Conduct, which was heavily promoted throughout Moscone. It states that GDC will not tolerate any unacceptable behaviors including intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory or demeaning conduct by any attendees of GDC and related events, and that these behaviors could result in expulsion from the event.
For more details on the Game Developers Conference, please visit the GDC’s official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, X or BlueSky. Official photos are available via the Official GDC Flickr account: www.flickr.com/photos/officialgdc/.
We’ve put together another great list of events you can attend for the month. As we continue our adventure into springtime, the event season settles into a solid cadence post-GDC with more conferences coming up.
Many of the conferences listed in April will have sessions and discussions about the state of the industry that continue from GDC (which was unusually low in attendance… we’ll have a separate post on this shortly). The most prominent talking point at GDC was, sadly, the continuing layoffs and investment troubles that nearly every major studio (and many indies) are facing. We actually reported on this LAST YEAR, though fortunately there are some signs that 2025 may be the turnaround year we’ve been waiting for.
Check out the complete April event list below, but first…
SPECIAL OFFERS
We recently launched a new feature on the website – Event Ticket Discounts and Offers. Want to know when your event has a 10% off special or early bird rates open? Check out our Free Offers Page regularly!
Here are the latest offers listed as of this blog post:
We are also looking for folks who want to get some editorial experience (or just prestige of attending an event) by writing about their event experiences (or simply taking photos showcasing an event you are attending). Let us know if you want to contribute!
Thank you so much for continuing to support us!
We’ve made some additions to the overview, including a new test view of the events right from the calendar itself listed below. Let us know which type of list you prefer.
Games Industry Law Summit is the invitation-only conference for games industry’s top legal professionals, curated by a collaborative community from 56 different countries. Our mission: to enable our creative teams […]
London Games Festival 2025 is a major global celebration of video games and interactive entertainment. Visit the News Section and the Event Calendar for finding more events like London Games […]
Games Gathering Lviv 2025 is the international gamedev conference in Kyiv. This is an opportunity to raise your professional level and meet new business partners — publishers, investors and service […]
WN Events is returning to Germany with a long-awaited conference! On April 4, get in touch and reconnect with representatives of the game industry. Attendees will gain insights from top […]
The Midwest Gaming Classic is a 350,000+ square foot trade show featuring over 10,000 games on free play, along with over 200 vendors and over 100 industry guests! We’re the […]
Atlantic Games Conference is a professional event of talks and networking oriented to the video game development sector. With the clear intention of becoming a reference event in Galicia, Atlantic […]
The Mobile Gaming Conference for UA & Ad Monetization Join top publishers, monetization experts, and growth strategists at Gamesforum Cyprus, the premier event for mobile game professionals looking to scale […]
Bringing the music and games industry together for networking, knowledge sharing and to forge new partnerships! The Music and Games Industry struggle to connect. Sync and Licensing deals for commercial […]
Now Play This 2025 is a festival of experimental game design running at Somerset House in London each Spring, showcasing interactive and playful work as part of the London Games […]
SODA and POC in Play invite you to attend the first international diverse games festival in person in Manchester Metropolitan’s School of Digital Arts. In SODA’s state of the art […]
WN LiveOps Summit Belgrade’25 is a major event dedicated to the art and science of LiveOps in the gaming industry. Scheduled for April 10, 2025, in the vibrant city of […]
HIT Games Conference Berlin, a series of B2B gaming events, unites 500 professionals from 45+ countries over two days. The conference, with two stages and an expo area, includes networking […]
FÍS Games Summit 2025 will be held on Friday, April 11th, 2025, in the new Radisson RED Galway and that our first international speaker to be announced for the event […]
GDLX 2025 is the ultimate gathering for indie game developers and enthusiasts, It's where the indie game scene shines brightest, showcasing the brightest talent in the industry. But it's not […]
This is an information filled program for the hottest indie game news. It is broadcasted in 3 languages Japanese/Chinese/English, and has been viewed by over 28.6 million people with more […]
WN Connect Dubrovnik'25 is an in-person event for gaming industry representatives based in Croatia as well as those with an interest in the market. If you are planning to attend […]
Reboot Develop Blue 2025 will be taking place in the legendary historical seaside city of Dubrovnik, also known as “real world King’s Landing” from HBO TV series Game of Thrones. […]
Two days of talks and networking exploring recent and future advancements in the field of game accessibility. Understanding and implementation of accessibility principles has been growing at an exponential rate, […]
The latest Foundations of Digital Games (FDG) held in Lisbon, Portugal, invites all research contributions in the form of papers, posters, demos, doctoral consortium applications, as well as panels, competitions […]
ADDON 2025, the event dedicated to video game creators is back for another edition in Rennes! It is an event rich in novelties that we are preparing for you, always […]
From TGA: At Meet and Greet, we gather game companies for a fair like set up where the students can come to introduce themselves and show off their portfolios, in […]
The GamingonPhone Conference Online offers a unique platform for industry professionals to connect, discuss innovations, and forge collaborations that will sculpt the future of gaming. Visit the News and Event […]
RE:FORMAT x Gaming Rally unite for a day of talks, panels, business, networking, and connecting brands and creatives in the games industry. If you work in games and want to […]
LA Games Conference 2025 Law and Finance Summit is a high-end favorite among game, media, and investment leaders for the high energy, focused environment for networking, meetings, and deal-making. This […]
Balatro Goes All In, Winning Game of the Year and More At the 25th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards
Balatro Also Received Best Debut, Innovation Award and Best Design, with Astro Bot Also Showing a Strong Hand by Winning the Best Audio and Technology Awards
SAN FRANCISCO – March 19, 2025 – The indie roguelike deckbuilding game Balatro has taken the pot at the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), receiving the highly coveted Game of the Year Award. The title also secured the win for the Best Debut, Innovation Award and Best Design, tallying up four total wins for the title at the ceremony. The GDCAs are the premier accolades for peer recognition in the digital games industry. Each year, the Choice Awards recognize and celebrate the creativity, artistry and technical genius of the finest developers and games created in the last year. The award ceremony takes place each year as part of the Game Developers Conference (GDC), which is taking place this week at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center.
LocalThunk and Playstack’s Balatro is a unique spin on the timeless card game Poker where players build unique decks with a variety of distinct cards to score points and defeat blinds within the roguelike gameplay. The game was originally released on PC and consoles on February 20, 2024, and was later brought to MacOS, iOS and Android on September 26.
Astro Bot, the 3D platforming adventure developed by PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment also received two accolades during the GDCA ceremony: Best Audio and Best Technology. The title is a love letter to the many iconic characters and worlds from PlayStation’s wide roster of franchises and has been widely praised for its unique and energetic level design, incredible soundtrack, smart integration with the PlayStation 5’s hardware and charming aesthetics.
Other winners of the night included Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science), which won Best Visual Art, Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero / ATLUS) which received Best Narrative, Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix) which was honored with the Social Impact Award and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix) which received the Audience Award.
The Game Developers Choice Awards also took time to honor two influential figures in the industry. This year, the GDCA honored writer and director Sam Lake with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Lake is renowned for his deep, layered storytelling and ability to meld together different mediums to create unique interactive experiences. Most recently, he was the co-director and lead writer of Alan Wake 2, which won over 200 industry awards—including Best Game Direction and Best Narrative at The Game Awards, along with Best Visual Art at the 2024 Game Developers Choice Awards. Lucas Pope, well known as the creator of Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn, was the well-deserving recipient of the Pioneer Award. Pope is an independent game developer experimenting with the interactions of mechanics, narrative, and art. Papers, Please was highly lauded across the board, winning the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival (IGF) along with several trophies at the Game Developers Choice Awards in 2014, along with a BAFTA Games Award for Best Strategy and Simulation Game. Return of the Obra Dinn was also heavily praised by critics, again winning Pope the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at IGF Awards, along with several trophies from the Game Developers Choice Awards, Peabody Awards, D.I.C.E. Awards and BAFTA Games Awards.
The 25th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards winners are:
Best Debut – Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Best Visual Art – Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Best Audio – Astro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Narrative – Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero / ATLUS)
Social Impact Award – Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix)
Innovation Award – Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Best Technology – Astro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Design – Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Audience Award – Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Game of the Year – Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Pioneer Award – Lucas Pope
Lifetime Achievement Award – Sam Lake
The GDCA awards are live-streamed annually on the official Game Developers Conference (GDC) Twitch channel and are archived both on Twitch and on the official GDC YouTube Channel.
For more information about the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, visit: gamechoiceawards.com. For more details on the Game Developers Conference, please visit the GDC’s official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, BlueSky or RSS. Official photos are available via the Official GDC Flickr account: www.flickr.com/photos/officialgdc/.
About GDC
The Game Developers Conference® (GDC) is the world’s largest professional game industry event with market-defining content for programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision makers, and others involved in the development of interactive games and immersive experiences. GDC brings together the global game development community year-round through events and digital media, including the GDC Networking Meet-ups, GDC Vault, GameDeveloper.com, Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards.
GDC is organized by Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organizer in the world. To learn more and for the latest news and information visit www.informa.com.
We bring you back to a time not so long ago, not so far away — to PAX Unplugged 2024 in December 2024 in Philadelphia, PA. PAX Unplugged focuses on tabletop and card games, more than video games experiences as might be seen at other PAX events.
Youtuber Kohdok shared some highs and lows and a few stories from PAX Unplugged 2024. In a compact 18 minute video, Kohdok energetically jumps into experiences, primarily from the show floor and from exhibitors he engaged with. A few vendors were missing inventory, including a vendor who stayed at an AirBnb, one which rejected all their freight and nearly came to the show empty-handed. So the lesson is it’s critical to secure the freight and make sure it gets from Point A to B.
Kohdok goes on to talk about the hits and misses from the vendors bringing their latest and greatest card and tabletop games to PAX Unplugged. And, of course, he names names of the big companies that would be expected to have a floor presence but actually didn’t attend the show. Maybe the biggest miss for Kohdok, sadly, was missing Saturday due to falling ill, probably from “con crud.” If you’ve been to any larger event a time or two, that is (or will be) a relatable experience.
One unique addition toward the end of the video is what he discovered thrown away at the show, from samples to interesting boxes. Check out Kohdok’s entire fast-paced video from PAX Unplugged 2024, which is loaded up full of interesting tidbits and insights
Did you attend PAX Unplugged 2024? Did you experience some of these tidbits that were discussed, or was your experience different? Feel free to share your thoughts about it below or on our social media posts about this story!
Whether you are an event coordinator, press, or general attendee, if you have an event video to share with us, please let us know and we’ll be happy to feature it!
NEW YORK, March 13, 2025—Today, Games for Change(G4C) announced early bird tickets are now available for its 22nd annual Festival, which will take place June 26 – 27, 2025, at Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York City. The Festival will bring together global game industry leaders, developers, educators, and social innovators under the theme “Designing for Tomorrow.”
“The Games for Change Festival has evolved into a global catalyst for collaboration across gaming, healthcare, education, social impact, and more,” said G4C President Susanna Pollack. “With our 2025 theme ‘Designing for Tomorrow,’ we’re creating a space where innovators can tackle pressing challenges through the unique power of games and immersive media. We invite everyone passionate about this intersection to join us for what promises to be one of our most dynamic Festivals yet.”
The Festival will tackle three primary tracks: Games & Learning, Civics & Social Issues, and Health & Wellbeing, with immersive media programming integrated throughout all tracks. A new Masterclass series on June 25 will feature specialized 3-hour sessions where participants can engage in hands-on learning with industry leaders to bridge purposeful design and play with real-world change. The annual Games for Change Awards, highlighting the year’s most impactful games and immersive experiences, will take place on June 26.
Early bird tickets are available until April 7, 2025. Visit festival.gamesforchange.org for more information and to register.
About Games for Change
Since 2004, Games for Change (G4C) has empowered game creators and innovators to drive real-world change, using games and immersive media that help people learn, improve their communities, and contribute to making the world a better place. G4C partners with technology and gaming companies, nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies to run world-class events, public arcades, design challenges, and youth programs. G4C supports a global community of game developers using games to tackle real-world challenges, from humanitarian conflicts to climate change and education.
Anglia Ruskin University supports next generation of STEM enthusiasts through FXP Festival
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has further strengthened its commitments to nurturing the next gen of local STEM enthusiasts by becoming the lead sponsor for FXP Festival 2025.
Taking place on Monday 7 – Tuesday 8 July 2025, FXP Festival is an annual free video game narrative, design and coding competition for Cambridgeshire’s secondary school and sixth form students. It provides the opportunity for students to showcase and refine their technical and creative skills under the guidance of esteemed industry experts. Thanks to its sponsors, the event is completely free of charge to teams of students from Years 9 – 13 from across the county.
The Festival has been running for nine years and was established to provide an entry point for students from all backgrounds to gain a greater understanding of opportunities that exist within STEM related industries. Using game development as a means to engage students, it allows participants with passions in storytelling, coding, or designing to explore the range of career opportunities that exist within creative industries. Participants are challenged to collectively pool their skills with their team mates to create the best game they can, and the games are then judged by industry experts, based on three categories:
Concept: designing and mapping out the creative concept of an original video game.
Development: building and programming of an original video game.
Narrative developing the plot and storylines for an original video game.
Professor Catherine Lee, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Arts Humanities Education and Social Sciences at ARU, said: “We are proud to support the FXP Festival again this year and look forward to seeing the winning designs. As a major provider of computer games degrees in the region, this festival aligns with our commitment to developing future talent in the rapidly growing games industry.”
Alison Taylor, FXP Festival Co-Founder and Trustee, and CEO of Conscious Communications, a founding partner of the festival, said: “On behalf of everyone at FXP Festival, I’d like to say a huge thank you to ARU for generously sponsoring this year’s event. It is so important to provide opportunities for all students, regardless of their backgrounds, to participate in events that bridge the gap between classroom learning and the workplace while showcasing the wealth of opportunities that are available in our city. Cambridge is home to some of the world’s most innovative and fastest growing STEM businesses, and our goal is for FXP Festival to show local students that, with proper guidance and a clear pathway, they possess the skills and talent required to achieve successful careers within the field.”
FXP Festival 2025 has a maximum capacity of 55 teams, which are available on a first come first serve basis.
To register a team or enquire about sponsorship opportunities, visit: fxpfestival.com.
Our team is heading to GDC 2025 and we couldn’t be more intrigued by what’s expected at this year’s event. If you’re in the gaming industry—or hoping to break into it—we highly recommend attending as well. We’d love to meet you!
One of the biggest reasons we attend nearly every year is the chance to connect with fellow developers and other industry professionals, especially in difficult industry times. Sure, there’s tons of excellent panels, roundtables, and world-class speakers to gain insights from, but especially if you can’t afford a full pass, simply be around the conference halls and after-parties is the next best thing.
What is GDC?
GDC is a professional conference, meaning it is primarily focused on industry knowledge, networking, and professional development. Unlike broader gaming conventions like PAX, which cater more toward consumers and fan experiences, GDC is where game developers, publishers, and industry professionals gather to share insights, discuss trends, and connect over their work.
In contrast, an event like the D.I.C.E. Summit is a more intimate, high-level networking event with an emphasis on executive discussions and strategic planning. Events like PAX or Gen Con are conventions and cater more to the general public and gameplay. And a festival like SXSW incorporates gaming as part of a larger cultural event that includes music, film, and tech.
GDC is the premier event dedicated entirely to the craft and business of game development. It’s a place where you can attend deep-dive technical sessions, explore innovative design philosophies, and gain valuable insights into industry trends, all while making meaningful connections with fellow professionals.
Just remember—GDC is about networking and sharing information and insights, not immediate job offers (but DO check out the Career Pavilion to share your resume!). If you’re a student or job seeker, focus on making connections that could lead to future opportunities rather than expecting an on-the-spot hire.
Keynote Speakers and Industry Talking Points
While networking is important, attending industry talks and participating in roundtables is just as important. GDC 2025 is set to feature an impressive lineup of keynote speakers and sessions addressing the most pressing topics in the gaming industry. Some confirmed presenters you might recognize include:
Tarn Adams: Co-founder of Bay 12 Games, known for the critically acclaimed “Dwarf Fortress.”
Dan Adelman: Business and Marketing expert at Shared Memory, with extensive experience in indie game development.
Bruno Afonseca: Principal VFX Artist at Tuatara VFX, specializing in cutting-edge visual effects in gaming.
Attendees can look forward to sessions covering a range of pertinent industry topics for this year, including:
Industry Layoffs and Employment Trends: Discussions will address the recent wave of industry layoffs, strategies for career resilience, and navigating the evolving job market.
Artificial Intelligence in Game Development: Explorations into how AI is transforming game design, development processes, and player experiences.
Emerging Game Technologies: Insights into the latest technological advancements shaping the future of gaming.
Changes to This Year’s Event
GDC’s previous years have all been productive in one way or another. Sometimes there are changes made, a track add or a new offer for passes introduced, but in general the experience is the same from year-to-year. 2025 might be a bit different than expected if what we’re hearing is to come true.
For starters, GDC 2025 introduces several notable changes aimed at enhancing the attendee experience:
Expanded Session Tracks: New tracks have been added to cover emerging fields such as AI integration, virtual reality advancements, and indie game development strategies.
Increased Focus on Diversity and Inclusion: Dedicated summits and panels will address diversity, equity, and inclusion within the gaming industry, providing actionable insights for attendees.
New Hands-On Learning Experiences: This year, GDC is rolling out interactive workshops where attendees can participate in live coding sessions, rapid prototyping challenges, and hands-on demonstrations with the latest game development tools. These workshops aim to provide practical takeaways for developers at all skill levels.
GDC organizers are also pushing hard the relationship with the community and press and partners this year. Check out their Industry-Changing Community Partners page to see who’s in the lineup you may want to start following.
Networking at GDC – A Key Focus for Students and Job Seekers
As is tradition, students and job seekers have an excellent opportunity at GDC to expand their networks and gain important industry insights to prepare them for the next couple of years. However, it’s important to set the right expectations and we have to emphasize it once again—attending GDC does not guarantee a job. The primary goal should be to learn, build relationships, and establish connections that could lead to future opportunities.
Tips for job seekers and students:
Approach with curiosity, not desperation: Companies rarely hire on the spot at GDC. Instead of asking directly for jobs, focus on meaningful conversations and showcasing your interest in the industry.
Attend networking events and after-parties: Many of the best connections happen outside of formal panels. Be social, attend mixers, and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself.
Prepare a strong portfolio: If you’re a developer, designer, or artist, have a polished portfolio ready. Be prepared to share it digitally via QR codes or links.
Follow up after the event: Exchange contact information and send a follow-up message within a week of meeting someone. A brief, thoughtful message on LinkedIn can go a long way.
Planning Your Attendance
If you’re considering attending GDC, now is the time to finalize your plans as the event is just a couple of weeks away. Whether you’re an indie dev, a student, or an industry veteran, there’s something for everyone at this event.
Our Top 10 Game Industry Event Attendance Tips (tailored for GDC):
Did you register for the event? Have your receipt/confirmation accessible upon entering the event.
Bring business cards and keep the design simple and to-the-point. I highly suggest you keep the back blank and white so it can be easily written on.
Note in advance which panels/talks/parties to attend (and plan for walking time to them). For GDC and many other events, the gathering may be down the street in a hotel or other venue!
Promote your attendance to your network about 2-3 weeks in advance of the event.
Events are always a great place to network and get to know others in your industry! Just don’t go to them expecting a guaranteed job or business offer.
#1 success priority: Be likeable. Don’t go in with a hard agenda and ego, listen more than talk, and you’ll come out with friends.
Day-before: Note the weather outlook and make one more call-out to your network.
Day-of: Attending events is expensive! Always have a bit of cash on-hand. Also, bring an extra battery brick for your phone… you’ll need it.
Speaking of cash, tip those waiters at all the free after-parties you will be at. They thank you in advance.
Upon arrival, purchase at a local store plenty of snacks if you can. The on-site food and drinks are horrendously expensive, it’s almost a crime against humanity.
Bonus tip: Take notes of everything! Well, not everything, but do note who you met so you can add them to LinkedIn and network again in the future. Write a journal of what was interesting, challenging, and what you would do differently the next year.
We hope these tips and insight into GDC helps you plan your next event attendance. See you all at GDC!
As details of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) are finalized, such as the agenda, so are details of the awards shows baked into the week-long GDC conference program. The hosts for the 27th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) and the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), both of which take place on March 19, 2025, have been announced.
Emma Kidwell is a writer currently at Firaxis Games and is working on the recently released Sid Meier’s Civilization 7. The game she wrote, Hindsight, was nominated for multiple awards in categories where a piece of media made an impact on a meaningful or societal level. Her credits include Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Borderlands 4 and Life is Strange 2. Today, Kidwell continues to make independent games and posts them to her itch.io page.
For the GDCA ceremony, Alexa Ray Corriea will host. Alexa Ray Corriea is a writer and narrative designer. She is currently working on Marvel’s Black Panther video game in partnership with Marvel Games and Cliffhanger Games. She is a host on the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Game Maker’s Notebook podcast. Her credits include Aztech: Forgotten Gods (2022), single-player and multiplayer stories for Call of Duty: Vanguard and the Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific (2021) live-service game, indie darling Bugsnax (2020), and critically-acclaimed The Lord of the Rings-based Middle-Earth: Shadow of War (2017). She has also published a book about Kingdom Hearts with Boss Fight Books (2017). This is Alexa’s third year speaking at the Game Developers Conference.
To attend the IGF Awards or GDCA events in person, you’ll need a GDC 2025 pass to join in the fun. If interested, explore the available options!
To watch the IGF and GDCA awards ceremony online, visit GDC’s Twitch channel at 6:30PM PST on March 19, 2025 to view the livestream.
Wings Interactive, in partnership with the IGF Awards, announces their nominees for the WINGS Award, which will be announced during the IGF Awards ceremony. The WINGS Award focuses on exceptional games created by developers where women and other gender-marginalized developers hold key roles.
The full list of finalists for the WINGS Award include:
Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
Consume Me is a darkly humorous personal game about creator Jenny Jiao Hsia’s relationship with food, drawing from her past experiences with dieting and disordered eating.
Caravan SandWitch (Plane Toast/Dear Villagers)
Caravan SandWitch is a relaxing sci-fi mystery game set in Provence where players will search for their missing sister.
The Crush House (Nerial / Devolver Digital)
The Crush House is a darkly comic LGBTQ+ simulation adventure where players produce a reality TV show set in the year 1999.
Tavern Talk (Gentle Troll Entertainment / Gentle Troll Entertainment)
Tavern Talk is a cozy visual novel about running a tavern in a Dungeon & Dragon-inspired fantasy world.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center (Hakababunko / SHUEISHA GAMES)
Urban Myth Dissolution Center is an occult mystery adventure game where players solve cases involving cursed relics.
Wings Interactive is a unique fund whose investment decisions are driven exclusively by women and provides up to 500K in funding and business support for developers to self-publish their game projects and also to build sustainable studios.
To attend the IGF Awards (and see who wins the WINGS Award as well) in person, you’ll need a GDC 2025 pass to participate. If interested, explore the available options! To watch the awards ceremony online, visit GDC’s Twitch channel at 6:30PM PST on March 19, 2025 to view the livestream.
March 6, 2025, Berkeley, CA – The DIGY (Dope Indie Games of the Year) Awards today reveals finalists, which include amazing 2024 standouts like UFO 50, Animal Well, Arranger: A Role Puzzling Adventure, Thank Goodness You’re Here, Balatro and many more – as well as the show’s broadcast time of noon Pacific / 3 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central Europe time on Thursday, March 13, 2025 on Twitch, YouTube, IGN, GameSpot and Steam. Organized by a team of seasoned game industry and event production veterans, this new awards show focuses on indies, celebrating the games and the talented people behind the craft of game development for games released between January and December, 2024.
Without further ado, the DIGY Award finalists!
Dope Indie Game of the Year: Will be awarded to the game of the year as selected by the judging panel, along with a game of the year voted by gamers.
LocalThunk’s Belatro has won several awards already and is one of the contenders at the 2025 IGF among other awards (image: Balatro)
Best Early Access: Will be awarded to the game that provided an amazing quality experience through Early Access prior to full release. Eligible for games that entered Early Access January through December 2024 and have not had full release within that time.
Finalists: Enshrouded, Hades II, Liar’s Bar, Manor Lords, Supermarket Simulator
Micro Indie: Will be awarded to the best game that has your wallet in mind, giving you an amazing experience for under $10
Best Soundtrack: Will be awarded to the game with the best soundtrack, which you can put on your Spotify playlist
Finalists: Another Crab’s Treasure, Beat Slayer, Nine Sols, Robobeat, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
Cultural Impact: Will be awarded to individual or team that shines a light on a culture and community in compelling and meaningful ways
Finalists: Kitsune Tails, Nine Sols, Tavern Talk, Sorry We’re Closed, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
Most Poppin! Will be awarded to individual or team with breakout marketing that helped build visibility for the game in interesting ways
Finalists: Animal Well, Another Crab’s Treasure, Balatro, Content Warning, Squirrel with a Gun
The DIGYS have also established an Indie Hero category as well as a Hall of Fame for special contributions in this part of the industry.
The show hosts will announce the first Indie Hero and Hall of Fame inductee in the March 13 broadcast.
DIGY Awards Production Team and Judges
With decades of industry and indie category expertise, the team organizing the DIGYS brings experience from The MIX (Media Indie Exchange), South by Southwest, DreamHack, Devolver, IGN Plus, Good Shepherd, Saber Interactive, 3D Realms, DICE Summit, Black Voices in Gaming, LucasArts and Telltale Games to the DIGYS.
The DIGY Awards judging panel includes a variety of representatives from the industry and indie community – developers, publishers, channel partners and more.
The DIGY Awards (Dope Indie Game of the Year Awards) focuses on indies, celebrating the games and the talented folks behind the craft of game development.
Thanks to partners and sponsors at Xbox, Wilson Sonsini, The MIX and Loadout Entertainment that have helped to make this first DIGY Awards possible.
Learn more at digyawards.com and @digyawards on X / Twitter.
As with any big event, there are many, many parties surrounding it. We’ve got a solid list below of the key parties focused on gaming and gamers you may want to check out during SXSW. If you are in the city for a longer period of time around other SXSW festivities, literally dozens, if not hundreds, of other parties for everything from environmental activism, to the future of food, to movie screenings, and live music shows happening elsewhere. If you want to know what topics are covered in the SXSW 2025 Game Industry Track and who is speaking, check out the agenda.
If we missed any relevant parties, showcases, or other events associated with SXSW that you know about and want us to share, please let us know! We’ll be updating the list, if new events come to our attention or there are important changes to the events or their status.
XR Experience Jury award winner, The Golden Key, at SXSW 2024 (image by Adam Kissick/SXSW)
Wednesday, March 5:
Event: Games for Change Game Night Time: 4:00PM-5:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? Yes Location: Hilton Austin, 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701 Link: https://schedule.sxswedu.com/2025/events/PP151828
Description: “Calling all gamers, game lovers, game-based pedagogues, and play-curious people. Join us for a play-based meetup where we will play both analog and digital games with purpose. We will nourish and restore conference energy, learn about opportunities to bring game-based learning to your school or organization, and build community with like-minded educators who are looking to unlock the power of games in their teaching practice. This meetup invites attendees to explore the capacity of games as transformative teaching tools at the intersection of learning and impact.”
Event: The Attention Economy: How to Entertain in 2025 Time: 6:00PM-9:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? No Location: Hi Sign Brewing, 730 Shady Ln, Austin, TX 78702 Link: https://lu.ma/w59ef8hj
Description: Meet and circulate with entrepreneurs, be one of the first 15 to show up and receive a drink ticket. And the gaming side of this event is SideHustle, the party game for entrepreneurs (think Shark Tank meeting Apples to Apples).
Friday, March 7:
Event: SXSW25 | CreativeNL – Immersive Morning: Friday Time: 8:00AM – 9:30AM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? Yes Location: East Austin Hotel, 1108 East 6th Street Austin, TX 78702 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sxsw25-creativenl-immersive-morning-saturday-tickets-1246108216219
Description: Stop by for the breakfast, stay for the insightful talk on XR and health and wellness! “On Friday March 7th we’re welcoming Sarah Ticho, a multi-award-winning artist, strategist, and entrepreneur at the forefront of immersive storytelling and healthcare innovation. As the director of SOUL PAINT, co-produced with Dutch Monobanda, and winner of the SXSW Special Jury Prize, Sarah merges art and technology to create powerful, transformative experiences.
Note: “Right after this session on Friday 7 March – 9:30 – 10:30 AM at the East Austin Hotel, you can join the Makers meet-up and introduction to the CIIIC-program Artistic & Design Research for Immersive Experiences by the Creative Industries Fund NL.”
Saturday, March 8:
Event: SXSW25 | CreativeNL – Immersive Morning: Saturday Time: 8:00AM – 9:30AM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? Yes Location: East Austin Hotel, 1108 East 6th Street Austin, TX 78702 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sxsw25-creativenl-immersive-morning-saturday-tickets-1246108216219
Description: Come for the breakfast, stay for the insightful talks on narrative design in games and XR! “In this interactive session, Joshua (Rubin) will share his insights on narrative innovation in games and XR, the challenges of world-building for emerging platforms, and the future of AI-powered storytelling. Bring your questions and join the conversation!”
Join us for a presentation followed by a thought-provoking discussion on the risks, responsibilities, and future of neurotechnology in an increasingly immersive world.”
Event: SXSW25 | Experiential Happy Hour Time: 5:00PM – 7:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? No Location: Fairmont Austin, 101 Red River Street Park View Ballroom 7th floor Austin, TX 78701 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sxsw25-experiential-happy-hour-tickets-1254636133449 Description: “Join Dutch and Quebec top creators for an exclusive and fun happy hour, where innovative thinkers come together to connect, share ideas, and enjoy great conversation over drinks. Whether you’re an artist, entrepreneur, geek or just passionate about creativity, this is the perfect opportunity to mingle and spark new collaborations in a relaxed and inspiring atmosphere!”
Sunday, March 9:
Event: Canadian Innovation Lounge at SXSW 2025 Time: 11:00AM – 6:00PM (Sunday, March 9 – Tuesday, March 11 daily) Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? No Location: Fairmont Austin, 101 Red River Street Park View Ballroom 7th floor Austin, TX 78701 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/canadian-innovation-lounge-at-sxsw-2025-4099733 Description: “The Canadian Innovation Lounge will showcase projects ranging from XR experiences for both at-home and out-of-home destinations, to VR and AI solutions transforming learning and lifestyle.” Follow the link to the XR, AI and other projects the Canadian Innovation Lounge is spotlighting each day, and register for the program you want to visit and explore.
4th Annual ATX Game Makers Showcase! (image: Donald Harris and ATX Game Makers)
Event: 4th Annual ATX Game Makers Showcase! (Day One) Time: 11:00AM – 7:00PM (also on Monday, March 10) Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? No Location: Valhalla, 710 Red River Street Austin, TX 78701 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-atx-game-makers-showcase-tickets-1242343004369
Description: “ATX Game Makers is an amazing community focused on creating video games and increasing the diversity in the games industry. This is our annual spring event where we show off and show out! During the event we will have speakers to educate our attendees and offer a space for local studios and indies to show off their games.” From 5-7PM is the event’s happy hour, which is hosted only on day one.
Event: The Attention Economy: How to Entertain in 2025 Time: 12:00PM-1:30PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? No Location: Palm Door on Sixth,508 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701 Link: https://lu.ma/9jyfkooe
Description: Hosted by UK Advertising, this panel talk brings speakers from Activision Blizzard Media, Dr. Squatch, Small World, and Hasbro together to discuss cutting “through the noise to debate whether brands should create culture or stop chasing trends—and what brand fame really means.” Of course, games and gaming are very likely to be a big part of this discussion, given the speakers participating.
Event: Event Tech Meet Up Time: 2:30PM-3:30PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? Yes Location: Hilton Austin, 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701 Link: https://schedule.sxsw.com/2025/events/PP1147689
Description: “Are you passionate about the intersection of technology and events? Whether you’re at the forefront of managing event technologies, actively involved in producing software for event management, or simply intrigued by the innovative world of event tech, this Meet Up is for you.”
Monday, March 10
Event: 4th Annual ATX Game Makers Showcase! (Day Two) Time: 11:00AM – 4:00PM (also on Sunday, March 9) Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? No Location: Valhalla, 710 Red River Street Austin, TX 78701 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-atx-game-makers-showcase-tickets-1242343004369
Description: “ATX Game Makers is an amazing community focused on creating video games and increasing the diversity in the games industry. This is our annual spring event where we show off and show out! During the event we will have speakers to educate our attendees and offer a space for local studios and indies to show off their games.” From noon -1PM is the event’s business lunch, which is hosted only on day two.
Event: GamesBeat Engage @ SXSW 2025 Time: 6:00PM-9:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? No Location: Downtown Austin, TX (specific location shared after confirmation) Link: https://venturebeat.com/games/dont-miss-the-first-gamesbeat-engage-event-at-sxsw/
Description: “You won’t want to miss the first GamesBeat Engage happening in Austin on March 11. A new series of invite-only, salon-style gatherings launching during SXSW, these events feature an evening of thought-provoking keynotes and fireside chats from leading game industry voices, followed by dinner and networking opportunities with a curated audience of up to 100 top-tier attendees.”
If you request a formal invite, please bear in mind VentureBeat prefers senior- and executive-level attendees for this event.
Thursday, March 13:
Event: Austin DeoVR Networking Meet-Up Time: 5:00PM-8:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes
SXSW badge required? No Location: TBA Link: https://lu.ma/pezruicj
Description: Hosted by UK Advertising, this panel talk brings speakers from Activision Blizzard Media, Dr. Squatch, Small World, and Hasbro together to discuss cutting “through the noise to debate whether brands should create culture or stop chasing trends—and what brand fame really means.” Of course, games and gaming are very likely to be a big part of this discussion, given the speakers participating.
Stay tuned for updates to the SXSW 2025 party list as we become aware of the changes!
On Friday, March 7, GoFundMe will host a panel at SXSW 2025 about women’s innovation and leadership in philanthropy.
The event, titled “Women are Changing the Game of Giving,” will explore how women and girls – from prominent philanthropists like MacKenzie Scott and Melinda French Gates to community leaders and advocates – are shaping the future of giving. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of the progress that has been made toward gender equity in philanthropy and what can be done about the gaps that remain.
The panel will feature an exciting lineup of speakers – including Margaret Richardson, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at GoFundMe; Angelique Albert, CEO of Native Forward Scholars Fund; and Sarah Haacke Byrd, CEO of Women Moving Millions.
GoFundMe is also hosting a happy hour, “GoFundMe Happy Hour: Innovating for Good,” on Saturday, March 8 at 3-6pm CT. More information can be found here.
