Home Blog Page 7

Twitch Debuts First-Ever Minecraft at TwitchCon Europe Experience

Mathew Anderson
-
0
Twitch Debuts First-Ever Minecraft at TwitchCon Europe Experience

Twitch, the global interactive livestreaming service, is bringing Minecraft to life IRL in May. Mojang Studios, the developers behind Minecraft – the genre-defining worldwide gaming phenomena and inspiration behind the multi-billion dollar 2025 namesake movie – will bring Minecraft to TwitchCon Europe bigger and better than ever this year.

Minecraft at TwitchCon Europe 2026 (May 30-31) will offer attendees a full range of in-person experiences, including the below, with additional exciting schedule updates to come:

  • All-around Minecraft Content at TwitchCon: From the Minecraft Arena to Twitch’s iconic Rivals Arena & Glitch Theatre Creator Stage, TwitchCon Europe brings the world of Minecraft to life as a physical space for the community – including, interactive biomes, exclusive giveaways, Community MeetUps and more.

  • Exclusive moments with fan-favourite streamers including high-speed, high-stakes IRL tournaments and insider panels with Twitch’s biggest Minecraft stars including Tubbo, Aimsey, Couriway, owengejuiceTV, Bekyamon, 4cvit, avidmc, and more.

  • The Midoffs Live presented by Tubbo: Tubbo and friends bring the Midoffs IRL at TwitchCon Europe, going head-to-head in a high-energy Minecraft speedrunning tournament. Expect fast-paced competition, chaotic moments, and plenty of fan-favourite interactions.

“Minecraft has been a huge part of the Twitch community for years, so bringing it to TwitchCon Europe felt like a natural fit,” said Mary Kish, Head of Community Marketing at Twitch. “TwitchCon is all about bringing creators and their communities together in person, and we’re excited to see that come to life through special meet and greets, community meetups, competitions, and more. Can’t wait for everyone to experience what we’ve got planned.”

TwitchCon brings together creators and fans from around the world to celebrate the global community that makes Twitch what it is. As the largest dedicated in-person event for the streaming community, TwitchCon Europe returns for the third year in a row to the vibrant city of Rotterdam from May 30-31. Follow @TwitchCon on social media for schedule updates, and get tickets now on the TwitchCon website.

Global Game Jam and Lagos Games Week Partner to Launch Pan-African Game Jam Ahead of Lagos Games Week 2026

Mathew Anderson
-
0
Global Game Jam and Lagos Games Week Partner to Launch Pan-African Game Jam Ahead of Lagos Games Week 2026

San Luis, Obispo, Calif., USA and Lagos, Nigeria – April 10, 2026 — Global Game Jam (GGJ) and Lagos Games Week have announced a new partnership for Pan-African Jam 2026, a game jam being organized as part of the official leadup to Lagos Games Week.

The initiative is designed to bring together game developers from across Africa to collaborate, create, and showcase their work under a shared theme: “Play Without Borders.” The jam aims to nurture creativity, encourage cross-border collaboration, and highlight Africa’s growing presence in game development, while also building community and visibility for Lagos Games Week.

The game jam will run from April 24 to May 11, 2026, with winners announced on May 25, 2026 following a two-week judging period.

The virtual event is open to participants from any country in Africa. The jam will have a $2,500 USD cash prize pool plus in-kind prizes.

Award categories include:

  • Overall Winner

  • Best UEFN Game

  • Best Tabletop Game

  • Best Mobile Game

The jam will also recognize a top game from each participating jam country and a top Inter-African team for cross-border collaboration.

The jam will kick off on April 24 with a special livestream from the Lagos Games Week and GGJ teams. Additional virtual jam-specific programming will be announced in April.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Jam coordination and submission will take place on itch.io and Global Game Jam’s Discord. Teams can be comprised of international team members, but 75% of participants must reside on the African continent. Solo devs are allowed. The jam is open to developers ages 18+. Registration will open in early April. Interested jammers can sign up to be notified when the jam goes live on the GGJ site: https://globalgamejam.org/pan-african-jam-2026

“Every year, we see the incredible talent and creativity of jammers across Africa during the annual Global Game Jam,” said Maria Burns Ortiz, Executive Director of Global Game Jam. “This collaboration with Lagos Games Week allows us to further support and amplify game development ecosystems across the continent, extending our impact far beyond a single weekend event.”

Through this partnership, Global Game Jam and Lagos Games Week aim to create new opportunities for African developers to connect, collaborate, and contribute to the global games industry.

“Our partnership with Global Game Jam is about championing experimentation and building the habit of prototyping. We’re excited to see creators solve problems, iterate, and finish – essential steps for Africa’s next generation of game makers.” said Bukola Akingbade, Lagos Games Week

The Pan-African Jam forms part of the broader Lagos Games Week 2026 programme, which will take place on June 18–19, 2026 at the National Theatre in Lagos, Nigeria. The winning team will also be highlighted at Lagos Games Week and have an opportunity to showcase their games if attending the event.

About Global Game Jam
Global Game Jam is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower people around the world to learn, experiment, and create together through the medium of games. In addition to organizing the largest game jam in the world, GGJ works year-round to support, promote, and grow the global game development community.

About Lagos Games Week
Now in its third year, Lagos Games Week is an annual trade fair for video games. Held in Lagos, Nigeria, the event continues its focus on supporting the growth of the African games ecosystem through talent development, local market activation, external development capacity, and the creation of original intellectual property. The 2026 edition will also feature participation from international publishers and studios including Focus Entertainment, Oceanview Group, and Ubisoft, alongside initiatives such as the Next Gen Summit led by Games for Change. https://lagosgamesweek.com/

The 17th Auggie Awards Gear Up for AWE 2026 With Awards Nominations Window

Paul Philleo
-
0
The 17th Auggie Awards Gear Up for AWE 2026 With Awards Nominations Window

The nomination window for the 17th Auggie Awards is closing in fast, with the cutoff set for April 19, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT. The Auggies may not necessarily come with a red carpet or a dramatic orchestral swell, but in the XR world they represent industry bragging rights. Winners will take the stage during Augmented World Expo USA (AWE USA 2026) , returning to Long Beach from June 15–18, 2026, where thousands of developers, designers, researchers, and curious headset‑wearers will gather to compare notes, network, gasp in awe at the latest industry advancements, swap demos (and yes, occasionally bump into walls).

Two new categories join the lineup for the 17th Auggie Awards this year, both reflecting where immersive tech is headed.

  • Best Reality Capture: created with Reality Capture Network, highlights projects that turn the physical world into precise digital replicas—whether through LiDAR, photogrammetry, Gaussian splats, or whatever clever technique someone invents between now and June.
  • Most Ethical Product: developed with the XR Guild, recognizes teams building tech that respects users, handles data responsibly, and avoids the “move fast and break things” era’s more questionable habits.

For anyone still staring at a partly-finished submission and hoping for a spark, last year’s Auggie Awards finalists, such as Ferryman Collective, Campfire, FundamentalVR, Dilmer Valecillos XR, and others, offer a reminder that creativity in XR can come in many flavors, from theatrical multiplayer adventures to surgical training platforms.

The AWE 2026 itself is shaping up to be a packed four‑day affair: three days of expo halls, hands‑on workshops, the Playground & Art Festival, and the usual mix of panels, product reveals, and diversified networking opportunities throughout the event. Finalists will be announced May 21, with judging running through June 10 before the winners are revealed on June 17.

If you’ve got an XR project in-development or already in a state ready to show off, now’s the moment to polish it up and send it in before the deadline sneaks up in a few days like a ninja.

USC Games Announces John Riccitiello and Frank D. Gibeau As 10th Anniversary Expo Keynote Panel Speakers

Paul Philleo
-
0
USC Games Announces John Riccitiello and Frank D. Gibeau As 10th Anniversary Expo Keynote Panel Speakers

LOS ANGELES (April 9, 2026) – USC Games, the top-ranked collegiate game design program, will kick off its 10th anniversary edition of the USC Games Expo with a keynote panel discussion with John Riccitiello, the former CEO of Unity Technologies and Electronic Arts; and Frank D. Gibeau, the President of Zynga. Riccitiello and Gibeau, considered pioneers in developing the global games industry, have both established endowed chairs at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. USC Games is a joint program of the School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) and the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California. Riccitiello also sits on SCA’s Board of Councilors.

Jim Huntley, the Associate Professor in the Interactive Media & Games Division, specializing in games marketing and publishing, will be the chairholder of the Frank D. Gibeau Endowed Chair. SCA has 36 endowed chairs that provide funding for the academic divisions of the faculty members who serve as chairholders.

The 10th annual USC Games Expo will take place on May 12, 2026 at 4PM PST at the USC School of Cinematic Arts campus. Riccitiello and Gibeau lead off the Advanced Games Project (AGP) Spotlight Show, held at Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre with a live stream on Twitch and the USC Games Expo website. Attendees will have the chance to play more than sixty games created by students enrolled in various USC Games classes, in a carnival-like atmosphere supported byWemade, the global game developer and publisher behind the Legend of Mir series and a leader in MMORPG and blockchain gaming. Attendees can also experience interactive installations from USC’s newly established Themed Entertainment program, check out an esports tournament, and preview new titles developed in Games as a Service and Live Operations (GLO), a first-of-its-kind class that focuses on the “live” component of game development, using PUBG MOBILE’s World of Wonder platform.

This year’s show features 10 titles created in USC Games’ flagship AGP course, in which students create games in a professional studio atmosphere. They pitch, develop, refine, and launch their original games as the culminating project of the USC Games curriculum. More information on the AGP titles can be found here.

“The USC Games Expo is all about the joy making and playing games,” says Danny Bilson, the Director of USC Games, who will also be installed as the John Riccitiello Chair in Games and Interactive Media at the event. “This is where our students get to show off their creations to the industry professionals they want to work with, and where the professionals get a glimpse into the innovations the next generation is working on. In addition to being a coming out party for our graduating students, the Expo is truly a celebration of all things gaming.”

“At Wemade, we believe the future of gaming is shaped by bold ideas and the next generation of creators,” says Kwan-Ho Park, Chairman & CEO of Wemade. “By supporting the USC Games Expo, we are investing in student developers who are pushing boundaries, redefining what’s possible in interactive storytelling and gameplay, and shaping the future of the games industry.”

AGP Spotlight Show Keynote Panelists:

John Riccitiello – Former CEO of Unity Technologies and Electronic Arts

John Riccitiello is a longtime leader in the video game industry, known for shaping some of the most influential gaming companies in the world. He served as CEO of Unity Technologies, taking the company public and guiding the platform’s growth as the industry standard for real-time 3D development, and previously led Electronic Arts as CEO, overseeing major franchises across console, PC, and mobile.

Frank D. Gibeau – President, Zynga

Frank Gibeau’s career is defined by a lifelong love of games and a commitment to leading companies where people are empowered to pursue their creative ambitions. A 30-year industry veteran, Frank is an expert in the mobile, PC, and console markets. As CEO of Zynga, he orchestrated a historic turnaround and rapid growth phase that led to a pivotal combination with Take-Two Interactive in 2022. Previously, Frank spent two decades at EA leading iconic franchises like The Sims, EA SPORTS, Need for Speed, and Battlefield.

Esports Nations Cup Confirms 16 Titles for Inaugural Edition; Over 100,000 Qualifier Participants Across 100 Nations and Territories including India to Compete

Paul Philleo
-
0
Esports Nations Cup Confirms 16 Titles for Inaugural Edition; Over 100,000 Qualifier Participants Across 100 Nations and Territories including India to Compete

Riyadh, April 9, 2026: The Esports Foundation (EF) today confirmed the complete 16-game lineup for the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), the global nation-based esports competition set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 29, 2026. More than 100,000 players are expected to compete in hundreds of qualification events across 100 markets throughout 2026 for the opportunity to represent their nation and territory at the global stage.

The ENC 2026 edition will feature 16 game titles, reflecting the diversity of the global esports: Apex Legends, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, EA SPORTS FC, Fatal Fury, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG: Battlegrounds, PUBG MOBILE, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League, Street Fighter 6, Trackmania, and VALORANT.

NODWIN Gaming, a global leader in gaming, esports, and youth entertainment, has been selected as India’s National Team Partner for the prestigious tournament. The company will lead the nationwide qualifiers, spearhead team formation, mobilize grassroots and competitive communities, support coaches across game titles, and coordinate with publishers, clubs, and ecosystem stakeholders to establish the pathways needed for Indian players to represent the country on the global stage.

“The full ENC 2026 games lineup wasn’t built around the biggest titles alone, but to create the broadest possible footprint,” said Fabian Scheuermann, Chief Games Officer at the Esports Foundation. “No single game can do that – different titles reach different regions and communities, and bringing them together is what makes the ENC truly open. The same applies to national reach: some titles open pathways in a few countries, some extend across dozens. Working hand-in-hand with our partners, we’re creating a shared stage for millions of people, opening opportunities for talent to break through and giving communities a reason to rally behind their teams, bringing esports to every corner of the world.”

The ENC introduces nation-based competition to the global esports calendar in a structured and recurring format. By enabling countries and territories to organize their teams, develop talent pathways and compete on a global stage, the ENC provides a structured framework for expanding participation and strengthening esports ecosystems worldwide.

The ENC is backed by a $45 million (approximately INR 416 crore) funding commitment, including a $20 million (approximately INR 185 crore) prize pool paid directly to players and coaches across 16 titles. With equal pay per player and coach for the same finishing position, first place awards $50,000 (approximately INR 46 lakh) per player, with $30,000 (approximately INR 28 lakh) for second place and $15,000 (approximately INR 14 lakh) for third place, ensuring a consistent and transparent prize structure across the competition.

Additional information about the Esports Nations Cup will be released in the coming weeks. To stay up to date, visit esportsnationscup.com, and follow ENC on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and follow the Esports World Cup Foundation on LinkedIn.

‘New Game Plus’ Returns Next Week with 100 Playable Games, Industry Talks, and International Showcases

Mathew Anderson
-
0
‘New Game Plus’ Returns Next Week with 100 Playable Games, Industry Talks, and International Showcases

London Games Festival’s two-day cornerstone consumer and industry show runs from 16th-17th April at Exhibition, White City

LONDON, UK – 10th April 2026 – New Game Plus, the tentpole games showcase of the London Games Festival, arrives at Exhibition White City on 16-17 April 2026 and is set to welcome thousands of industry professionals and members of the public. The event returns with a bigger line-up of games and talks and builds on the success of last year’s debut as the public-facing centrepiece of the London Games Festival. A limited number of tickets are still available to purchase.

New Game Plus brings together independent developers, publishers, gamers, students, and content creators for a packed two-day show and a carefully curated programme. 100 different, new and fresh games are ready to play with a supporting Main Stage of talks and dedicated educational stage for visiting students and educators. Exhibitor partners include Devolver Digital, ustwo games, THE LINE Studio, SECRET SAUCE, UK Games Fund, Tranzfuser, and Northern Ireland Screen.

A core part of playable games on show include a number of titles from the LGF Official Selection which this year spans indie, indie+ and triple-i titles including Imprinted (Cobalt Lane), There Are No Ghosts at the Grand (Friday Sundae), Echoes of Mora (Selkies Interactive), Mandrake (Failbetter Games), Pigeon: A Love Story (Wristwork), Reforj (4J Studios), Exo Rally Championship (Exbleative), The Hearth and Harbour (Saltstone Studios). Notable developers showcasing games include Double Fine Productions, poncle and Capybara Games. Full details on the Official Selection can be found on the London Games Festival website.

International representation across New Game Plus comes via playable games showcases from the BitSummit Roadshow, with a selection of titles from Japan’s premier indie games convention, Lazio Innova presenting a selection from the Italian games scene, and a delegation from Northern Ireland Screen.

In addition to all things playable, the New Game Plus main stage will feature talks and insight from leading industry names King, CCP Games, Larian Studios and Revolution Software. A special New Game Plus News Hour will open the stage, hosted by The Game Business’ Chris Dring. Elsewhere Edge magazine presents a special on stage showcase featuring Peter Molyneux OBE in conversation with Jörg Tittel, exploring the art and business of games, the influences that shaped Peter’s career, and what we can learn from the past to build a better future.

On Friday, the main stage events commence with National Videogame Museum’s Co-CEO and Creative Director John O’Shea sitting down with Nintendo superfan and collector Steven Bagley for a Joystiques Roadshow special event celebrating one of gaming’s most beloved brands. With forty years of passion, knowledge and collecting behind him, Steven will be revealing some of the most extraordinary pieces from what is believed to be one of the world’s most comprehensive Nintendo-related collections. 2026 is a remarkable year for Nintendo, with major milestone anniversaries for many of its game franchises and consoles and box office hit film.

Elsewhere the educational stage, run by Into Games, provides programming tailored to the next generation of games talent – a large number of student visitors are expected across both days.

New Game Plus again hosts a dedicated Press & Creator Lounge to support the content creators and media attending the show. Content creators can apply for passes here – https://festival.games.london/content-creator/regi​strat​ion/f​orm

For regular updates from London Games Festival and Games London, sign up for the weekly newsletter at www.games.london or follow @londongamesfest. For partnership enquiries contact partnerships@games.london

For further press information, please contact:

The London Games Festival team at Indigo Pearl
E: LGF@indigopearl.com ​

About London Games Festival & Games London

London Games Festival is delivered by Games London, a groundbreaking programme from Film London, the capital’s screen industries agency. Games London is backed by the Mayor of London with over £1m funding over four years and supported by the UK Government via the Video Games Growth Package, part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan.

Games London delivers a number of initiatives designed to make London the games capital of the world. These include the London Games Festival and its tentpole events and programmes including Ensemble, the Games Finance Market and New Game Plus. Other activity includes inbound and outbound trade missions, accelerator schemes for business founders, and work supporting games development skills in London.

Since 2016 Games London has helped facilitate over £110m worth of completed investment deals and software sales for games studios, which has led to the creation of nearly 1,000 jobs. In that time London has grown to become the No.1 city for games in Europe and a top 3 games cluster globally.

GalaxyCon San Jose 2026 Dates Bumped Forward a Week

Paul Philleo
-
0
GalaxyCon San Jose 2026 Dates Bumped Forward a Week

It’s no April Fool’s gag. GalaxyCon has announced a schedule change for its 2026 San Jose event, shifting the convention one week later to August 28–30, 2026.

The adjustment comes after a facility scheduling conflict, and all previously purchased tickets will automatically transfer to the new dates. Fans who can’t make the updated weekend can request a refund by emailing the GalaxyCon team, with processing expected within seven business days.

The San Jose stop is entering its third year on the GalaxyCon tour, which has grown into one of the larger and more recognizable multi‑genre fan conventions in the U.S. Known for its mix of celebrity meet‑and‑greets, voice actor panels, cosplay contests, gaming zones, and sprawling vendor halls, GalaxyCon events typically draw large crowds in cities like Raleigh, Richmond, Columbus, and Minneapolis. San Jose has quickly become a strong West Coast anchor for the event series.

What the Change Means for Attendees

  • Tickets: No action required for fans keeping their plans; refunds available for those who can’t attend the new dates.
  • Vendors: Approved vendors will receive direct communication, with similar transfer or refund options.
  • Guests: GalaxyCon is working to reconfirm previously announced guests for the new weekend.

While the 2026 guest list hasn’t been re‑announced yet, GalaxyCon’s recent lineups have included actors from major sci‑fi franchises, animation icons, pro wrestlers, comic creators, and gaming personalities. So fans should expect a familiar mix once confirmations resume. To keep on top of any updates or further changes, we’ll keep tabs on updates or check in with the official GalaxyCon San Jose website and their socials for more information.

April 2026 Game Industry Conference and Convention Events Calendar

Mathew Anderson
-
0
April 2026 Game Industry Conference and Convention Events Calendar

We’ve assembled an exclusively curated list of game industry events you can attend in April 2026. This month represents a critical transition point in the annual cycle that is less dominated by tentpole showcases and more focused on production strategy as studios lock in execution for the rest of the year.

No April Fools joke here – AI integration continues to reshape development pipelines.

No April Fools joke here – AI integration continues to reshape development pipelines. April’s events skew toward specialized conferences and regional ecosystems, where studios, publishers, and middleware providers are aligning on everything from procedural generation (think DLSS 4 and beyond) to live-service scaling.

At the same time, AI infrastructure demand is still absorbing semiconductor capacity, keeping DRAM and NAND pricing elevated and reinforcing a longer-term shift toward efficiency-first development, asset reuse, and scalable content systems. There has been a slight drop in memory prices the last week or so, but we at Events for Gamers remain concerned that prices will be elevated for months to come.

Featured Events

Leading the month is the Everything Procedural Conference (EPC) 2026 (Apr 7–10), a highly technical gathering centered on procedural content generation. As studios increasingly rely on automation to offset rising costs, EPC reflects a growing industry pivot toward algorithm-driven worldbuilding and scalable asset pipelines.

Mid-month, the London Games Festival 2026 (Apr 13–19) anchors Europe’s industry activity. Alongside it, the BAFTA Games Awards 2026 (Apr 17) provide a key cultural counterbalance—spotlighting creative achievement at a time when much of the industry conversation is dominated by monetization and scale. Notably, adjacent programming such as the Games for Change London Summit is pushing further into social impact and serious games, expanding the medium’s perceived role.

These events reflect where capital is flowing—and how aggressively companies are optimizing live products rather than betting solely on new IP.

On the business side, Gamesforum Cyprus 2026 (Apr 15–16) and LA Games Conference 2026 (Apr 21) underscore a continued industry fixation on user acquisition, monetization, and investment strategy. These events reflect where capital is flowing, and how aggressively companies are optimizing live products rather than betting solely on new IP.

Toward the end of the month, Live Service Gaming Summit North America 2026 (Apr 28–29, Austin) brings together AAA studios and platform operators to tackle the realities of operating games as ongoing services. Expect heavy discussion around retention design, content cadence, and backend scalability, all of which are becoming core competencies rather than post-launch concerns.

Finally, April closes with gamescom latam 2026 (Apr 30–May 3), signaling the continued rise of Latin America as both a consumer market and development hub. Its expansion reflects broader industry decentralization, as growth opportunities increasingly come from emerging regions rather than saturated legacy markets.

New Events

Joining the calendar for the first time ever, check out the following events:

With all that said, check out the complete month’s 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:

Discount Event Code/Link
20% off Serious Play Conference (B2B) [EARLYBIRDNA20]
5% off Atsusacon (B2C) [EVENTSFORGAMERS]
10% off SIGGRAPH Asia (B2B) [SA25E4G10]
11% off WN Events (B2B) [E4G]

Have an offer we can add to this list? Please let us know!

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!

This Month’s Events

Many of the listed events are included in the calendar thanks to your contributions in submitting events to the calendar.

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.

There are no upcoming events at this time

Visit the main event calendar that includes events throughout the year and beyond.

Which events are you attending this month? Let us know by commenting on this article here or on LinkedIn, Twitter, Bluesky, and Facebook!

Editor: Mathew Anderson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Events for Gamers, Community Manager for the computer game industry, and Public Relations Manager and Communication Specialist for various other industries.

ex-KingsIsle Entertainment Community Manager

Audio of the Month — A Time Capsule from the 1989 Computer Game Developers’ Conference

Paul Philleo
-
0
Audio of the Month — A Time Capsule from the 1989 Computer Game Developers’ Conference

Every so often, a piece of game‑development history resurfaces that feels less like an archival release and more like a time machine. This month’s standout collection feels a lot like a trip to the past. Thanks to the Video Game History Foundation’s latest preservation effort, we now have access to 21 hours of digitized recordings from the 1989 Computer Game Developers’ Conference (CGDC). This collection is a treasure trove of candid conversations, early industry debates, and raw creative energy from a moment when the entire field was still figuring itself out. It’s worth noting that the CGDC was the original identity for the Game Developer Conference, which began in 1996.

What makes these tapes (Editor: audio, not video, hence why this is an “audio of the month” post) so compelling isn’t just their age, it’s the intimacy. CGDC 1989 hosted only about 300 attendees, many of whom already knew each other. Listening to these sessions feels like eavesdropping on a tight‑knit community of pioneers who had no idea how massive the industry would become. Speakers casually call out audience members by name, joke about the “good old days” of 1980, and openly debate the future of interactive entertainment.

Here’s a few of the highlighted sessions you may want to take a listen to!

The Golden Days of Computer Games

A panel loaded with nostalgia (yes, even in 1989). Dani Bunten, Chris Crawford, Richard Garriott, and others reminisce about hand‑packaging games in Ziploc bags and selling titles in a market that barely existed. It’s a reminder of how scrappy and uncertain the early years really were.

Movies and Games: Living with a License

Long before today’s blockbuster cross‑media franchises, developers were already wrestling with licensed IP. This talk dives into the challenges of adapting properties like The Three Stooges, complete with behind‑the‑scenes anecdotes and a few spicy references to troubled projects the audience clearly already knew about.

Interactive Storytelling

Dave Albert’s session begins as a lecture but quickly transforms into a lively, Socratic back‑and‑forth with the audience. Hearing early discussions about narrative design, decades before “narrative designer” became a job title, feels like listening in on an early version of terminology from modern game storytelling being invented in real time.

The Publishers’ Panel

If you want drama, this is the session to listen to. Executives debate the slump in the U.S. computer game market, and Trip Hawkins delivers a fiery critique of Nintendo’s closed ecosystem. His prediction that the NES “is not gonna go on forever” is a fascinating snapshot of the era’s anxieties and ambitions. You hear the uncertainty, the experimentation, the camaraderie, and the passion that shaped the early industry. For developers, historians, and anyone who loves games, this collection is a rare chance to sit in the Sunnyvale Hilton in 1989 and listen as the medium takes shape.

Did you happen to attend the Computer Game Developers Conference decades ago? Please 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!

GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 Delivers Five Days of Connection and Insight for an Industry in Transition

Paul Philleo
-
0
GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 Delivers Five Days of Connection and Insight for an Industry in Transition

SAN FRANCISCO – March 13, 2026 – The GDC Festival of Gaming has come to a close after uniting all facets of the international games industry for five days of learning, networking, inspiration, celebration, and headline-making news. In its mission to address the needs of the entire games industry ecosystem, the transformed and re-branded GDC Festival of Gaming hosted 700+ cross-disciplinary sessions from 1,100 speakers, thousands of networking meetings, more than 300 exhibitors and nightly celebrations in the Moscone Center and throughout the city of San Francisco. GDC will be returning to Moscone Center next year, Monday, March 1 to Friday, March 5, 2027. The call for submissions for the GDC Festival of Gaming will open in early July 2026.

Expanded Scope of Content, Appealing to More Trades Across the Ecosystem

This year’s Festival represented a boldly reinvented GDC, expanding the appeal of the event to welcome all attendees to access more than 700 sessions. Many sessions saw standing-room-only audiences, reflecting how the new Festival Pass structure opened access to GDC’s renowned programming, resulting in some of the most packed and energized sessions the conference has seen in decades. Evolving to meet the changing needs of the industry while simultaneously honoring four decades of GDC’s legacy, GDC Festival of Gaming welcomed 1,100 speakers who touched on every aspect of shipping a game, from QA and design to marketing and reporting, and all things in-between. GDC content continued to draw attention to the complex art of game making, with sessions expounding upon the creation of landmark titles Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Donkey Kong Bananza, Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Dispatch, Overwatch, Peak, Baby Steps, Despelote and more.

2026 marked the return of the GDC Keynote, with industry icon Rob Pardo outlining the start of his independent studio, Bonfire Studios, which aims to craft future classics by drawing inspiration from his work designing gaming’s most iconic RPGs as the former Chief Creative Officer of Blizzard Entertainment. The brand new Luminaries Speaker Series was hosted at the Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA and presented the most impactful leadership offering that GDC has ever created, with programming designed for senior leaders, investors, marketers, studio heads, publishing executives, and influential decision-makers. This series featured talks by speakers from NVIDIA, Google DeepMind, Universal Music Group, SEGA, Mattel, Blizzard and others on emerging and integral topics including AI, investment, global expansion and cross-media opportunities, changing demographics and player needs, and more.

Making Headlines at GDC

During GDC, there were several major announcements and reveals, including Microsoft’s reveal of the first official details around Project Helix. Project Helix is the next generation of the Xbox platform, confirming that future Xbox titles will be playable on both console and PC under a unified Xbox platform, with the console boasting more powerful ray-tracing and machine learning capabilities and the Xbox platform featuring “Play Anywhere” cross-progression functionality to provide a consistent experience across compatible devices. Google DeepMind engineers also drew massive crowds for the demonstration of the newest iteration of its generative AI technology Genie 3, which can create samples of navigable 3D worlds using text prompts. Game company Valve shared further details on their “Steam Machine Verified” program at GDC, which outlines which games will run well on Steam Machines upon their release. In addition, the News & Demo Stage, introduced for the first time this year, featured press briefings from Google Play, Razer, Limited Run Games and Snail Games, putting GDC Festival of Gaming on the map as a platform newly designed for breaking news for the games industry.

Reimagined Festival Hall

The Festival Hall (formerly the GDC Expo Floor) proved to be one of the busiest hubs of the event throughout the week, with attendees spending extended time exploring its stages, gameplay areas, international pavilions and exhibitor showcases. Lounge seating, food and beverage pop-ups, hands-on game areas and a constant schedule of sessions and interviews created a vibrant environment where attendees stayed, met, and discovered throughout the day. The Hall evolved into five distinct neighborhoods (Game Development, Future Tech, Indie & Education, International, Monetization & Player Engagement) with each neighborhood featuring its own stage for talks, spotlights and live interviews. 300+ exhibitors in the Festival Hall presented their emerging technologies and innovations on the Festival Hall floor, including industry leaders like Sony Interactive Entertainment, Microsoft Xbox, Tencent Games, Keywords Studios, Snail Games, Roblox, Snap Games, Discord, Reddit, Google Cloud, Meta, Servers.com, and NVIDIA. The Festival Hall also hosted many international pavilions representing countries including Brazil, Portugal, Costa Rica, Germany, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Chile, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Wales.

Hands-on with New Games and Interactive Experiences

The IGF Pavilion’s award-nominated indie game showcase found its home on the Festival Hall, along with alt.ctrl.GDC’s experimental playground of imaginative controllers and maker-driven alternate control methods, and more. GDC Play was also on the Festival Hall floor, and provided an interactive, dynamic platform for indie developers to showcase their innovative games and creative projects, connect with industry professionals, and gain visibility and recognition from peers. The adjacent GDC Commons offered drop-in indie game sessions and live interviews with podcast recordings in a comfy seated area. All four provided space to celebrate the diverse and imaginative vision that indie developers bring to the game community.

GDC is the Week Where It Happened

The new Festival of Gaming format incorporated an expanded focus on networking, with multiple lounges that hosted thousands of 1:1 meetings; the GDC app that allows everyone to discover attendees and schedule meetups; and the GamePlan networking platform included with the premium Game Changer pass that matched developers, publishers and funding sources to spark partnerships and deals. Networking opportunities also included GDC’s version of Speed Networking, GDC Encounters; GDC Base Camp, a dedicated lounge in the Festival Hall offering space for both casual mingling and pre-arranged meetings scheduled through the event app; the Summit Connect Lounge, each of the five neighborhood’s lounges on the Festival Hall Floor, and more. Moreover, the week drew industry members from every part of the industry to meet, make deals, find jobs, start new initiatives, and reunite with old friends all around the Moscone Convention Center and surrounding areas.

Celebrating Games Every Night, Throughout the City

The expanded GDC Festival of Gaming format brought with it celebratory activities in and around San Francisco for all attendees. Opening Night at the Ballpark kicked off the week by taking over the San Francisco Giants’ home, Oracle Park, to celebrate all those who bring games to life with a night of  tabletop games, community activities, tasty ballpark concessions and a community-voted screening of Edgar Wright’s beloved gaming-inspired film, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Tuesday night saw 2026 Grammy Award-winning composer Austin Wintory and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music return to GDC with the 3rd Annual Developer’s Concert performance, giving masterful performances of music from classic and newly iconic game soundtracks for a standing room only audience in GDC’s biggest forum, the Main Stage. The 28th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards Wednesday night recognized the year’s most influential, innovative and acclaimed indie game devs around the world, awarding developer AP Thomson’s surreal strategy game, Titanium Court, with the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game. That was followed Thursday night by the 26th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA). The GDCAs honored the dedicated artistry and craft behind the year’s best titles, awarding Sandfall Interactive and Kepler Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with Game of the Year along with four additional wins, further cementing that title’s legacy as one of the best and most acclaimed RPGs of all time. In addition, more than 30 GDC-affiliated events took place across San Francisco throughout the week as part of the GDC Affiliate Program, ranging from morning runs to a night of game-inspired improv comedy to many happy hours, mixers and community gatherings.

“This was the first year of a bold new concept for GDC,” said Nina Brown, President of GDC. “We are thrilled that 20,000 unique attendees representing our global community showed up from over 85 countries and trusted us with this evolution. The energy across the Festival, from packed sessions to a vibrant show floor and thousands of meetings happening throughout the week, demonstrates how powerful it is when our industry comes together to learn from one another, build partnerships and shape what comes next for games. This transformation was built directly from community feedback, and we’re excited to continue listening, learning, and evolving the GDC Festival of Gaming as we look ahead to 2027.”

“We have heard loud and clear from our community this week that the redesigned GDC Festival of Gaming is starting to truly respond to their needs – from industry stalwarts who come to the show year after year to smaller indies seeking inspiration for their bold debut, to every branch of the industry that can now call GDC home.” said Mark DeLoura, Executive Director, Innovation & Growth at GDC. “We are so excited to bring the global industry together for the conversations around the big themes of the moment– currently the ethical and productive use of AI, emerging platforms like the next generation Xbox, and how to navigate career paths in a turbulent industry–and to continue to evolve what our event can offer as the pressing themes change next year and beyond.”

GDC will be returning to San Francisco and the Moscone Center next year, Monday, March 1 to Friday, March 5, 2027.

For more information on the GDC Festival of Gaming, please visit the official website, or subscribe to regular updates via LinkedIn, Facebook, X or BlueSky. Official photos are available via the GDC Flickr account.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Dominates 26th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards With Five Wins Including Game of the Year

Paul Philleo
-
0
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Dominates 26th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards With Five Wins Including Game of the Year

SAN FRANCISCO – March 12, 2026 – Sandfall Interactive and Kepler Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the 26th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA)’s Game of the Year. The dark fantasy RPG was honored with five of the night’s awards, including Best Debut, Best Visual Art, Best Narrative and Best Audio. Produced and hosted annually by GDC Festival of Gaming, the GDCAs are the premier, globally recognized accolades for peer recognition in the video game industry, honoring and celebrating the greatest games created in the last year and the developers behind them.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a loving ode to, and evolution of, the classic JRPG genre with real-time action elements and a distinctly French-inspired narrative and aesthetic. With a dramatic story filled with dread and hope, the game’s artfully crafted world has drawn significant praise, further solidified by tonight’s commanding performance.

The unique puzzle adventure Blue Prince, from developer Dogubomb and publisher Raw Fury, is the other multiple-award recipient of the night, taking home the honors for Innovation as well as Best Design. Other winners of the night include Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment) for Best Technology; Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia) for Social Impact; and and Roger (TearyHand Studio / Kodansha), recipient of the Audience Award.

Two influential industry figures were also honored at tonight’s ceremony. The Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Emmy® Award-winning game designer Don Daglow. Daglow is a towering pioneer with an expansive list of industry firsts across his 55-year, 100+ game career, including the first baseball game (BASBAL, 1971), the first RTS or sim game (Utopia, 1981) and the first MMORPG to use graphics instead of text (Neverwinter Nights, 1991-1997, AOL, Emmy Award). Rebecca Ann Heineman (1963–2025), the posthumous recipient of this year’s Ambassador Award, was a trailblazing figure in the games industry, celebrated as one of the first professional video game players and a pioneering developer. In 1980, she made history by winning the first National Space Invaders Championship, becoming the inaugural U.S. video game tournament champion. This victory launched a 45-year career during which she contributed to more than 250 games, including classics such as The Bard’s Tale III, Dragon Wars, Wolfenstein 3D, and Doom (3DO).

The winners of the 26th annual Game Developers Choice Awards are:

Best Debut

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

Best Design

  • Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)

Best Technology

  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Visual Art

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

Innovation Award

  • Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)

Best Narrative

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

Audience Award

  • and Roger (TearyHand Studio / Kodansha)

Best Audio

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

Social Impact

  • Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia)

Game of the Year

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

Lifetime Achievement Award

  • Don Daglow

Ambassador Award

  • Rebecca Ann Heineman

All GDC Festival of Gaming passholders were invited to attend in person at the Moscone Center, and the ceremony was streamed live and is archived on both the GDC Twitch channel and GDC YouTube channel for a global audience.

For more information about the 26th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, visit gamechoiceawards.com. For more details on the GDC Festival of Gaming, please visit the official website, or subscribe to regular updates via LinkedIn, Facebook, X or BlueSky. Official photos are available via the GDC Flickr account.

A MAZE. / Berlin Awards 2026

Mathew Anderson
-
0
A MAZE. / Berlin Awards 2026

The 2026 A MAZE. Awards submissions broke every record: 435 entries from 78 countries. 

From May 13-16 A MAZE. / Berlin 2026 – 15th International Games and Playful Media Festival will open its doors at silent green Kulturquartier, Panke Culture, Berlin Wedding, HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Urban Spree, b-dome, Transmediale Studio and at the A MAZE. Shop-Gallery. Besides the 5 years award partnership with WINGS, A MAZE. is excited to welcome the bi-annual XR-History Award by Körber-Stiftung, eCommemoration programme as part of its family.

For this year’s special anniversary, artists from 78 countries submitted 435 works in the field of games, art and playful media, including 67 entries beyond the screen (+6 countries, +71 entries). The international Selection Committee and the A MAZE. team chose 25 nominees for the main awards “Most Amazing”, “Long Feature”, “Digital Moment”, “Explorer” and “Human Human Machine”, five nominees were selected for the WINGS Award, 3 nominees were highlighted for the XR-History Award, 16 works received the festival`s honorable mention.

“For 15 years, we’ve been presenting a fine selection of games and playful media to the world, celebrating the art form and its artists through the A MAZE. Awards. I’m very excited about the reactions and the onsite exhibition at silent green featuring this year’s nominations and honorable mentions, which highlight the global and socio-political era of play through impactful interactions, stories, and experiences. Don’t miss out! Viva arthouse games!” 

— Thorsten S. Wiedemann, Artistic Director of A MAZE. 

“This year’s entries certainly dig deeper and tackle a diverse range of topics, asking about one’s role in the world, growing up and growing old, the dis-/connection between communities, remembrance culture, current and future perspectives on migration, incomes, relationships and transformations. Scrolling through all works makes one fact very obvious: This is a global movement of artists who are not afraid to walk unbeaten paths, who combine artforms and go beyond analog and digital. I urge everyone to have a look at all submissions! — Now, after months of reviews by the Selection Committee, WINGS, Körber-Stiftung and us at A MAZE., I’m more than happy to invite everyone to the playful discourse the nominated works will open up at the festival.” 

— Matthias Löwenotter, Award Curator of A MAZE.

The international jury now has the honor to select categories and choose the winners. Combining perspectives as artists, performers, researchers, teachers, world designers, creators and curators, this year’s interdisciplinary, independent and international jury consists of Anan Fries (Germany/ Switzerland), Antonin Fourneau (France), Farfama (Japan), Meghna Jayanth (UK) and the winner of the Most Amazing Award 2025, Julián Cordero (Ecuador/ United States). More details at: amaze-berlin.de/jury

The winners will be announced at the Award Ceremony on May 15, 2026 at silent green Kulturquartier and on the live-stream – on amaze-berlin.de.

This selection of interactive masterpieces will be exhibited at A MAZE. / Berlin 2026 from May 13-16, 2026.

A MAZE. Nominees for Most Amazing, Human Human Machine, Long Feature, Digital Moment and Explorer Award

  • As Long As You’re Here by Autoscopia Interactive (Denmark, Netherlands, United States)

  • Border Control by rect repair (China, Australia)

  • Broke Signal Badlands by Forward Instinct (United States)

  • coalescent || tidal rapture by Hanwen Xu & Hatim Benhsain (China, Morocco)

  • Crashboard 2000 by Incontrolab (Léon Denise & Emilie Breslavetz) (France)

  • Easy Delivery Co. by Sam C (Canada)

  • Egglets – The Long 10 Days by wieLuft (Germany)

  • InSync by DaChu Interactive (China, United States)

  • LabRats by cirqueSaw (United States)

  • Loopscroll by Shaman Garage (Spain, China)

  • Manifest Your Dream Job Sleep Meditation by Jade Lin @strawberrycongee (UK)

  • No, I’m not a Human by Trioskaz (Georgia)

  • Otherworlds by Sophia Bulgakova (Ukraine, Netherlands)

  • PEPPERED: an existential platformer by Vas Most, Nararcher, Fedya Balashov (Russia)

  • Pigeon: A Love Story by Wristwork (UK)

  • RUMINANT 4444 by Miurbu (Switzerland)

  • Season 31 by MainSequenceStar (France)

  • Silicomrades by Outside the Fox (Czechia)

  • SIRE by heartcase (Netherlands)

  • Skate Story by Sam Eng (United States)

  • Small Void by Alice Bucknell & Jonathan Coryn (United States, France)

  • The Great Orator by The Shoebox Diorama (Daniel Ernst) (Netherlands)

  • The Wide Open Sky is Running out of Catfish by ZIPIT! Games – Benjamin Warfield & Joshua Pulsifer (United States)

  • Trans Theft Horso by Ben Swithen (UK)

  • We Are Dead Animals by Tote Tiere Maarten (Netherlands, Germany)


WINGS Award Nominees by WINGS

  • Beware of the Cartographer! by Tohu Bohu Games (Netherlands, France)

  • NAME OF THE WILL by Zeitgeist Studio (United States, Hong Kong SAR China, Japan, Canada, Estonia, UK)

  • Phonopolis by Amanita Design (Czechia, UK)

  • The Last Exam by Neslihan Aydınoğlu (Türkiye)

  • Tom the Postgirl by Oopsie Daisies (Switzerland)

XR-History Award Nominees by Körber-Stiftung / eCommemoration

  • Coalition Constellation: Constellating Reparations by Ren Loren Britton (United States, Germany)

  • Flesh Network by Sickness International (United States)

  • Unsettled by Cuerpos Migrantes (Peru, Argentina)

Honorable Mentions

  • BȢGENĒ by Danya Gonsales (Costa Rica, Russia)

  • Eclipsium by Housefire (Sweden)

  • I Don’t Want To Be A Good Woman by We Remember Games (Iran)

  • kitiklop by Flex & Dorian (France)

  • Lucky Castaway by Rare Crab Studio – Phillipp Gröbelbauer & Sven Kristlbauer (Switzerland)

  • METAMORPHOSIS by Hector, Federico, Chancellor, Liam, Agustina (Mexico, Argentina, United States, Ireland, Philippines)

  • MINE MIND by Shoto Hayakawa (Japan)

  • Novocene – A Possible Future by Jens Isensee, Julian Knepel, Maja Stark (Germany)

  • Panthalassa by Meia Calça (Portugal, UK)

  • Proyecto EXO by PlayLab DiTella (Argentina)

  • quantcept by alpha_rats (France)

  • Real Vampires by Those Eyes (Denmark, Poland)

  • Relooted by Nyamakop (South Africa)

  • Stealth Crossword by Computer James (Ireland)

  • Stip by Sixtyfour (Belgium)

  • Yuha’s Nightmares. Episode One: Catastrophe by Supr Experience (Georgia)

It’s highly recommended to see all submissions at: amaze-berlin.de/submissions
All nominees: amaze-berlin.de/nominees

All judges: amaze-berlin.de/jury

1...678...150Page 7 of 150

News Topics