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Stay up to date on everything happening with the Game Developers Conference, the Independent Games Festival, the Game Developers Choice Awards, and more through our online blog. To get GDC updates sent straight to your mailbox, subscribe to our GDC Newsletter.

GDC In Pictures: Highlights from GDC 2015

March 10, 2015

[After attending GDC 2015 last week, Gamasutra editor Alex Wawro rounds up a few photos from the Official GDC Flickr page to give you an overview of the show.]

GDC 2015 is over, and with record-breaking attendance this year it seems like the greater part of the game industry is still trying to get back to business as usual. 

But not everyone had a chance to attend GDC last week, and those that did couldn't possibly have had time to see everything. 

We did our best to bring you news, interviews and analysis of the most interesting events of the show in our GDC 2015 coverage, but a certain aspect of the experience is lost when you try to convey the tenor of a vibrant event like this through words alone.

GDC sees record-breaking attendance and announces 2016 dates

March 9, 2015

UBM Tech Game Network's 2015 Game Developers Conference, the world's largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, has set a record for event attendance, with more than 26,000 game industry professionals at last week's conference in San Francisco's Moscone Center. 


In 2016, the Game Developers Conference will be celebrating a major milestone with the 30th anniversary of the event. The organizers of the event have announced that GDC 2016 will return to the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco from Monday, March 14 to Friday, March 18, 2016, with a call for submissions to open this summer.

Shadow of Mordor takes top prize at Game Developers Choice Awards

March 4, 2015

Monolith Productions' open-world action game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was honored with the Game of the Year award this evening at the 15th annual Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, which was hosted by industry veteran Tim Schafer as part of the ongoing 2015 Game Developers Conference.

But it was the critically-acclaimed mobile puzzle game Monument Valley which came away with the most awards of the night, including the Best Visual Art, Innovation & Best Handheld/Mobile Game Awards. Inspired by the visual style of Japanese prints & set in an M.C. Escher-esque world, Monument Valley was developed over the course of ten months.

The Best Debut Award went to indie firm Stoic Studio, founded by former BioWare developers, which developed the notable The Banner Saga, an epic Viking-themed tactical role-playing game.

Outer Wilds wins top honors at the 17th annual IGF Awards

March 4, 2015

The celestial exploration game Outer Wilds, from developer Team Outer Wilds, received top honors this evening at the 17th Annual Independent Games Festival. 

In addition to taking home the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game (and its associated $30,000 cash prize), Outer Wilds -- an innovative intergalactic adventure in which players probe the depths of space and unravel the mysteries of the cosmos -- was also honored with the Excellence in Design award during the event, which took place during the 2015 Game Developers Conference.

Capybara Games co-founder Nathan Vella returned to serve as master of ceremonies for the event, which also featured appearances from IGF chairman Brandon Boyer and videos from the comedic minds behind the Hey Ash Whatcha Playin'? video series.

GDC Spotlight Interviews: Google, Wargaming, and Oculus

February 27, 2015

| February 2015

In This Issue:

  • Google Play - Bob Meese, global head of games business development at Google Play, talks about his current strategy for games, about how developers can make their Android TV games successful, and about the best way devs can get Google's attention.

Tim Schafer and Nathan Vella host next week's GDC and IGF awards

February 27, 2015

We're happy to confirm that Double Fine founder Tim Schafer will once again take the stage during the 2015 Game Developers Conference to host the 15th annual Game Developers Choice Awards.

The same stage will also welcome back Capybara Games founder Nathan Vella as host of the Independent Games Festival awards, now in its 17th year of celebrating the work of independent game makers.

The ceremonies kick off at 6:30 PM on the evening of Wednesday, March 4th during GDC 2015 in San Francisco. 

Don't miss these standout talks during the eight GDC 2015 Summits

February 27, 2015

The 2015 Game Developers Conference starts on Monday, and as everyone prepares for the big show we'd like to take a moment to highlight some of the most interesting can't-miss Summit sessions at this year's conference.

These sessions will be part of the eight GDC Summits that will take place Monday, March 2nd and Tuesday, March 3rd at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA during the first two days of the conference.

Catch Epic's Tim Sweeney and Xbox chief Phil Spencer at GDC

February 27, 2015

The 2015 Game Developers Conference kicks off next week, and if you're planning to attend here are a few sponsored sessions from high-profile speakers you must not miss during your time at the show.

First, Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney will deliver a sponsored session on "The State of Unreal Engine" on Wednesday morning, where you can expect to hear his thoughts on the future of Unreal Engine 4 and what comes next.

Later that day, Sweeney and other senior Epic talent will be expounding on the contemporary state of game development and answering questions from attendees during an hour-long "Game Developers Town Hall" session sponsored by Epic Games. It's taking place at the end of Wednesday, March 4th, and it's sure to be a learning opportunity for game makers.

Reminder: On-site registration is available at GDC next week

February 26, 2015

GDC 2015 kicks off next week, and advance online registration for the conference has closed as we buckle down and prepare for the show. 

If you're interested in attending the show and missed your chance to register online, don't worry! You can still register onsite next week. 

The GDC registration desks in the North Hall of San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center will open this Sunday, March 1st from 5-7 PM PT to afford conference attendees an opportunity to register early and claim their badges before the conference kicks off on Monday morning.

Make room in your GDC 2015 schedule for these standout talks

February 26, 2015

Are you ready for the 2015 Game Developers Conference next week? As everyone finalizes their conference schedules, we'd like to take a moment to highlight some standout sessions that you should keep on your radar.

First, make time to see cartoonist and animator Graham Annable (responsible for Puzzle Agent while working at Telltale Games) discussing what game developers can learn from animated filmmakers during his "The Making Of The Stop Motion Film 'The Box Trolls'" GDC talk. As director of the film (pictured), Annable will offer attendees an overview of storytelling, puppet making, costume designing, and shooting a miniaturized movie on the big screen.

Level Design In a Day: An expert roundtable Q&A

February 26, 2015

Joel Burgess is a senior designer at Bethesda Game Studios.

On Tuesday, March 3rd, Level Design in a Day returns to Game Developers Conference for its fifth consecutive year. 

Since its inception, the session has served to gather level designers and developers of all stripes to discuss all aspects of their LD work, large and small. 

This year's edition brings with it a roster of new and veteran LDiaD speakers, representing a broad variety of backgrounds, topics and ideas.  

These are your GDC 2015 Game Narrative poster session winners

February 25, 2015

Organizers of GDC 2015 and its Game Narrative Summit are proud to announce the winners of the 2015 edition of the annual Student Narrative Analysis Competition, who will all receive passes to attend the conference next week.

Curious about the award? Here's how it works: Every year, leading game design programs at universities across the country integrate the competition into their academic curricula. Each participating student conducts a detailed structured analysis of the narrative elements of a game title of their choice.

The resulting papers are submitted to the GDC Game Narrative Summit advisors for review, and the entrants with the most promising submissions are then invited to present poster sessions of their work to their future professional peers at the Game Narrative Summit.

Learn how roguelike design can level up your game at GDC 2015

February 25, 2015

Games that emulate the punishing design of Rogue are in vogue, but you don't have to be working on a roguelike to benefit from the genre's lessons learned.

At GDC 2015 next week, Riot Games VP of Game Design Tom Caldwell will break down what the League of Legends company has learned about roguelike appeal in its game design R&D work during a talk entitled "Level Up Your Game: The Untapped Potential of Roguelikes."

Focusing on the roguelike genre and how it has incredibly strong long-term replayability driven by the pursuit of mastery. Caldwell will discuss how the roguelike approach to designing for mastery can cross-pollinate other game genres and drive innovation.

Remember: GDC 2015 online registration closes tomorrow

February 24, 2015

With GDC 2015 less than a week away and the session schedule finalized, we've taken the liberty of highlighting show events you must not miss alongside a gentle reminder that if you haven't registered yet, now is the time!

Online registration for GDC 2015 will close tomorrow, February 25th at 11:59 PM Pacific. If you miss your chance to register online before the window closes, you'll have to pay extra to register onsite.

Register now for access to a wide variety of talks, roundtable discussions, postmortems and workshops. All passholders also have access to the GDC Expo Floor, located within the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, which will once again showcase cutting-edge technology from some of the industry's biggest and most influential companies.

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