GDC Organizers Unveil Details of the Inaugural GDC Festival of Gaming

The Game Developers Conference has announced the details of its rebranded event, the GDC Festival of Gaming, following a month of speculation after the initial brand announcement in September. The conference will take place in San Francisco from March 9th to 13th next year. The revamped event remains industry-only, with no consumer access, and features sessions, the expo floor (now called the Festival Hall), and networking opportunities at the Moscone Center. A new Festival Pass provides access to these areas at a significantly lower price point than the previous All-Access pass, although it no longer includes access to the GDC Vault archive. A higher-priced Game Changers pass offers additional features, including a three-day Luminaries Speaker series, private meeting spaces, and an invite-only GamePlan networking platform. The show also retains a digital pass for online-only networking and access to the GDC Vault, as well as limited Early Stage Indie and Start-up passes for smaller companies and academia. The Festival Pass is priced at $1199, with a discounted rate of $649 available until February 20th. The Game Changers pass is $2499, discounted to $1699 until February 20th. Other changes include the reorganization of the Expo hall into five neighborhoods, an extended content program, and a week-long series of evening events under the GDC Nights brand. According to Mark DeLoura, GDC's Executive Director for Innovation and Growth, the rebrand is intended to be additive, broadening the conference's scope without introducing a consumer audience or disrupting the existing networking and deal-making opportunities.