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Game developers say they're working longer hours due to the pandemic
Ahead of the all-digital “GDC Summer,” the Game Developers Conference polled nearly 2,500 game developers to get a sense of COVID-19’s impact on the industry.
GDC Summer will go all-digital
GDC Summer will hold an all-digital event in August.
Facebook cancels all large events through June 2021
Mark Zuckerberg announced today that Facebook will cancel any large physical events with more than 50 people through June 2021.
Google makes it easier to play Android apps before they've finished loading
After this year's GDC was cancelled because of the coronavirus, tech companies have been making their own games-related announcements independently. Last week Facebook revealed its plans for new and existing Oculus VR titles, now Google's Android and Play teams have announced what they're doing to help developers build and scale their games across Google products.
GDC could return to San Francisco as a 3-day event in August
When GDC's organizers cancelled the annual conference due to the coronavirus outbreak, they said they were hoping to host another even in the summer. Now, they've officially announced GDC Summer, a three-day "celebration of all things game development." It'll be some sort of GDC lite event that would still feature expert-led talks and a two-day expo show. The organizers are promising a new series of microtalks and fireside chats, as well as dedicated space for comprehensive career development sessions for new developers.
Steam Game Festival lets you play indies that would've been at GDC
With industry events like the Game Developers Conference cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Valve is stepping in to help small, independent game developers get the word out about their upcoming projects. Starting today, the company will highlight more than 40 new and unreleased indies as part of the Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition.
Game Developers Conference will stream panels and awards for free
Just because the in-person Game Developers Conference is cancelled for 2020 doesn't mean you'll be out of luck if you want to keep abreast of game industry news. GDC organizers are planning to stream free, recorded versions of the talks that presenters had intended to deliver between March 16th and March 20th, from 12PM to 8PM Eastern each day. You'll also see the GDC Awards and the Independent Games Festival ceremonies on GDC's Twitch channel starting March 18th at 8PM Eastern, while the Day of the Devs showcase from Double Fine and iam8bit will air at 7PM. A full schedule should be available March 13th.
Coronavirus panic could spell the end for tech conventions
You know the scene: A man in a crisp suit stands on a dark, sterile stage at the head of a packed auditorium, surrounded by sleek screens. It's the year 2045 or 2060 or 3000, and the presenter delivers a sanctimonious speech about progress and humanity before revealing a product that will change the world. The audience goes wild. They get free, instant access to whatever piece of technology was just announced. And then, predictably, that gadget contributes to society's ultimate undoing. It's a common scene in modern sci-fi dramas, but for a story set in the future, it's dead wrong. Big, in-person tech conferences may be a staple of the industry today, but as global internet infrastructure takes root and live streams become ubiquitous, these shows will fall by the wayside. They'll become a symbol of a past era, that time when society was awkwardly transitioning from physical interactions to digital experiences.
GDC 2020 is officially canceled due to coronavirus
After one big name participant after another (Facebook, Sony, Microsoft, Amazon) announced it would not send people to the show over concerns about the spread of coronavirus, GDC 2020 organizers have announced the event is off. It was scheduled to take place between March 16th and 20th, and in a statement, they said "we fully intend to host a GDC event later in the summer." This announcement comes just hours after officials announced a second case of the virus in California with an unknown origin. After Mobile World Congress, this week we've already seen Facebook's F8 developer event and the Geneva Motor Show drop off of the schedule, and it seems unlikely that they will be the last ones. Those who were planning on attending should have received an email with answers to some of their questions about refunds for passes and hotels booked within the convention's block. Right now the plan is for "many" of the presentations that would have been given to be submitted via video and made available for free viewing online. The Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Choice Awards, as well as some of those talks, will stream on Twitch during the week the event would have taken place. In an effort to support indie developers who may be impacted financially, the IGDA has teamed up with GameDev.world on a fundraiser that will include "a Pay-What-You-Want games bundle, a public game jam, and free online live talks and Q&A translated in the worlds' largest languages."
Amazon is the latest to pull out of GDC over coronavirus fears
The annual Game Developers Conference just lost another big-name tech company due to coronavirus worries. Amazon Web Services has pulled out of the 2020 show in response to "continued concerns over COVID-19." In its place, Amazon is planning a "global online event" in May that will show what its AWS Game Tech team was originally going to debut in person along with some extras. You'll hear more about it in the weeks ahead, Amazon said.
Microsoft won't be at GDC because of coronavirus
Microsoft is skipping the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this year, citing concerns about the global coronavirus outbreak. It isn't the only company to bow out of GDC 2020: Sony, Facebook, Kojima Productions and Unity Technologies previously announced they would miss the show in order to keep their employees and attendees as safe as possible. GDC is scheduled to run from March 16th to the 20th.
Sony and Facebook withdraw from GDC due to coronavirus concerns
Mobile World Congress 2020 isn't the only trade show affected by COVID-19, otherwise known as the new coronavirus disease. Facebook has just announced that it will withdraw its presence from the annual Game Developer's Conference this year. In doing so, it will pull both Facebook Gaming and Oculus booths and have advised all employees to not attend the show. A Facebook spokesperson sent in this statement: "Out of concern for the health and safety of our employees, our dev partners, and the GDC community, Facebook will not be attending this year's Game Developer Conference due to the evolving public health risks related to COVID-19. We still plan to share the exciting announcements we had planned for the show through videos, online Q&As, and more, and will plan to host GDC partner meetings remotely in the coming weeks." COVID-19 has had a big effect on the tech industry so far. Due to coronavirus concerns, MWC 2020 was cancelled, Apple has warned of iPhone supply shortages and Sony has pulled out of PAX East. Update 4:15pm ET: Sony has announced that it too will be pulling out from GDC. Here's the company's statement: We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus). We felt this was the best option as the situation related to the virus and global travel restrictions are changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern. We look forward to participating in GDC in the future.
Strict visa rules are still keeping game devs out of the US
The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Foundation awards scholarships each year to up-and-coming artists, writers and programmers from around the world. The scholarships offer passes to the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, plus a travel stipend, exclusive networking opportunities, tours of local studios, help with resumes and portfolios and one-on-one mentorships with industry veterans. For a developer trying to break into video games, it's a fantastic prize.
'Detroit', 'Heavy Rain' and 'Beyond' will hit the Epic Games Store
Detroit: Become Human, Beyond: Two Souls and Heavy Rain are all making their way to PC for the first time in 2019 through the Epic Games Store. To date, the games have only been available on PlayStation 3 and/or PS4. The Quantic Dream titles are a bit of a coup for Epic as it takes aim at the likes of Steam, though Epic had plenty of other news about its store at GDC, including a Humble Bundle partnership and deals for upcoming games.
Double Fine's radioactive adventure 'Rad' arrives this summer
Tim Schafer and Lee Petty of Double Fine Productions made a short appearance on Nintendo's Nindies Showcase today to help introduce a new rock-flavored action game. And no, it's not Brutal Legend 2. Instead, it's a new property titled Rad, which follows a young man as he swings a baseball bat through an irradiated wasteland.
The new Oculus Rift S arrives this spring for $399
Oculus announced at GDC today that an updated version of its Rift virtual reality headset is on the way this spring. Oculus Rift S will cost $399, an increase of $50 from the Rift, while it's set to offer improved resolution and the same integrated audio system as the Quest (which is also debuting in the spring) and Go headsets.
Watch Google's GDC 2019 event in 14 minutes
Earlier today at GDC 2019, Google officially revealed Stadia, a game-streaming service that will be available later this year in US, Canada, the UK and Europe. There's a lot Google didn't cover -- like pricing and an exact launch date -- but the company did show off a custom-built controller for the service that has a dedicated button for Google Assistant. It also demoed fancy style transfer tech that can use AI to change the look of a game in real time. Don't rely on my terse summary though, we've condensed all the highlights down to a 14-minute clip to get you caught up in a flash. And be sure to follow all of the latest news from GDC in San Francisco right here.
After Math: Gamer, set, match
Gaming enthusiasts had a lot to cheer for this week. Google revealed the results of a competition between its Starcraft II AI and a pair of pro players, though there wasn't much "competition" in the 10-1 bloodbath. GDC's State of the Industry survey revealed broad support for unionization initiatives among respondents. And of course Farming Simulator now has its own eSports league.
Nearly half of game developers want to unionize
Unionization isn't a new idea for the game development industry, but it is a particularly hot and contentious topic right now. A handful of events in 2018 thrust the unionization conversation to the forefront, including Rockstar boss Dan Houser's comments about developers working 100-hour weeks to finish Red Dead Redemption 2, and the tragic implosion and bitter residue of Telltale Games. Groups like Game Workers Unite have been pounding the pavement (physically and digitally) and gathering support for unionization across the globe, with a goal to "bring hope to and empower those suffering in this industry." In December, a UK chapter of Game Workers Unite became a legal trade union.
What we saw at GDC 2018!
All good things must come to an end, and today we say goodbye to GDC 2018. As usual, the Game Developers Conference didn't disappoint. During our time here in San Francisco, we found a slew of indie titles that were incredibly fun to play and gorgeous to look at, including Black Future 88, Children of Morta and Guacamelee! 2. Oh and how can we forget Scissors the that than, the weird first-person action game that makes you use physical giant scissors as the controller. We also got to check out Oculus Go, the $200 standalone headset that's expected to launch in May -- it's sleek, lightweight and comfortable.
