adminGDC keynotes and sessions will bring game developers, writers and industry professionals together in San Francisco, California, from March 9–13. The five-day festival is scheduled to feature more than 1,000 speakers and 700 sessions, including presentations from Sandfall Interactive, AdHoc Studio and Hideo Kojima.
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GDC keynotes and featured presentations
The event’s full agenda includes discussions on game development, production, audio, design and storytelling. For attendees deciding which sessions to prioritize, checking the agenda in advance can help identify relevant topics and confirm any pass or access requirements.
Hideo Kojima’s presentation, titled Restarting from zero: A message to creators considering independence, is scheduled for March 12. It is listed for Festival and Game Changer Pass holders. The program also includes a session by KJP’s Iildar Valeev on the creation of the Voxel 3D UI map in Death Stranding 2.
Sandfall Interactive sessions
Sandfall Interactive, the developer of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, is set to appear in several sessions. The program covers different parts of the studio’s work, giving attendees a chance to explore both creative and technical topics.
- An audio postmortem examining the studio’s record-breaking debut title.
- An Adobe workshop focused on Substance 3D texturing.
- A live podcast about scaling up the project.
- A talk on delivering a broad range of features and content with only four programmers.
- A question-and-answer session for new writers and narrative designers.
These sessions may be especially useful for developers working with small teams or interested in how different disciplines contribute to a game. Reviewing session descriptions beforehand can help attendees choose talks that match their experience and interests.
AdHoc Studio on turning a genre into a hit
AdHoc Studio, the developer of Dispatch, will lead an hour-long discussion about turning a “dead genre into a breakout hit.” The session offers a look at how a studio can approach a format that may have lost momentum and find an audience for it. Attendees interested in narrative games or genre development may want to include it in their schedule.
Attendance and the festival rebrand
Informa, the event’s organizers, said they had not seen a decline in planned attendance by overseas visitors. That statement came amid industry concerns about rising costs and the political situation in the United States.
The decision to change the event’s name from Game Developers Conference to GDC Festival of Gaming also received a lukewarm response. The rebrand and attendance outlook add context for attendees planning travel or following changes to the event’s identity.
What to know before attending
With hundreds of sessions taking place over five days, it is practical to review the agenda and pass information before building a schedule. In particular, check access details for high-profile presentations, including Kojima’s March 12 talk, and leave time between sessions when planning an in-person visit.
Overall, GDC keynotes and related sessions offer a varied program, from production lessons and technical workshops to discussions about creative independence. The agenda features contributions from Sandfall Interactive, AdHoc Studio and Hideo Kojima, alongside hundreds of other sessions across the festival.
