GDC Festival of Gaming: The industry reacts to the controversial rebrand

GDC announced earlier this year that it would be rebranding as “GDC Festival of Gaming,” which led many to speculate that the business-focused event might be intending to invite consumers as well.

That’s not the case. As the GDC organisers explained last week, the event will still be industry-only. The big change is that a new “Festival Pass” will offer entry to the show at almost half the price of the previous “All-Access” pass – but the caveat is that it won’t provide access to the GDC Vault, which hosts digital versions of the conference talks. There’s also a new, premium “Game Changer Pass” that additionally provides access to a three-day “Luminaries Speaker Series” aimed at executives, as well as unlocking the GDC Vault and various other perks.

On top of this, there will be some tweaks to the show, such as an extended and more varied content program across a whole week, potentially with the return of keynote sessions and the addition of new formats. “The festival part of the GDC Festival is that we’re broadening out what the conference is and does, but not into a consumer space,” said Mark DeLoura, GDC’s Executive Director for Innovation and Growth, who has also responded to the negativity around the CGI adverts used to promote the GDC rebrand. “I think if people are talking about your ads, you’ve done something right.”

But even though the Festival Pass makes attending that bit cheaper, the event is still not cheap: a Festival Pass will set attendees back $1,199, discounted to $649 until February 20, 2026. The Game Changer Pass, meanwhile, costs $2,499, discounted to $1,699. Digital access to the GDC Vault and online networking will set you back $799, and a limited number of sub-$650 options are available to start-ups and academics.

GDC founder Chris Crawford has suggested that GDC is at risk of becoming a “dinosaur” as it’s superseded by digital networking and events, and others have expressed concerns about travelling to the US, as well as the expense of the show’s location in California.

GamesIndustry.biz reached out to a range of prominent figures in the games industry to find out their reaction to the changes – and whether they intend to go in 2026.

Brian Baglow (founder, Scottish Games Network)

“I had high hopes that the new Festival of Gaming would reflect the reality of the whole games ‘ecosystem’ and not just cling to the industry-only line,” says Baglow, who started his games career at DMA Design ahead of the launch of the original Grand Theft Auto, and who thinks the changes to GDC don’t go far enough. “There is far more to games and gaming than the current all-consuming focus on the consumer games market as we know it.

“Where are the players, the communities, the educators and academics? We’re the largest creative industry in the world and we’re still locked inside a silo of our own making. We need the film, TV, music, and wider world to be a part of this. I think it’s a missed opportunity.”

Baglow says he won’t be attending GDC next year, because he wants to search out different groups. “I know I’ll see lots of lovely people, most of whom I’ve known and worked with for 30 years now. I want to meet people I don’t yet know and those working on the periphery of games, or in games-adjacent sectors. I’m going to the Web Summit, SxSW, Wild Rumpus, PHASE, and Scottish Games Fest.

“Game developers talking to game developers about game development happens at every single games event. I want something new.”

Hendrik Lesser (CEO and founder, Remote Control Productions)

“I loved GDC the moment I went there for the first time in 2001,” says Lesser, who is also president of the European Game Developers Foundation. “For years, I told everyone to go there and attend the sessions and feel the vibe. That passion has been gone for a long time though.”

Lesser applauds the idea of a change. “I have to say though, I am not sure if it’s rather late,” he cautions. “The overall thing reads a bit like Pokémon – gotta catch ’em all. It’s DICE, Gamescom, Amaze, Gamesbeat, and more in San Francisco. I am mildly sceptical.”

“Why cram it all in a week?”

Hendrik Lesser

He won’t be attending next year, “primarily because of the current administration,” he says. However, he’s encouraged by many of the announcements, which he thinks “could be great” and seem to reconnect with “that passion and thought leadership of old times.”

Yet he also worries it’s trying to do too much. “It’s so many target audiences with different needs and existing alternatives. So why cram it all in a week? I still wish them the best, and it would be great if it works out. I wouldn’t bet on it, unfortunately.”

Xu Xiaojun (studio head, Studio Gobo)

“My immediate thoughts are it feels the event has been shifting the focus to serve players more than developers,” says Xiaojun, whose studio worked on last year’s Lego Horizon Adventures. “More to celebrate games than a forum for development. I really hope the organisers don’t compromise the breadth and quality of discussions in order to reach a wider audience. GDC has been a very valuable conference to help developers furthering the craft.”

“I will still go regardless, as it’s the most important event to meet developers and partners in person all over the world.”

Anonymous agency head

“They’ve given it a consumer brand and teased it like a consumer event,” says an agency head who would prefer to remain unnamed. “But it’s not a consumer event. That has given them short-term buzz, but now it’s revealed as a rebranding of the same stuff, but with a more convoluted pricing structure to try and get some whale money. It feels empty and shallow.”

They won’t be attending in 2026, “mainly because everything, from flights to hotels to food, is eye-wateringly expensive, and the returns, at least for us, are too inconsistent to make it a sound investment. Fine if you’re on an expenses account from a major publisher or media company, but is that really what GDC is meant to be about?”

Shalin Shodan (director, Masala Games)

“To me, the proposed changes don’t line up with the rebranding,” says Shodan, whose company released Detective Dotson earlier this year. “Given that name, it could have been the perfect addition to include players. It’s probably going to bring more attendance to the expo and sessions, which is great, but the GDC Vault really should have been included [in the Festival Pass].”

Shodhan has been to the past two GDCs to promote and talk about Detective Dotson, but he says it’s unlikely he will go again. “While I definitely met a lot of great people and had meetings with potential, the sheer time and resource costs of attending the show have not paid off in outcomes.

“I feel that I could have those same meetings online. Both parties might have a better chance of retaining information from such a meeting than one of many at a whirlwind show. And I could use the time, energy, and money saved in improving my game and reaching out to my customers.”

Bob Makin (general manager – UK studios, Behaviour Interactive)

“Originally, the announcement of the new name sounded a bit gimmicky,” says Makin. “But now they’ve announced the changes, it makes a lot more sense.

“Over the past decade, I’ve seen more and more people ‘going to’ GDC, but not actually attending GDC itself. Rather, they’re in San Francisco because everybody is, and they have their own meetings and do their own thing.

“The new changes seem like GDC has responded to this and created an evolution of the show. The fact that hotspots like the W – great for impromptu meetings and catch ups – are now part of GDC is promising.

“It sounds like a very promising evolution of GDC”

Bob Makin

“The fact they’ve lowered the prices goes against everything that everyone else is doing. This is great, as it might increase the amount of people we take, and allow smaller devs to attend too.

“It sounds like a very promising evolution of GDC. I hope it works out and continues to be a flagship event of the gaming business calendar.

“Behaviour Interactive always attends GDC. Not only is it a great place to do business, but we invite our developers to learn from the talks and network. It’s always been a great place for people to learn and grow.”

Martin Wein (founding partner, GameFlex Consultants)

“GDC was in dire need of change,” says Wein, who was previously head of communications for Deep Silver (and who provided a few insights into what went on with Dead Island 2 earlier this year). “The real GDC happened around the Moscone Center and not inside. It was the conversations at the Marriot, the W, and so on that brought the value. And from the information I have seen so far, I don’t see that changing.

“Yes, there might be some tweaks on the scheduling and some tinkering on the passes, but the big players like Sony, Unity, or Epic abandoned the show floor years ago, and I don’t see a reason for them to come back. It will continue to be a great networking opportunity – but that will continue to happen around the show rather than at the show. And removing the vault from the new Festival Pass (which was the All Access Pass) is really going to hurt.

“I am simply not willing to take any risks with the very volatile regime in the States”

Martin Wein

“So, to me, this rebrand does not solve the underlying issues of the show. Who is the target audience? What are the main objectives of that audience? How do you attract people back to the show floor? And on top of all those questions, Festival of Gaming is an obvious B2C branding. Why?”

Wein says it’s likely he will pass on going to GDC next year. “But that has more to do with the current political situation in the US rather than the event itself. While the show has always been expensive, it was a great opportunity to network and generate business. But I am simply not willing to take any risks with the – let’s put it mildly – very volatile regime in the States.”

Alison Lacy (COO, Radical Forge)

“I really welcome the changes that the organisers have made, especially in finally seeking to address the lack of dedicated networking space at the conference,” says Lacy, COO of the Middlesbrough-based studio Radical Forge, which raised £2.6 million in investment last year.

“Hopefully this will not only make it a much safer experience, but also enable those developers who aren’t staying in the most popular (expensive) hotels to bump into each other serendipitously.

Reducing cost is obviously a very positive move and makes a big difference for smaller studios like ours.”

She says that Radical Forge will be attending GDC in 2026, and will always try to do so. But she adds that their focus is less about the conference programme and more about “business development and meeting with US publishers and co-dev partners.”

Tom Kaczmarczyk (CEO, IndieBI)

“GDC has always been a huge melting pot of games industry people of all shapes and sizes,” says Kaczmarczyk, head of the sales and business intelligence company IndieBI. “Between creative tracks, expo, bizdev in hotel lobbies, and friends just hanging out on the green in Yerba Buena, I’m sure you’ll find groups that love the broader direction and ones that hate it.

“Me in my businessy hat and all the other friendly bizdev gremlins would probably prefer if GDC just split up instead – made a separate few days for the business and networking side of things, and a separate few days for the creative tracks and the expo. This would be one way to make the event feel less crowded, hectic, and expensive – and would stop forcing attendees into tradeoffs between building industry relations and going to talks to be knowledge sponges.”

“The benefits still far outweigh the problems”

Tom Kaczmarczyk

Kaczmarczyk says he will be attending GDC in 2026. “Despite the post-pandemic and recent turmoils, it still has more than enough critical mass of games industry friends, colleagues, and unbridled creativity to make it hard to escape its gravity well. GDCs and IGFs were a big part of how I got my own start in the industry, and it’s still one of the best shows to hang out with old friends and clients, say hello to new ones, catch up with platform holders, and celebrate upcoming releases in person – all in one place.

“GDC is for sure not without its issues, but the benefits still far outweigh the problems.”

He likes the way the rebrand reflects the organisers’ readiness to make changes. “The whole Game Changer/Luminary track seems like a nod vaguely in the direction of making the event a better fit for us business gremlins (who would previously often not even bother buying passes, as we’d just hang out on the green and in hotel lobbies anyway). I’m not sure if that’s exactly how I’d approach the issues myself, but I also don’t know the first thing about organising massive events for tens of thousands of people, so I’m just happy that it looks like smart people are actively working to solve problems and improve things.”

Dan Griliopoulos (narrative designer and game writer)

Griliopoulos, who was a freelance journalist for publications like Edge, IGN, and The Guardian before moving into games writing for titles such as Nightingale, RimWorld: Anomaly, and Total War: Warhammer, thinks we should give GDC’s rebrand a chance.

“I admire our industry’s tendency to instinctively punch upwards, but GDC is an institution worth keeping,” he says. “Yes, the old version had a unique wholesomeness, purpose, and prestige, but it couldn’t stand still while the sands were moving under its foundations, and it had accreted mess over time. As with all industry-focused events, the business deals and social side long ago moved out of the main venue, and no-one needs to attend a talk in person, really, so experiments were necessary to find a continuing form of the institution. I’m glad they’re trying!”

He does not, however, plan to attend, chiefly owing to the cost of travelling from Europe. “There are local events that offer the social and business side of industry gatherings at less than half the cost (I’m thinking Gamescom, Develop and Reboot, which are excellent value for European developers.)”

“Slicing down the ticketing types to specific audiences is smart”

Dan Griliopoulos

He nevertheless appreciates the changes. “The new format is more tempting than the previous version,” he says. “Making it fill the week is smart – it had spread to that anyway, so why not own it? And further slicing down the ticketing types to specific audiences is smart.

“But the price of passes is still way out of the non-corporate developer’s range, even if they’re apparently cheaper. The limited indie/start-up passes are a good attempt to account for that, especially if bought as early-bird at $450. If I was US-based, I’d be grabbing one of those straight away.

“On the flipside, I’m not sure the $2,500 Game Changer pass works. If you’re looking to pitch games, dropping that wodge to talk to people you can talk to elsewhere doesn’t say ‘reassuring financial sense’ to me. And taking on DICE by targeting executives with the Luminaries Speaker series is another gamble. The breaking up of the specialist summits is also sad – if I want to exchange gossip and best practice with my peers, I don’t want to have to hunt out the sessions throughout the timetable or organise our own meet-up.”

Wouter Sleijffers (co-founder, ELO)

Sleijffers, who co-founded the gaming and esports agency ELO, thinks that GDC’s name change is a positive move, but admits it led him to think the show would be consumer focused. Not targeting consumers is “a miss,” he thinks. “Many gamers do like to know about the creation process.”

“We feel we get more from an event like Gamescom”

Wouter Sleijffers

He adds that he isn’t planning to attend in 2026, a decision that mostly comes down to budgets. “Whilst not exactly the same, we feel we get more from an event like Gamescom, which is closer to home,” he says. “Even with the reduction in pricing, a trip to GDC is still a large commitment budget- and time-wise. It’s great for networking, but not always great for (immediate) business.”

The online portion of the show is also “pricey,” he says, concluding that there is “not enough consideration for the international audience.”

Gina Jackson OBE (co-founder, Pitchify)

“With the games industry constantly evolving, I believe it’s important for any event to keep iterating and remain as inclusive as possible, welcoming new entrants and businesses,” says Jackson. “At Pitchify, our focus is global, connecting funders to developers, and we’re eager to meet our developers, investors, and publishers face-to-face whenever we can to better understand their funding needs.”

“This year, we’ve prioritised events in Cape Town, Bucharest, and Middlesbrough, and GDC feels like another valuable opportunity to connect with the community. I had already planned to attend before the recent changes became clear.”

Richard Browne (director, Blue Moon Production Company)

Browne, who was head of external publishing at Digital Extremes before founding Blue Moon, says he is “genuinely happy about the fresh face of GDC” and that “something needed to be done to reboot it.”

“The format seems much broader and more open, and the new pricing obviously is going to help in hard times,” he says. However, like many people, he was left scratching his head by the rebrand reveal. “People were confused when it came out without any details, but I think subsequent information has cleared that up.”

“A lot of people simply don’t want to travel to America”

Richard Browne

He also worries that the conference is missing a digital trick. “Given the situation in America at the moment, I do feel not wholly embracing online attendance with all sessions streamed is a mistake. A lot of people simply don’t want to travel to America. The vault access solves much of this, but after the fact, and obviously doesn’t allow for online participation.”

Browne will be attending GDC next year, but not as a ticket holder. “From a business development standpoint, I think meetings will continue to be conducted in the surrounding hotels, and for me, the sessions and events don’t hold the value that they do for a day to day developer.”

Overall, he thinks the proposed changes should help the event, “but it’s going to be tough with so many prevailing headwinds.”

Dan Marshall (director, Size Five Games)

Marshall, whose studio recently revealed the upcoming adventure game Earth Must Die!, gives a blunt response when asked whether he will be attending GDC in 2026.

“Ha ha, Christ no, absolutely not. The financial investment required to go to GDC for what is functionally a massive jolly is madness. It was madness when it was just GDC, but in the current climate where every penny counts, it’s throwing money away.

“I’m a huge believer in ‘networking’ at events, I think it’s really, really good, but unless you’re actively trying to secure money from a publisher or find a job, for most game devs these things are just not worth the cash, unless it’s very quick and easy for you to get to, or you’re prepared to treat it as a lovely little holiday.

“Also, putting it politely: travelling to America in 2026? I mean, we’ve all seen the news, right? We’ve all seen the news and the pictures and we’ve heard the stories and it’s honestly difficult to muster the enthusiasm to travel there for any reason whatsoever at the moment.”

Still, he is tickled that the Festival of Gaming rebrand results in the acronym FOG, given that it takes place in the famously foggy San Francisco. “That is excellent pun work, and I wish them every success purely because of that.”

Mike Rose (founder, No More Robots)

Before founding the publisher No More Robots, Rose was a writer for Gamasutra, which was the official site for GDC. “So when I used to go,” he says, “I got a staff pass, which got me unbelievable access. I got into all the craziest parties, too, those were the days.”

As you’d expect, this means he has a soft spot for the show. “Unfortunately, since the pandemic, travelling to San Francisco is just – well, there’s no way on God’s Earth that I will ever do it again. There are many reasons, but the main ones are: I do not have all the money in the world; the city got more and more grim each time I went; the last time I went, there were literally giant crypto banners everywhere; the US is an absolute mess; and many more reasons.

“San Francisco is just too expensive for anyone to visit other than the rich”

Mike Rose

“Pile that on top of the quite frankly CRAZY badge prices for the show, and it’s just absolutely not been worth going whatsoever. Which feels horrible to say, because it used to be such a meaningful place to me… but let’s be honest, capitalism won.”

He also finds the rebrand confusing. “I’ve looked at this Festival of Gaming thing twice now, and both times, I just had no idea what I was looking at. I’m not entirely sure what is actually new. Maybe it’s loads and I’m not understanding it, but it reads to me like they know their numbers are dropping, so they’re trying to splash a new coat on it, and hope people forget about all the problems. When really, we all know that the answer is ‘go somewhere else’ – San Francisco is just too expensive for anyone to visit other than the rich. If you want the whole industry to go to your event, go somewhere they can actually afford.”