San Francisco Welcomes the 2024 Game Developers Conference from March 18 to 22

San Francisco (March 15, 2024) – Next week, nearly 30,000 members of the global game development community will gather at the Moscone Center as San Francisco welcomes back the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the game industry's premier professional event. GDC is an annual tradition for the city – the conference was born in the Bay Area and has brought the industry together in San Francisco for more than 35 years. This year’s conference takes place for five days from March 18 to 22.

GDC’s programming will feature more than 700 sessions, including talks from the makers of critically acclaimed games Super Mario Bros. Wonder, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor, and create opportunities for job seekers in the industry by facilitating meaningful connections and hosting game publishers looking to hire new talent. GDC will also host a number of lively community spaces, the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) and the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards). 

“The Game Developers Conference is a special event, as it brings the larger development community together to form connections and learn about the art and craft of game making,” says Stephenie Hawkins, Event Director for Media & Entertainment at Informa. “GDC is where careers can get started, and legacies are celebrated.”

San Francisco’s culture of innovation is a natural fit for the game industry, which sits at the intersection of technology and art. This year’s programming will celebrate an art form that brings the game experience to life: music. Accompanied by the local San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), GDC is hosting The Developer’s Concert, a live instrumental performance conducted by composer Austin Wintory and co-hosted by actor and singer-songwriter Troy Baker. The concert will showcase influential and notable game scores throughout history—with a spotlight on music from the past year.

“The San Francisco Conservatory of Music has a long history of supporting the Game Audio Network Guild; we were thrilled when Brian Schmidt, the director of G.A.N.G., floated the idea of having a student and faculty ensemble play a medley of music from all the games and composers who are up for awards. The music this group will play was arranged by SFCM faculty member Daria Novoliantceva,” said Steven Horowitz, an award-winning composer and Executive Director of SFCM’s Technology and Applied Composition program. “Having SFCM students and faculty play at the award ceremony this year is such a fantastic way to highlight the rich diversity of talent not only at the Conservatory, but also in the local Bay Area music scene since many of our musicians are based here.”

According to estimates from the San Francisco Travel Association, the conference is expected to generate $40.6 million in economic impact, which includes the spending by attendees, event planners, exhibitors, B2B supply chain purchases, and wages paid to workers in the local economy.

Brian Sheehy, CEO of Future Bars Group, said, “Here in Downtown San Francisco we have been pulling out all the stops at our bars as we prepare for the annual influx of our GDC friends. This year, in particular, we are especially excited to show off the vastly improved conditions of our Downtown, with spotless streets and sidewalks, thanks to the work and collaboration of our wonderful Community Benefit Districts. The noticeable cleanliness is complemented by our Welcome Ambassadors who will be out greeting and assisting attendees. Our bars are primed, stocked and ready to serve!” 

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