The conference for game developers GDC Europe is closing. Now the GDC will be held only in the USA.
UBM, the company organizing the event, announced this in an invitation to the GDC in San Francisco. She explains the closure with a desire to focus on the “main event”.
The German press links the cancellation of the conference with a change in the schedule of the Gamescom games exhibition. Previously, GDC Europe was held for two days in Cologne and ended before the start of Gamescom. In 2017, Gamescom starts on Tuesday. In order to make it to the GDC exhibition, it would have to be opened on Sunday.
Another reason may be the proximity to another major developer conference – Respawn, also held in Cologne on the eve of Gamescom. Its opening next year is scheduled for August 20, Sunday.
Developers on social networks reacted with restraint to this news.
Rami Ismail from Vlaamber noted that it was felt even at GDC Europe 2016. And in general, “American-style conferences have stopped working outside the United States due to the divergence of the development culture in the world.”
@doougle I think American style events have stopped working outside the US as dev culture diverges worldwide
— Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) December 12, 2016
Разработчик Subterfuge Ноель Ллопис (Noel Llopis) заявил, что большие конференции теряют смысл: “Небольшие фокусированные на чем-то конкретном – вот они несут ценность”.
@tha_rami I feel that most generic, big gamedev conferences don’t make much sense anymore. Small, focused ones is where the real value is.
— Noel Llopis (@noel_llopis) December 12, 2016
Один из авторов Tengami Дженифер Шнайдерайт (Jennifer Schneidereit) написала, что не расстраивается из-за GDC Europe: “Она всегда была лишней тратой денег, все знали, что лучшие выступления приберегли для основной GDC”.
Not fussed about GDC Europe disappearing. The event wasn’t good value for money. Everyone knows the best talks are saved for the main GDC.
— Jennifer (@nyyjen) December 12, 2016