Leading the nominations is Venba from Visai Games with four nominations, including Excellence in Audio, Narrative, Visual Art and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Venba is a narrative cooking game in which players experience life as an Indian mom who has immigrated to Canada with her family in the 1980s and weaves together conversations and food to tell her family’s stories of love, loss and more.
Five other finalist titles share the distinction of having three nominations apiece and those titles include 1000xRESIST by sunset visitor, A Highland Song by inkle, Anthology of the Killer by Thecatamites, Tommy Tone and A. Degen, COCOON by Geometric Interactive and Mediterranea Inferno by Lorenzo Redaelli and EYEGUYS. These finalists are also all nominated for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize alongside Venba.
For more information on the 2024 Independent Games Festival, including the full list of finalists, please visit the official Independent Games Festival website. The winners will be revealed at the IGF Awards ceremony on March 20 at GDC.
The finalists for the 24th Annual Game Developers Choice awards, the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers, have been revealed.
The GDCA nominations are led by The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom by Nintendo and Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios, which each received a total of seven nominations including Game of the Year, followed by COCOON by Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive, which received five total nominations including Game of the Year. The other titles in the Game of the Year category include Dave the Diver by Mintrocket, Dredge by Black Salt Games / Team17, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment.
For more information on the 2024 Game Developers Choice Awards, including the full list of finalists, please visit the official Game Developer Choice Awards website. The winners will be revealed at the Game Developers Choice Awards at GDC and will be live-streamed alongside the Independent Games Festival Awards on the official GDC Twitch channel.
GDC released the results of its 12h annual State of the Game Industry Survey on Thursday, January 18, providing insights and data on hot button topics including layoffs, generative AI, the rise in film and TV adaptations, preferred game engines, accessibility, return-to-office policies and more.
The responses from over 3,000 game industry professionals reflect findings including:
The full survey, which includes more insight into the game development community’s thoughts on these topics and a multitude of other facts and details, can be downloaded for free on the GDC website.
Safety is GDC’s number one priority for all attendees and the learning and networking can only continue if attendees feel and are safe. To that end, GDC is introducing and expanding upon a slew of safety initiatives to help create a safe environment, including:
• Publishing and publicizing guidelines and safety standards for navigating the conference, the city, and after-hour/satellite events safely
• 24-hour GDC Safety phone line to contact for any issues faced by attendees
• Convention center phones throughout Moscone buildings for reporting emergencies with quick dial access
• Bolstered security presence onsite and escorts provided upon request/as needed
• Partnership with surrounding venues, local hotels, SF Travel, and the City of San Francisco to ensure a safe environment for all attendees
• Expanded training of CAs (Conference Associates) to flag and deal with harassment and other serious issues
• A new walking tour system to allow attendees easily coordinate and assemble to travel in small groups from hotels to the convention center
• Coat Check and Bike Valet to prevent item theft
• Working with SF’s Safety Welcome Ambassadors in their signature bright orange jackets, with the words “Welcome Ambassador” written on the back. These ambassadors can help with directions, transit questions, and safety concerns and they will be located near the Moscone Center.
• Monthly networking sessions for GDC attendees in Gather so they have a safety network before the event
In addition, GDC organizers are committed to making the conference accessible to and inclusive of every member of the game development community with the help of 900+ scholarships, monetary support for indie devs, a low-income pass lottery and an equal opportunity attendance program, as well as babysitting services, an ADA accessible kiosk at the IGF Pavilion, accessible controllers at Alt.Ctrl.GDC and Arcade Play, reserved seats for those with visual or auditory impairments, pronoun ribbons, bike valets and bike rentals on-site.
In a week featuring hundreds of talks and a thousand speakers, it can be a challenge for a first-time attendee, or anyone after a break from live events, to understand how best to get the most out of GDC. For that reason, GDC organizers will present GDC 101 on Tuesday, March 19 for a crash course on how to navigate the full week of events. Help your audience prepare for GDC by encouraging them to attend this course and learn how to plan their time at GDC and receive an overview of the week and details to help get around the conference. After the presentation, folks can stick around for informal networking to make a friend or two and stay in touch through the week.
Confirming you should have already received your press invitation for GDC 2024 via email, but if you have trouble locating it, please notify the GDC Press Team and we’ll be happy to help you register.
If you know of any journalists who want to register for a media pass to GDC 2024, please have them submit a request to the GDC Press Team. To register for the conference, we ask that they have the following information available to expedite the process of reviewing applications:
• Three published editorial pieces that you have authored within the past year on topics relevant to the GDC
• Your business card at the media outlet you are representing
• An assignment letter on letterhead from your assigning editor/producer
• (For blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels and streamers) Third-party verification of the count of your monthly visitors, readers or viewers/listeners
GDC and Convention Housing Partners have secured discounted rates on hotels near the event for attendees. You can book your room now through the official site for the best availability and lowest rates. For more information, visit the GDC website.
For additional information regarding travel, parking details, transportation, maps, attractions and more, please visit the GDC website.
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