CMP Media has announced that the Game Developers Conference (GDC) is returning to San Francisco, Calif. for its 20th anniversary — March 5-9, 2007. It will take place at the Moscone Center, the same location as Macworld Conference & Expo.
GDC is “dedicated to the art, science, and business of games.” It’s a series of conferences and an expo for game developers and other businesspeople whose livelihood is dependent on computer and console gaming. This year’s theme is “Take Control,” according to CMP — reflecting “that the time is now for attendees to gain the knowledge and to seize opportunities enabled through next-generation platforms and the diversification in videogame play.”
More than 12,500 game industry professionals are expected to attend. The event will feature more than 350 conference sessions. Special events include the GDC Booth Crawl, suite Night, East Meets West reception and other networking events.
Several ancillary events are planned, including the Serious Games Summit GDC, the Independent Games Festival (IGF), the Game Developers Choice Awards and Game Connection.
New for this year is the addition of a casual/independent games reception and an Independent Games Summit. The expanded venue, compared to the show’s previous home in San Jose, affords the ability to expand the conference capacity and show floor size, according to GDC’s coordinators.
Registration is now open — early bird discounts are available through the end of January.