When asked by GamesMarkt, game managing director Felix Falk expressed understanding for the industry's reluctance, but also called potential negative effects for the GDC organisers ‘unfair’. He does not expect the global political situation to have too great an impact on the global games industry.
After more and more industry people from Europe posted on social media that they would not be attending GDC this year due to the political situation in the US, GamesMarkt asked the organisers and the industry for their views. Following GDC President Nina Brown's statement, Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association, also commented.
When asked about the mood among game members and the German games industry in general, Falk said: “Alongside gamescom dev here in Germany, the GDC Festival of Gaming is one of the most important conferences for the global games development community. That’s why there will be a German Pavilion there again this year. Unfortunately, the current political situation in the US is having many negative effects, including on the GDC. For the organizers, this is unfair, yet the current reluctance in the industry in this situation is only too understandable.”
Even though some impact cannot be ruled out, Falk does not believe that the geopolitical situation will have a massive negative impact on the industry as a whole. “The global political situation is causing uncertainty in many areas, such as customs policy. While this can impact the games industry, I believe it is more flexible and dynamic, making it more resilient. Additionally, the global nature and positioning of the games industry make it less dependent on individual locations,” Falk says to GamesMarkt.
The GDC Festival of Gaming, which is undergoing rebranding this year, will take place in San Francisco from 9 to 13 March. It is the world's most important meeting place for creative minds in games development. In 2025, nearly 30,000 trade visitors came to the GDC at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco. The German industry has been represented there for many years, as have numerous other countries, with an own Pavilion.
