GDC 2021 will be a ‘hybrid’ event, to be held in San Francisco

It has been mentioned that a set of virtual GDC Master Classes will be launching in late 2020.

GDC 2019 (GDC)

Although CES announced that it will be going online-only in 2021, some are not following the suite. Now, Informa Tech, the organisers of GDC or Game Developers Conference, have announced that it will be holding a physical event next year. However, it won't be a completely physical event but a rather ‘Hybrid' event that will be taking place in San Francisco. The event will also deliver some ‘robust virtual offering', as per the release. It will be held from July 19 to July 23, 2021 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco and online.

In addition, it has been mentioned that a set of virtual GDC Master Classes will be launching in late 2020. These master classes are essentially workshops that feature deep-dive looks at particular aspects of the game development craft.

“Finally, a week-long single-track "GDC Community Celebration" will run from March 1 through March 5, 2021, which will stream behind-the-scenes lectures on top games of the past year, high-profile talks, Q&As and more interactive content. Organizers will extend invitations to speakers to present talks and Q&As, with the lineup and sponsorship programs to be confirmed over the coming weeks and months,” says the release.

The announcement comes soon after the announcement of GDC Summer that was held from August 4 through August 6.

Due to Covid-19, several tech firms changed their plans this year regarding their keynote event. While Google cancelled its IO developer's conference, Apple made its WWDC 2020 completely online. Interestingly, IFA 2020 conference that will be held in September has got a go ahead for a physical event.