GDC 2021 shifts back four months to July with hybrid event

When will the world return to normal everyone is asking. Well, Informa Tech, organisers of GDC hopes it has the answer as it has set the date for GDC next year for July, moving the conference four months back from its usual spot in March.

The conference is being billed as a ‘hybrid event’ and will take place from Monday, July 19th through Friday, July 23rd, 2021 at both the Moscone Center in San Francisco and online. With the format being described as an inaugural event for the format, suggesting that a greater online presence will be an ongoing element.

And for those rushing to their diaries, that’s the last week before most schools in England and Wales begin their holidays (Scotland and NI usually having started way back in late June), which makes for an exhausting start to the summer for parents, and usually a preferred week to take off for those without school-age children.

Of course it’s impossible to predict the future when it comes to both COVID-19 restrictions and to delegates willingness to travel across the US or around the globe in order to attend. However, giving itself a few extra months of grace certainly can’t hurt.

The event date comes alongside a series of other initiatives to follow-up on the recent GDC Summer virtual conference – which the organisers revealed had an average of 545 virtual attendees per session. The initiatives include the GDC Master Classes in late 2020 plus in the usual March slot (just in case anyone was thinking of jumping in) there will be a week-long single-track “GDC Community Celebration” 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.”

So put July in your diaries, but we’d still recommend double-checking all the cancellation policies before you book your flights and hotels.