Five points to remember by GDC 2025: a quieter year, the AI ​​was the big trend, and the engine wars are silent at the living room

Another year, another GDC is over.

This year’s show could be summarized by a transitional industry which continues to face the benefits of mass layoffs in what was a difficult market.

There was no major announcement which was the speech of the city, but there were a few points to take away and trends to get out of the event.

1) A quieter year

While thousands of developers were still in town, it was a quieter conference than in previous years.

A few years of mass layoffs and belt between companies of all sizes were clearly visible. Last year, the industry counted with its challenges, which included GDSCREAM in Yerba Buena, this year, it seemed that some developers simply did not show up – whether it was cost restrictions (the conference and the city are very expensive!) Or are no longer in industry.

A floor of the smaller expo compared to previous years did not have a number of major players in the industry (no unit or epic), while an apparently lower attendance was obvious not only in the main rooms, but also in the usual networks surrounding the moscon. When will you go back the last time you switched to the W and have obtained a seat?

A number of developers and managers to whom I spoke reflected similar reflections on a quieter show. Despite this, however, some said that their meetings had been more substantial than in previous years. A CEO said they had their best meetings in 21 years at the conference. A couple of developers said that Gamescom was now where they were.

There was no major announcement at GDC this year, creating, at least from the media point of view, less buzz around the event.

The show reflected the state of the industry in which we are currently. It’s not terminal, but I hope that next year, we will see GDC come back to its best.

2) The engine wars are finished on the living room

Last year, one of my dishes to remember from GDC was that Unreal and Godot were Take advantage of a unit, which was in shock from the fiasco of execution costs. This time, it should be noted that none of the large game companies had any presence on the exhibition.

In fact, there was not even an unreal state this year – a pillar of the show. I’m not really sure of the last time there was none. He was now transferred to the Epic Fest Unreal in Orlando on June 3. His omission is so remarkable, on Epic web page for GDCHe even answers “when the state of unrealone is” near the summit of the site.

Far from the living room, each of the engine companies was well represented. The Unity Developer summit extended over two days, while Epic hosted a number of sessions and Godot took some talks.

It is a surprise not to see Unity does not court the developers visibly on the floor of the exhibition while he seeks to recover his reputation. Also surprised that rivals do not continue to take advantage of the largest world gathering of game developers.

Last year, I predicted that Unity would come back with a blow. Well … he had a great presence in conference rooms, at least.

3) Tech takes over

Whether you like it or not, AI and generative AI tools are quickly in play production. Of course, AI has always been part of the developer’s toolbox, but there is clearly a sea of ​​change in the impact of technology.

When I asked the developers of the show what they think is the biggest trend in the industry at the moment, AI was a common theme. In fact, the CEO of FRVR, Quentin Staes-Polet, told me that the publisher focused on hiring talent with experience or lively interest in other candidates.

While the Floor Expo was not exactly filled with IA companies, companies like Inworld and Meshy were present.

The calendar, meanwhile, was packed with rafters with sessions related to AI. At our own pocket player, connects to the start of the week, we had a few sessions dedicated to technology. Rovio’s session on how he uses a generative AI for art in Angry Birds – whether to make creatives or more – was particularly breathtaking for such a large IP (we will have more soon).

With Web3, there was often a lot of hot air on how technology could change the game industry, with little evidence to save it. With a generating AI, the largest companies in the world already lead him.

It’s no coincidence Unit And Roblox Make announcements by focusing on AI’s tools this week. How much technology can have more impact on industry remains to be seen, but it is clear that it is a trend that is there to stay. And that doesn’t need a breathtaking ad.

4) The influence of Asia on the show (mainly from Tencent)

In my Gamescom 2024 to take away I noted how the Asian presence companies had on the show. It was not quite the same at GDC, but it was clear that Tencent was one of the greatest spenders of the conference.

He had what looked like the largest stand of the exhibition, promoting his work on the honor of Kings World, his various technological and cloud services and even a separate stand for Lightspeed studios. Meanwhile, the Chinese developer and publisher Snail Games, who has an American presence, also held a big stand.

Tencent was also everywhere in the conference calendar, with its own game developer summit with a multitude of sessions around its games and technologies. He also had a few banners in the corridors.

It was a fairly important touch at a time when political tensions are high, with another publisher, Bytedance, forced to give in its Tiktok and Games activities in the United States. He also occurs while Rival Netease fell from the West – although he had a lot of speakers during the event.

5) Is the web game really a key trend for 2025?

There was a lot of discussions on the web / HTML5 game being one of the main trends of 2025. At PGC San Francisco, we had our browser breeze track featuring crazy games, Quicksave Interactive, Playgama and Niantic.

Meanwhile, the Poki web game platform had one of the largest stands in the exhibition, with the same stand he used at last year’s conference. The company says that it has 90 million monthly active users, with the mission of building a “sustainable future” for games.

During a conversation with the CEO of the Savvy Games group, Brian Ward, I asked if he had investment plans in the web play space, taking into account his main acquisitions of Scopely and Niantic in the mobile sector, and the sharing he now has in Nintendo and Capcom. He said it hadn’t even been discussed.

Of course, Savvy looks at transformative offers, no small investments. But it was revealing that the company does not yet see the great opportunities presented by others in web games.

Discussions with developers show that there is an interest in web games, but I was surprised that it was not a more important trend at the conference.

I am starting to wonder if it is a trend led by certain companies that seek to break with platform holders (as well as service providers who seek to take advantage of such a decision), rather than a space that is interested in consumers.

Other reflections

• Seriously, what happened to the W?

• Where was web3? There were a few stands dedicated to technology, but the show did not have one of its biggest sponsors in previous years (Wemix / Wemade). Meanwhile, the conference calendar sought to have a shortage of sessions dedicated to the subject. In previous years, some of these sessions have been quite popular with the crowd.

• It was fascinating to see some companies transforming their stands into experience – not just a place to meet and greet. Discord had a stand on the retro theme which regularly saw queues to enter (perhaps mainly participants to take a cool Wumbus plushie after attending one of his sessions). It is an interesting way to hire developers and make presentations. It also gave a little dynamism that the rest of the show may have lacked. Meanwhile, the AI ​​meshhy generator tool was another stand with large queues.

• Outside the conference, Xsolla took over the Howard hotel near the Moscone with its own discussions. With certain missing key companies in the main floor, it seems that the cost is not the only limiting factor: large companies want more direct contact with developers and greater control over their interactions with customers and potential customers.

• There is a Nintendo store coming to San Francisco on May 15! However, they missed easy sales during GDC.

• Alt.ctrl was very fun. Taking up at the main show, this part of the exhibition included physical games which included chat spanking, a battle of naval ships based on swing and a controlled game using an umbrella.