The Games Developer Conference (GDC) has recently revealed an innovative hybrid experience through their new GDC Virtual Stage. The GDC is the game industry’s premier professional event that champions game developers and the advancement of their craft. This 5-day event across March 21-25 will take place in-person in San Francisco, California. Thanks to Eventuall and StageConnect partnering with the GDC, virtual attendees from across the world will get to experience a new level of engagement. 

“The game development community has always combined technical innovation with awesome user experiences. With Eventuall we have a similar aim, to bring cutting-edge tech that genuinely connects both virtual and on-site attendees.” Eventuall founder and CEO Scott Addison Clay said. “Our goal is to make this the first truly global hybrid GDC.”

The Main Stage presentation on the “Developer’s Renaissance” which will happen on Wednesday, March 23 at 12:30 p.m PT will feature Eventuall’s immersive virtual venue. Remote attendees will be able to mingle with their in-person colleagues by appearing onscreen in an interactive video powered by StageConnect. “We are excited to set the standard with GDC and what’s to come in subsequent years,” says Cole Morgan, StageConnect founder and CEO.

The GDC will also feature the Independent Games Festival Awards which takes place on Wednesday, March 23. This award show celebrates independent games and their creators. Inscryption by Daniel Mullins Games and Unpacking by Witch Beam led the pack with 4 nominations across Excellence in Audio, Excellence in Design, Excellence in Narrative, and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. The show will feature a free broadcast on GDC’s Twitch. 

IGF Finalists as follows: 

Excellence in Audio

Toem (Something We Made)

Unpacking (Witch Beam)

Jett: The Far Shore (Superbrothers A/V + Pine Scented)

Mini Motorways (Dinosaur Polo Club)

Sable (Shedworks)

Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)

Honorable Mentions: Severed Steel (Greylock Studios), A Musical Story (Glee-Cheese Studios), Death’s Door (Acid Nerve), The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (Falling Squirrel), Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab), Overboard! (inkle), The Wild at Heart (Moonlight Kids)

Excellence in Design

Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)

Unpacking (Witch Beam)

Overboard! (inkle)

Strange Horticulture (Bad Viking)

Webbed (Sbug Games)

Midnight Protocol (LuGus Studios)

Honorable Mentions: Loop Hero (Four Quarters), Unsighted (Studio Pixel Punk), Mini Motorways (Dinosaur Polo Club), Card Shark (Nerial), KeyWe (Stonewheat & Sons), Sunshine Heavy Industries (Daisyowl Games)

Excellence in Narrative

Last Call (Nina Freeman and Jake Jefferies)

Neurocracy (Playthroughline)

Closed Hands (Passenger)

Overboard! (inkle)

Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)

Unpacking (Witch Beam)

Honorable Mentions: Card Shark (Nerial), Norco (Geography of Robots), The Big Con (Mighty Yell), Tux and Fanny (Ghost Time Games), Opus: Echo of Starsong (Sigono), Sable (Shedworks), Blackhaven (Historiated Games)

Excellence in Visual Art

The Eternal Cylinder (ACE Team)

Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery (Silver Lining Studio)

Papetura (Petums)

Fuzz Dungeon (Jeremy Couillard)

The Wild at Heart (Moonlight Kids)

Jett: The Far Shore (Superbrothers A/V + Pine Scented)

Honorable Mentions: Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games), A Musical Story (Glee-Cheese Studios), Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab), Saturnalia (Santa Ragione), Stonefly (Flight School Studio), Cris Tales (Dreams Uncorporated, Syck) 

Best Student Game

Cai Cai Balão (Look Up Games)

Abriss – build to destroy (Randwerk Games eG)

Letter Lattice (Ethan Zarov)

SmallLife (Yueqi Wu)

Nainai’s Recipe (Fan Fang, Mai Hou)

Live Adventure (Live Adventure Team)

Honorable Mentions: Astreia’s Gift (Femy Nassirou & Hervé Blanchot), There You Are (Funky Dango), The Bleeding Tree (No Input Interactive), dumpling.love (the parks staff), Lysfangha (Baptiste Marsac & Daphne Pauchet-Deloffre), Jivana (Team Jivana), Hook Up (Team Hook Up), Come with Me (Xin Ye)

Nuovo Award

Memory Card (Lily Zone)

Okthryssia and Saturnia’s Bureaucratic Adventures (Outlands)

Space Hole 2020 (Sam Atlas)

Tux and Fanny (Ghost Time Games)

Cruelty Squad (Consumer Softproducts)

Sparkles & Gems (Resnijars)

Fuzz Dungeon (Jeremy Couillard)

Cuccchi (Fantastico Studio)

Honorable Mentions: Last Call (Nina Freeman and Jake Jefferies), The Shape of Time (落日间 xpaidia studio), The Under Presents (Tender Claws), ~Song of Homunculus~ (Diamond Ace (Lily Zone + Zoë Sparks)), Card Shark (Nerial), The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (Falling Squirrel)

Seumas McNally Grand Prize

Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)

Unpacking (Witch Beam)

Loop Hero (Four Quarters)

The Eternal Cylinder (ACE Team)

Cruelty Squad (Consumer Softproducts)

Unsighted (Studio Pixel Punk)

Honorable Mentions: Toem (Something We Made), Norco (Geography of Robots), Overboard! (inkle), Saturnalia (Santa Ragione), Dodgeball Academia (Pocket Trap), Webbed (Sbug Games), Fuzz Dungeon (Jeremy Couillard) 

The Games Developer Choice Awards (GDCA) will follow the IGF Awards. Industry professionals from around the world nominate the recipients in 12 categories, celebrating creativity, artistry and technical genius. Awards include Game of the Year, Best Audio, Innovation Award and more.