The Game Developers Conference (GDC), which concluded yesterday in San Francisco, is one of the most highly anticipated events in the gaming industry.
Aimed at paving the way for the future of gaming, it’s where developers and organisations come together to learn from the masters. Prominent game designers talk about development processes, do in-depth analyses of other games, exchange ideas and solve problems.
This year, GDC took place as a hybrid event from 21 to 25 March at the Moscone Center. Game designers had the option of attending the conference virtually, keeping in mind the health and safety of the attendees because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Events taking place at the conference include announcements and demonstrations of new technology such as the much-awaited PSVR2. Additionally, sessions are conducted by experts where they coach indie designers on game development and guide them to convert their ideas into successful ventures. An award ceremony is also held to acknowledge the best of the lot in various spectra.
A look at some of the best new games announced at the Game Developers Conference
Jam
Co-founder of Devolver Digital and DeepWell Digital Therapeutics, Mike Wilson, announced a new game at the conference — Jam. It will be based on mental health.
Wilson revealed that the company will be hosting an event from 1 to 22 May where developers can come up with ways to prove that games have a positive effect on an individual’s mental health.
In his briefing, he gave three points to developers hinting at his expectations from them. First, the developers should be able to showcase how the theme of the video game can be utilised as a part of treatment mechanisms. Second, the game should be able to decrease the social stigma associated with openly discussing mental health issues. Third, to build a community that supports people suffering from depression, anxiety and stress.
Time On Frog Island
Merge Games, in association with Half Past Yellow, released the trailer of their upcoming game Time On The Frog Island. The sandbox puzzle game, which was originally announced in August 2021, features a sailor who is shipwrecked on an unknown island. His companions are his plant and his dog.
The sailor’s aim is to fix his boat and sail back home. However, the frog-like locals of the island don’t speak his language, and he has to barter things to get what he requires to fix his ship.
Holographic Tabletop Games
Holographic Tabletop Games is the future of board games, courtesy of a new partnership between Tilt Five and Asmodee Digital. The two companies announced at the Game Developers Conference 2022 that they will soon be coming up with holographic tabletop games with the help of augmented reality (AR).
Pierre Ortolan, CEO of Asmodee Digital, said, “Asmodee Digital’s goal is to bring great game IPs to new platforms and Tilt Five offers a new way to engage with our games. We’re excited to be at the forefront of this new technology and be able to offer our gamers an added level of immersion that they won’t find anywhere else!”
UFC Partners with Skillz Developers to come up with new games
During the Game Developers Conference, Skillz, the leading mobile games platform, announced a multi-year deal with the world’s most acknowledged mixed martial arts organisation — Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The idea behind this joint venture is to combine the world of esports with physical sports and entertainment.
This partnership will allow game designers to come up with UFC competitive mobile games, which will be launching in 2023. Talking about the partnership, CEO of Skillz, Andrew Paradise, said, “Skillz’s partnership with UFC is part of our winning strategy that aligns Skillz’s disruptive competitive mobile games platform with the business of sport. We’re delivering an enticing opportunity for developers to create the most innovative, branded mobile games for UFC’s millions of loyal fans worldwide.”
He added, “The popularity of the UFC brand, which represents one of the fastest- rising sports globally, combined with Skillz’s mobile gaming expertise, is a huge win for developers seeking to monetise and grow their games through the power of competition. We look forward to nurturing this incredible collaboration to life in the coming months and years.”
Forspoken
A new video and a blog post were released for Forspoken at the GDC 2022 by Square Enix and Luminous Productions. The video demonstrated the technology used in making the game, which includes Microsoft DirectStorage, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution and variable shading.
The game, which was first announced in March 2021, will be available on 11 October for PlayStation 5 and PC.
Game Developers Choice Awards
Congratulations to the nominees and winners of the 2022 Game Developers Choice Awards (#GDCA22). Here is a video highlighting all the winners. See you in 2023! pic.twitter.com/fc6vD1snMJ
— GDC 2022 (@Official_GDC) March 24, 2022
Various awards were also given out during the in-person event held at the conference. The Game Developers Choice Award took place on 23 March at the Moscone Center.
Inscryption by Daniel Mullins was awarded the Game Of The Year, a record-breaking feat as it became the first-ever game to win this title at both the Independent Games Festival (IGF) and the GDC.
Yuji Horii accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award at #GDCA22 for his work developing and growing Dragon Quest, and ushering a new wave of immersive roleplaying games #GDC22 pic.twitter.com/4Dn5PXXGkU
— GDC 2022 (@Official_GDC) March 24, 2022
While Best Debut was bagged by Iron Gate Studio’s Valheim, Yuji Horii accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award for his hard work on growing Dragon Quest. He is the reason that immersive role-playing games have become so popular.
Special event
Every year, various game developers present lectures for budding designers and this year, one lecture by Josh Wardle made headlines.
Wardle is the brain behind the famous game Wordle. The software engineer spoke about how he made the game, the mistakes he committed, the challenges he overcame, and why he sold it to The New York Times.
He mentioned that he designed Wordle in 2013. The first version of it had infinite plays and the option of going to the next word. However, Wardle got inspired by The New York Times’ game selection and changed it to a one-round-a-day format that we know today.
(Main and Feature Image Credit: official_gdc/Instagram)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Kuala Lumpur
