Game Devs Skipping GDC 2026 Over ICE

The Game Developers Conference, also known as "GDC," is held annually in San Francisco, California. It's been a hotbed of activity for all sorts of games industry participants, and even hosts an Independent Games Festival.

This year, fewer of those developers will be attending. As reported by Mobilegamer.biz, "many" international visitors are skipping this year due to safety concerns.

Developers Skip GDC Over US Safety Concerns

"GDC 2026 Could Be The Last GDC Of Its Kind"

As political tensions ratchet up in the US over the debate over ICE (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement), some international developers are opting out of GDC (and all travel to the US) for the foreseeable future.

The fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good have exacerbated those tensions, and the situation has come to a head in recent weeks. While GDC, known this year as the "GDC Festival of Gaming," is set to kick off on March 9, 2026, exhibitor attendance could drop depending on how studios currently feel about international travel to the US.

Perhaps the most significant statement comes from Business Development exec Cassia Curran, who broke down why this is happening: "European and Canadian games industry professionals are giving multiple reasons for not attending GDC this year. The most common reason given is that San Francisco is unpleasant and expensive, next is protest at the US government’s aggression towards their countries, third is concern about being forced to share their social media communications, fourth is personal safety concerns with regards to border control and immigration officials."

Representatives and heads from Sliterhine Games, Netspeak Games, and Magicave chimed in with similar statements, as did off-the-record developers. One studio boss noted: "We are sending far fewer people. Some are uncomfortable with the situation with ICE and worry about being in the US." Another source, described as the leadership of a "mid-sized developer," thinks GDC should move out of the US entirely: "They should move it to another city or even country. The US is very expensive now and it seems that Gamescom has taken over as game devs’ preferred event. The same happened with E3, they cancelled one event then tried to reboot it, by that time GDC had become the main conference. I think it is happening again, this time to GDC."

Some are currently on the fence: "I booked a cheap flight over Christmas, but now I’m thinking of taking the hit and not going. If the situation in the US gets any worse I can’t imagine going."

In response to all this, GDC president Nina Brown gave the following statement:

“We appreciate the concerns that some of our community have expressed in the lead-up to GDC Festival of Gaming. We work with local officials and legal experts to monitor any US policy changes, and our guidance to our international community members is to begin visa applications early and consult with their embassy on any additional requirements.”

US Game Conferences Could Be At A Crossroads

Even Before the Current Climate

With the loss of E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Expo) in 2023, a ripple effect was felt throughout the industry. While E3 had its own issues, separate from other game conferences, it made some organizations wonder if physical events were even worth the squeeze. Since then, some studios have been slow to adapt to the times, with some even canceling annual events altogether.

Now, GDC is potentially in trouble if enough developers skip out. Ideally, the situation de-escalates.