This year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) has been postponed due to the coronavirus. Fortunately, as you try to stay indoors, you can still enjoy livestreams of the award show and most of the panels while you wash your hands.
How to Livestream GDC 2020 on Twitch
All the hard work that went into this event is being partially salvaged as many of the originally scheduled talks will be recorded by the speakers themselves. These pre-recordings will broadcast for free on the GDC Twitch channel.
You can watch the live stream from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT or 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET, March 16-20, 2020.
Under the circumstances, some panelists might not give their presentations as intended. The original GDC 2020 schedule might serve as a guide to the format of the online event, but some panels or presentations might be canceled due to individual circumstances.
The Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Choice Awards ceremonies will still be held. You can catch the livestream on the GDC Twitch channel Wednesday, March 18, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. They’ll be preceded by a “Day of the Devs” showcase, sponsored by Double Fine and iam8bit, featuring a selection of new indie games.
Everything about the award show will be fundamentally the same with the exception of the alt.ctrl.GDC award. This $2,000 prize normally given to “the most engaging, intriguing, and well-executed game using unconventional, accessible or alternative physical controls” won’t be awarded.
How to Watch GDC 2020 Afterward
You don’t have to tune in live—you can also watch the talks on-demand afterward if you prefer.
As always, they’ll be archived in the GDC Vault. The GDC YouTube page will also host the majority of the talks.
Will GDC 2020 Be Rescheduled?
Some events, like E3 (scheduled for June 2020), have been cancelled due to coronavirus. GDC 2020 was originally scheduled to take place in San Francisco March 16-20, 2020. Now, it seems it’s been replaced by a “GDC Event the week of August 3, 2020, at Moscone Center in San Francisco.”
Like most events right now, it’s difficult to know what the future holds. The possibility of a GDC in August 2020 or March 2021 is still up in the air.
There’s even an upcoming game jam from gamedev.world, which is raising funds to help marginalized developers who’ve been negatively impacted by the cancellation.
For now, everyone can do their part by staying inside and enjoying the insights from industry leaders on design, programming, art, narrative, business, and more, on the livestream.
