Navigating Game Developer Conference (GDC) Like a Pro
The first time I attended the Game Developer Conference (GDC) was in 2019. Back then, there was Game Connection America (GCA) serving as the meeting hub for people attending GDC. If the GDC week runs from Monday to Friday, GCA was held on Monday and Tuesday. The locations were quite far apart, with GDC at Moscone Center and GCA at Oracle Park. As a newbie in 2019, I only set up meetings at Oracle Park. During the GDC days, I mostly attended the conferences and roamed the expo area without any meaningful meetings.
After years of consistently attending events (not just GDC, but also events like Gamescom, Level Up KL, IGDX, and others), I’ve become more adept at navigating B2B events. The context here is attending events for business purposes, not for showcasing games to consumers (B2C) or for learning (developer conference).
By 2024, I was much better prepared. I knew the lay of the land, had a list of targeted contacts, and knew how to set up meetings. Internally at Arsanesia, we had a list of about 120 publishers we felt would be a good fit for our new game. Knowing we’d attend GDC since the end of the previous year, we prepared several crucial items for setting up meetings. The essentials are:
A Complete Pitch Deck
I could write a whole post on what constitutes a complete pitch deck, but since mid-2023, I’ve iterated on our pitch deck numerous times, incorporating feedback from pitch deck reviews. Several publishers have commented that the format of our pitch deck is one of the best they’ve seen.
Video Demo
If you have a build of the game, great, but if not, a demo video or gameplay footage is crucial for publishers to gauge if the game fits their portfolio. Before GDC, we didn’t have a playable demo, but we promised to have one ready and would send the keys after GDC.
With these two items, we started emailing publishers with whom we had contact emails. Not all publishers provide their emails, some require filling out forms (and usually those forms ask for a Steam key). In addition to sending emails, we also set up a MeetToMatch account well in advance. We monitored daily for new publishers joining MeetToMatch and secured meeting slots as soon as possible. Oh, and don’t forget to upload your pitch deck to MeetToMatch so publishers can browse through it.
With a solid pitch deck and video demo, our acceptance rate at GDC 2024 was very high. The rejections were usually from those seeking different scopes. But most of the time, our meeting requests were accepted. For pending requests, we pushed via email and LinkedIn to ensure they saw our request. Sometimes, if ghosted too long, I’d find another contact from the same company until I got a response. Before heading to GDC, we had about 20 meetings scheduled. If maximized, we could schedule 30–40 meeting slots. However, based on my 2023 experience, navigating meetings at GDC isn’t easy for developers because of the high mobility required. You need to leave 30 minutes between meetings for commuting or extra time if a publisher wants to chat longer. And you should also leave time slots open for spontaneous meetings. There were moments when I was waiting about 10 minutes for the next meeting and suddenly, my friend sitting next to me, introduced me to someone from a major PC platform, and we scheduled a meeting for the next day.
Conducting Meetings
This year, with a wider network and probably a more polished product, I experienced various types of meetings. The most standard one is meeting at a MeetToMatch Meeting Point in some country’s pavilion, then finding a place to sit. The most common one is meeting in hotel lobbies (especially Marriot Marquis and W Hotel) and then finding a place to sit and pitch. Some have their suite hotels where you walk to their suite, some rent space in a coworking space with their own table, and some even meet in the park behind Moscone. One important note when meeting someone you don’t know in person is to wear an outfit that’s easy to spot (ideally the same outfit as your MeetToMatch profile pic). I always wear Arsanesia’s striking blue jacket. Some business partners would message saying, “I’m wearing a white NASA hat” or some other easily recognizable outfit.
The meetings themselves last only 30 minutes. I usually spend the first 5 minutes finding each other and small talk, like “How’s your GDC so far?”, “When did you arrive, still jet-lagged?”, “When are you leaving?”, etc. To avoid generic answers, if asked how GDC is going, I might say, “The weather at this year’s GDC is much better than last year’s, so it’s nice for walking. Last year it was rainy and stormy.” This works well as a conversation starter. Then, I spend 10–15 minutes pitching the game. You must practice how to pitch, recognizing which parts they’re interested in and emphasizing those, and which parts they’re not as interested in and can be skipped. The remaining time is for Q&A. Initially, I planned to bring a Steamdeck for them to try the game, but there wasn’t enough time, and the mood didn’t suit trying the game. There was a moment at a networking event where my friend, also a developer, wanted to share his game with me. Honestly, I felt more comfortable if he showed me the pitch or video rather than having me try the game directly. It was a puzzle game requiring good tutorials or onboarding, not designed for direct hands-on experience. So, if you want to create a demo, make sure it’s designed for immediate action.
Building a Network with Big Companies
Meeting with major platforms like Sony, Google, Xbox, or even Steam isn’t publicly accessible. Since 2019, I’ve been building my network and connections at various events until now I have their email contacts and can set up meetings in hotel meeting rooms like I wondered about in 2019 :p. This takes time and patience, as you need to show up consistently and build strong relationships with industry people. Attending various events, being active in the community, and maintaining communication with existing contacts are crucial. Four years later, it finally paid off, and I could meet with these big companies.
Playable Demo
Another crucial navigation moment (and in my opinion, the most critical) is the playable demo. Without a playable, a publisher can’t sign a deal. There will always be a process where their team reviews the vertical slice before making a decision. It’s very cost-efficient if you go to GDC with a build ready, as you can follow up and pursue leads immediately. The timing of GDC at the beginning of the year is perfect since it’s when publishers are looking for new titles. So, if you plan to attend GDC, you should have a demo ready to send to publishers. I track all emails, which ones have replied, which ones I’ve sent keys to, which keys have been activated, etc. On average, publishers need 2–3 weeks to review and provide feedback. And we’ll be competing with dozens, maybe hundreds of other keys being reviewed. So, it’s a shame if you can’t follow up with a build immediately.
I have to admit, events like GDC aren’t cheap. The flights to America are far, and hotels raise their prices during GDC. The same goes for Gamescom. So, I highly don’t recommend attending if financially not strong enough, without a solid pitch deck and ready playable build. I know there are government programs offering 50% travel grants, which can be helpful if you want to “learn” and build “network”. But in my experience, if you’re not ready, publishers rarely approve meetings. However, if your studio is financially strong enough, attending these events can help you understand the “battlefield”, so you’re more ready next time.
GDC is still the best place to meet publishers and build a network. It’s like the pilgrimage for game developers. So, for gamedevs, I think GDC (especially with government support) is very worth it.
