GDC Showcase 2021 schedule

Looking for more info on the GDC Showcase 2021 schedule? Here's what you need.

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GDC 2021 is still a few months away, but you can get in on the fun a little early with the GDC Showcase, which features live AMAs, as well as re-broadcasts as popular sessions from previous GDC conventions. If you’re interested in a deeper look at the GDC Showcase 2021 schedule, then we can help.

GDC Showcase 2021 schedule

GDC showcase 2021 schedule

The GDC Showcase is set to take place between Monday, March 15 to Friday, March 19, 2021, with various broadcasts and AMAs (ask me anything) set to premiere from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. PT each day. You can find a condensed version of the GDC Showcase 2021 schedule in the tables below.

*All times are in Pacific.

Monday, March 15

Monday
Time Title Session Type Speakers
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Classic Game Postmortem: 'Deus Ex' Discussion Warren Spector (Otherwise Entertainment)
10:05 a.m. - 10:35 a.m. Fandom-Ready: Creating Fiction in the Age of Fan Consumption Discussion Julian Quijano (Beautiful Glitch)
10:40 a.m. - 11:10 a.m. Keys to Next Level Game Growth (Presented by Google) Partner Brenta Dance (Google), Paula Wang (Google Asia Pacific)
11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Diversity and Inclusion Starter Kit Discussion Johanna Thomas (Avalanche Studios)
11:50 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. Quad Mesh Simplification in Frostbite Discussion Ashton Mason (Electronic Arts)
12:25 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. AMA: Sucker Punch Productions Co-founder Brian Fleming talks 'Ghost of Tsushima' Live Brian Fleming (Sucker Punch Productions)
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.  Next-Generation Game Development on Nvidia RTX GPUs (Presented by NVIDIA) Partner John Spitzer (NVIDIA)
1:35 p.m. - 2:35 p.m. GDC Podcast Live! Hosted by Gamasutra feat. Prof. Lindsay Grace Live Lindsay Grace (University of Miami)
2:40 p.m. - 3:10 p.m. Expanding Your Mobile Games Business – New Platforms, New Audiences (Presented by Xsolla)

Partner

Chris Hewish (Xsolla), Max Fomichev (Pixonic), Anton Reinhold (Nexters)

3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Exploring Hidden Stories in the World of 'XCOM 2' Discussion Justin Rodriguez (Firaxis Games)

Tuesday, March 16

Tuesday
Time Title Session Type Speakers
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Unity for All 2021: Tech and Creator Showcase (Presented by Unity Technologies) Partner Kat Straffod (Unity), Ralph Hauwert (Unity), Rus Scammell (Unity), Geraint North (Arm), Brandi House (Unity), Ashley Alicea (Unity), James Stone (Unity), Lousie Scully (Unity), Christina Gua (Unity), Jessica Lindl (Unity), Gabe Brown (BigBox VR), Ted Gill (Unknown Worlds), Nathaniel Bell (Insomnica Games), Mathias Gregoir (Amplitude Studios), Tim Raulin (Amplitude Studios), Steve Collins (King), Nathan Hitchcock (Giant Enemy Crab), Felix Shade (Morbid Metal), Leo Saalfrank (Ferocious)
10:05 a.m. - 10:35 a.m. Making Magic: A Business Model for Divergent Thinkers Discussion Guha Bala (Velan Studios), Karthik Bala (Velan Studios)
10:40 a.m. - 11:10 a.m. Top Features for Programmers and Artists in Unity's Latest Releases (Presented by Unity) Partner Andrew Bowel (Unity)
11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Fizzy Brushstrokes: The Art of 'Knights and Bikes' Discussion Rex Crowle (Foam Sword)
11:50 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. Unity Fireside Chat: The Next-Gen Console Opportunity (Presented by Unity) Partner Mike Geig (Unity), Bennie Terry III (Oddworld: Soulstorm)
12:25 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. AMA: Q&A with Obsidian Entertainment's Carrie Patel Live Carrie Patel (Obsidian Entertainment)
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.  Independent Games Summit: Crafting A Tiny Open World: 'A Short Hike' Postmortem Discussion Adam Robinson-Yu (Independent)
1:35 p.m. - 2:35 p.m. GDC Podcast Live! Hosted by Gamasutra feat. 'Spelunky' Dev Derek Yu Live Derek Yu (Mossmouth)
2:40 p.m. - 3:10 p.m. Streamline Your Game Developing Workflow with Visual Scripting in Unity (Presented by Unity) Partner Ashley Alicea (Unity)
3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. The Music of 'BATTLETECH': Big Sound on a Budget Discussion Jon Everist (Everist Sound, LLC)

Wednesday, March 17

Wednesday
Time Title Session Type Speakers
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Future of Gaming: Quality and Connection (Presented by Facebook) Partner Jason Rubin (Facebook), Michael Verdu (Facebook), Dean Takahasi (GamesBeat at VentureBeat), Denny Unger (Cloudhead Games), Michael Carter (PlayCo)
10:05 a.m. - 10:35 a.m. Making Marketing Mistakes Discussion Victoria Tran (Innersloth)
10:40 a.m. - 11:10 a.m. Unlock New Audiences with Motivation-Led Creative (Presented by Facebook) Partner Leon Lin (Facebook)
11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Dveloping a UX Mindset on Fortnite  Discussion Celia Hodent (Independent)
11:50 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. From the Burder of Waterfalls to the Benefits of Bidding (Presented by Facebook) Partner Mary Kim (Game Hive), Phil Suh (Zynga), Amit Bhojwani (Facebook)
12:25 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. The Casual (but Regal) Swipe: Creating Game Mechanics in 'Reigns' Discussion Francois Alliot (Nerial)
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.  Art Direction Summit: Better, Stronger, Faster: 3D Concept Art for Environemental Production Discussion Patrik Rosander (Fatshark Games)
1:35 p.m. - 2:35 p.m. GDC Podcast Live! Hosted by Gamasutra feat. Mohawk Games Live Leyla Johnson (Mohawk Games), Soren Johnson (Mohawk Games)
2:40 p.m. - 3:10 p.m. Squad Up! - Social and Multiple in VR with POPULATION: ONE (Presented by Facebook) Partner Chia Chin Lee (BigBox VR), Gabe Browner (BigBox VR), Omid Yazhanshenas (Oculus)
3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. AMA: Q&A with 'Demon's Souls' Creative Direction Gavin Moore Live Gavin Moore (Sony)

Thursday, March 18

Thursday
Time Title Session Type Speakers
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Billions of Gamers. Thousands of Needs. Millions of Opportunities. (Presented by Intel) Partner Roger Chandler (Intel)
10:05 a.m. - 10:35 a.m. Making Great VR Games: A Postmortem on Skydance Interactives 'The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners' Discussion Chris Busse (Skydance Interactive), Guy Costantini (Skydance Media)
10:40 a.m. - 11:10 a.m. Take Games to the Max with Intel Dev Tools (Presented by Intel) Partner Intel
11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Dream Daddies and Fearful Fathers: How Indies Can Cope With Being Terminally Online Discussion Leighton Gray (Game Grumps)
11:50 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. Challenges and Opportunities in Gaming Innovation on the PC (Presented by Intel) Partner Kim Pallister (Intel), Michael Lewis (Take-Two Interactive), Jeff Pobst (Hidden Path), Albert Säfström (Coffee Stain Publishing)
12:25 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. AMA: Q&A with Yacht Club Games' David D'Angelo Live David D'Angelo (Yacht Club Games)
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.  Level Design Workshop: The Illusion of Choice Discussion Jim Brown (Epic Games)
1:35 p.m. - 2:35 p.m. GDC Podcast Live! Hosted by Gamasutra feat. Game Marketing Pro Chris Zukowski Live Chris Zukowski (Return to Adventure Mountain LLC)
2:40 p.m. - 3:10 p.m. Gaming is Shaping the World (Presented by Intel) Partner Marcus Kennedy (Intel)
3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. 'Homefront' to 'God of War': Using Music to Build Suspense Discussion Winifred Phillips (Generations Productions LLC)

Friday, March 19

Friday
Time Title Session Type Speakers
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Glassic Games Postmortem: 'Ms. Pac-Man' Discussion Steve Golson (Trilobyte Systems)
10:05 a.m. - 10:35 a.m. Tools Live Longer Than Games Do: What I Learned About Tools Development From Games Industry Legends Discussion David Lightbown (Ubisoft)
10:40 a.m. - 11:10 a.m. Animation Bootcamp: Cuphead Process and Philosophy Discussion Jake Clark (Studio MDHR)
11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Low Poly Modeling: Style Through Economy Discussion Ethan Redd (Independent)
11:50 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. Dealing with Scope Changes in 'Heat Signature' and 'Gunpoint' Discussion Tom Francis (Suspicious Developments)
12:25 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. AMA: Brian Horton, Creative Director on Insomnica Games' 'Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales' Live Brian Horton (Insomniac Games)
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.  Replicating Chaos: Vehicle Replication in 'Watch Dogs 2' Discussion Matt Delbosc (Ubisoft Toronto)
1:35 p.m. - 2:35 p.m. GDC Podcast Live! Hosted by Gamasutra feat. Disco Elysium writer Justin Keenan Live Justin Keenan (ZA/UM Studio)
2:40 p.m. - 3:40 p.m. Level Design Workshop: The Level Design of 'God of War' Discussion Rob Davis (TBA)

Now that you know the GDC Showcase 2021 schedule, you can tune into the shows and check out all the past broadcasts. Many of the sessions will also be available on demand, so you can enjoy them even if you miss their initial live appearance. For more info about GDC proper, make sure you keep your browsers tuned to our GDC news page.

Guides Editor

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has been exploring the world of video games for as long as he can remember. He enjoys everything from large-scale RPGs to small, bite-size indie gems and everything in between.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    March 15, 2021 2:30 PM

    Josh Hawkins posted a new article, GDC Showcase 2021 schedule

    • reply
      March 15, 2021 8:51 PM

      Warren Spector crawling out of the crypt? To talk about Deus Ex....again. :/

      I sincerely hope he’s doing some new interesting things before I start thinking he’s all washed up
      :(

      • reply
        March 15, 2021 10:28 PM

        It's a replay thing they are doing, I think. He just offered up live discussion alongside it. Idk, this whole GDC Showcase thing was pretty weird this time around.

    • reply
      March 15, 2021 8:57 PM

      Also some cool games at the Unity Showcase tomorrow. I’ve been following Felix Schade’s one man semi-roguelite hack n slasher Morbid Metal. It’s some cool stuff: https://youtu.be/bWCsOSAwRXs

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