Some international attendees are skipping 2026 GDC due to safety fears and growing ICE presence

The 2026 Game Developers Conference is shaping up to beryllium a small little planetary this twelvemonth if commentary connected societal media platforms similar LinkedIn is an indicator.

Many members of the planetary games manufacture person announced they volition skip the event, chiefly implicit concerns astir safety, tougher U.S. migration rules, and a stronger migration and Customs Enforcement presence. Developers, past GDC attendees, and different manufacture professionals person taken to platforms similar LinkedIn to publically dependable their concerns.

ICE enactment successful galore U.S. cities arsenic good arsenic the caller fatal shootings successful Minneapolis involving ICE agents person compounded concerns. Renee Nicole Good was killed connected January 7, and ICU caregiver Alex Pretti mislaid his beingness connected January 24. Many travelers besides said they’re disquieted astir unpredictable borderline checks and information concerns.

As 1 idiosyncratic enactment it, “It’s not worthy taking the hazard of going.” Another chimed in: “The U.S. is conscionable a precise problematic determination for an planetary event.”

GDC, present rebranded arsenic the “GDC Festival of Gaming,” is scheduled to instrumentality spot successful San Francisco from March 9 to 13.

Others cited wide concerns implicit information arsenic good arsenic outgo arsenic factors successful their determination not to attend. Some indie developers and tiny studios person said the costs, which includes hotel, food, travel, and the summons price, are conscionable excessively high.

In effect to these concerns, GDC president Nina Brown told Mobilegamer.biz, that the “safety of our assemblage is ever our apical priority.” In a statement, Brown said the GDC works intimately with “local officials and ineligible experts to show U.S. argumentation changes” and to supply the astir up-to-date guidance. Brown besides advised planetary attendees to commencement their visa applications aboriginal and consult with their embassies regarding immoderate peculiar requirements.

​Brown besides outlined respective information measures, including that GDC offers a 24/7 information hotline, information grooming for lawsuit staff, and information escorts upon request. San Francisco’s Safety Community Ambassadors programme volition besides beryllium present, providing further enactment to attendees passim the event.

TechCrunch has besides reached retired to GDC for remark and volition update this nonfiction if the enactment responds.

On the outgo front, GDC has introduced a simpler, much affordable ticketing strategy to marque the lawsuit much accessible to smaller developers and indie studios. The caller Festival Pass replaces the erstwhile All-Access walk and is 45% cheaper, with pricing starting astatine $649 and providing entree to each main lawsuit programming.