A number of game studios and executives say they plan to skip the 2026 Game Developers Conference, citing safety concerns linked to heightened U.S. immigration scrutiny and ICE activity, among several other factors. As a result, this year’s GDC could look markedly different from recent editions of the event.
GDC is scheduled to take place between March 9 and 13 in San Francisco. The upcoming edition of the annual event has been rebranded as the “GDC Festival of Gaming,” with organizer Informa Festivals pitching it as a broadened, ecosystem-wide B2B industry gathering. Organizers say the shift is informed by community feedback and includes a simplified ticket structure aimed at making the show more accessible to smaller developers and independent studios compared to previous years, alongside a stronger emphasis on networking and cross-industry connections.
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GDC 2026 Faces Attendance Challenges Amid U.S. Immigration Crackdown
Despite lower pass costs, GDC 2026 faces attendance challenges. Multiple European and Canadian executives told MobileGamer.biz they are reducing headcount for this year’s edition of the event, with some even skipping the show altogether. Several cited escalating U.S. immigration enforcement and related safety concerns as one of the reasons for scaling back or canceling their attendance.
What Developers Are Saying About Their GDC 2026 Concerns
Curran Games Agency founder Cassia Curran outlined four reasons why Canadian and European developers are reluctant to attend GDC 2026. Ranked by frequency, these include: San Francisco being perceived as “unpleasant and expensive,” a desire to protest “the U.S. government’s aggression towards their countries,” concerns about being required to disclose social media activity upon entering the country, and personal safety fears related to the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Echoing one of those concerns, Netspeak Games CEO Callum Cooper-Brighting said his company would no longer attend GDC due to the current political situation. “There’s no way in good conscience I could send an employee there when I’m not willing to take the risk myself,” he explained. He added that his company is both inclusive and “woke”—qualities he does not believe are “welcome in America” at present.
Stateside Immigration Crackdown Tensions Are Escalating
Tensions surrounding federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis have intensified this month following two fatal shootings involving federal agents: the killing of Renee Nicole Good on January 7 and ICU nurse Alex Pretti on January 24. U.S. officials have alleged that Good tried to ram an ICE agent with her vehicle, an account her defenders have disputed, saying bystander video suggests she was attempting to steer away.
There’s no way in good conscience I could send an employee there when I’m not willing to take the risk myself.
In Pretti’s case, the Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol agent fired in self-defense after Pretti approached with a handgun and “violently resisted” attempts to disarm him. However, Reuters subsequently reported that bystander footage it verified and reviewed contradicts the federal government’s account of the January 24 shooting. The videos show Pretti holding a phone rather than a gun as he moves to help protesters who had been pushed to the ground by agents, before multiple agents restrain him. The footage then appears to show an agent removing a handgun from Pretti’s waistband area and stepping away, shortly before another officer fires multiple shots at close range. Local authorities said Pretti legally owned and carried a gun. President Trump dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota on Monday, January 26, amid mounting political pushback against ICE’s “Operation Metro Surge.”
GDC Responds to Game Developer Safety Concerns
“The safety of our community is always our top priority,” GDC President Nina Brown said in a statement to MobileGamer.biz, noting that the festival has expanded safety training for all of its staff, offers security escorts upon request, and has a 24/7 safety line. Nonetheless, it appears that the conference may struggle to repeat its attendance numbers from recent years, which were in the ballpark of 30,000 for 2024 and 2025. Cooper-Brighting also pointed to European trade shows as viable alternatives to the San Francisco event, offering similar networking opportunities with fewer travel barriers. “I raised $2 million at PGC London and $12 million at Gamescom in Cologne and felt absolutely safe in those places,” he explained.
