GDC 2012 Adds Business Matching, Leading Industry Figures to "GDC Play," Premier Showcase of Games by Emerging and Independent Game Developers

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2012 Game Developers Conference® (GDC) has announced enhancements to its GDC Play showcase - a special new area of the event showcasing games to important decision makers, as well as to the 19,000-strong, qualified GDC attendee base.  

Organized by the UBM TechWeb Game Network, GDC 2012 will take place March 5-9, 2012 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California. GDC Play will take place on Tuesday, March 6, and Wednesday, March 7, within the Center's Esplanade Ballroom.

Inspired by the success of the Independent Games Festival Pavilion at GDC, GDC Play will include standalone kiosks with customizable signage in special areas themed around emerging game markets, from social through mobile to console, indie and beyond. Entrance to GDC Play will be open to all GDC 2012 attendees.

The showcase will allow game developers exhibiting at GDC Play to display their games to key distributors, publishers, press and investors visiting the conference, with an invite-only reception for top decision makers to see the games taking place on the first day of the event.

And in a new announcement, game creators exhibiting at GDC Play will also have use of a full business matchmaking software solution that will make it easy to request and secure meetings with the specially invited decision makers – as well as any All-Access Pass holders or exhibitors attending GDC.  

GDC Organizers have enlisted former IGDA executive director Jason Della Rocca to consult on the showcase and ensure the attendance of key publishers, distributors and investors.  Della Rocca is a renowned game industry consultant that works with game studios and organizations all over the world.  In 2009, he was named to Game Developer Magazine's "Game Developer 50," a list which profiles 50 of the most important contributors to the state of the games industry.

"The Game Developers Conference has a keen focus on helping grow and evolve the games industry," said Meggan Scavio, GDC general manager. "One of the GDC's great strengths is to bring the whole ecosystem together and matching emerging developers to useful business opportunities will only make our industry healthier."

"For this reason we are delighted to open a games showcase to bring visibility to great new games and business matchmaking offerings to help developers bring their games to market.  I am also very excited that we will have the talents and expertise of long-time industry veteran Jason Della Rocca to partner with us in bringing the initiative to life."

For more information about participating in GDC Play at GDC 2012, please visit http://www.jointhegamenetwork.com/event/gdc/gdcplay.html.

Alumni conference registration for GDC 2012 ends 12/08/2011 and Early Bird rates end 02/02/2012.  For more information about registration rates for the 2012 Game Developers Conference or to register online, visit www.gdconf.com.

About the UBM TechWeb Game Network  

A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the  UBM TechWeb Game Network – formerly known as the Think Services Game Group - offers market-defining content, and drives community through its award winning lineup of print, online, event and research products and services. These include the Game Developers Conference®, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com and network of sites, the Game Advertising Online ad network, the Game Developers Conference® Online, the Game Developers Conference™ Europe, the Game Developers Conference™ China, Game Developer Magazine, Game Developer Research, the Game Career Seminars and GameCareerGuide.com, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards.  Visit www.jointhegamenetwork.com

About UBM TechWeb

UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its three core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and paid content – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands and media applications in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs and IT managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software Developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively engage in UBM TechWeb's communities and information resources monthly. UBM TechWeb brands includes: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and Enterprise Connect; award-winning online resources such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Network Computing; and market-leading magazines InformationWeek, Wall Street & Technology, and Advanced Trading. UBM TechWeb is a UBM plc company, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.  Visit: www.ubmtechweb.com

SOURCE UBM TechWeb Game Network