2008 Austin GDC Sees Record Attendance, 2009 Dates

Game Developers Conference organizer Think Services Game Group (also owners of Gamasutra) announced that this year's 2008 Austin Game Developers Conference (Austin GDC) attracted some 3,000 attendees, breaking the annual event's attendance records. The convention covered connected games, game audio, and writing for games, and featured over 130 participating exhibitors and sponsors demonstrating up-and-coming game technology and software on the sold-out expo floor. Highlights from this year's Austin GDC include keynotes from futurist Bruce Sterling and Club Penguin co-founder Lane Merrifield as well as the introduction of the Independent Games Showcase, a snapshot of the locally developed games. Also featured was the Worlds in Motion Summit, which focused on the intersection and opportunities for games and interactive worlds, and the return of the Game Career Seminar, a one-day event geared towards educating interested students, graduates, and future game developers. "Similar to the title of one of our keynote addresses, ‘At Your Service: Putting Customers First,’ we took to heart all the feedback from our attendees, sponsors and exhibitors from 2007’s event to create an even better experience for AGDC08," says conference director Izora De Lillard. The organizers of the event have confirmed that Austin Game Developers Conference will be a 5-day event in 2009, to take place at the Austin Convention Center from September 14th to 18th.