Last year's Game Developers Conference, like most in-person gaming industry events in 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently replaced with an online-only event. With the pandemic still raging, the GDC announced that it would take a "new approach" for 2021 and hold a series of online events throughout the year.

"New constraints around gathering in person and travel also brought creativity, allowing us to develop new formats and new ways to deliver content and community support throughout the year," GDC General Manager Katie Stern stated. This year's 35th annual Game Developers Conference will feature a family of GDC events that offer high-quality, curated content online in a more flexible and accessible way, rather than cramming everything into a single week, and will provide more fluid networking We are designing events to take advantage of the strengths of the virtual conference, including opportunities for working and matchmaking.

The schedule of events to date is as follows:

The all-digital GDC plans come less than two weeks after the Entertainment Software Association announced that this year's E3 will also be online-only. Oddly enough, Penny Arcade still holds plans to hold an in-person event in 2021: PAX East is currently scheduled to take place June 3-6 in Boston, but organizers admit it is an "optimistic scenario." PAX East is currently scheduled to take place June 3-6, but organizers admit it is an "optimistic scenario"

. We will provide more details on that as they become available.