INTRODUCING THE NEW ERA OF [GDC]
FESTIVAL OF GAMING
THE BRIEF
Game Developers Conference is evolving beyond a developer-only conference to attract the wider gaming industry audience already travelling to San Francisco during the event.
As part of the rebrand to “GDC Festival of Gaming”, the brief is to create a launch campaign that broadens the event’s appeal and celebrates everyone involved in bringing games to life, from developers to publishers, creators and industry talent, delivered across a two-phase campaign rollout.
PHASE 01: DESTROYING THE OLD
To signal the evolution from traditional developer conference to full-scale gaming culture event, Phase 01 sees the original GDC branding dramatically “destroyed” through a series of high-energy CGI animated shorts inspired by iconic gaming genres and moments.
Existing GDC billboards become the canvas for explosive game-themed takeovers, from a sci-fi UFO violently abducting and tearing apart a billboard, to a chaotic GTA-inspired street pursuit ending with a race car smashing directly through the structure under a five-star helicopter chase. Elsewhere, a towering mechanical robot stomps through the city crushing installations in its path, while a retro arcade-inspired Space Invaders world sees a rocket-riding cow blast straight through the branding in nostalgic 8-bit chaos.
Designed as attention-grabbing social-first content pieces, the films also extend into the physical world through DOOH and large-format screens placed throughout San Francisco and around the event itself, creating the feeling that the old GDC identity is literally being dismantled in real time ahead of the launch of the new Festival of Gaming era.
PHASE 02: RE-BIRTHING THE NEW
Following the destruction of the old identity, Phase 02 introduces the rebirth of the new Game Developers Conference Festival of Gaming brand through a series of cinematic CGI animated reveals centred around an “egg hatching” visual device created by The Berry. Set within a conference-style auditorium, each film sees a new gaming-inspired world burst through the shell, symbolising the evolution of GDC into a broader celebration of gaming culture.
The reveals span multiple gaming genres and tones, from a cute mascot character waving to the audience, to a retro arcade-inspired swordsman slicing through with Viking energy, a giant horror monster with an eye embedded in its palm, and a basketball player bursting through while spinning a ball on their finger.
Designed for social, website and DOOH placements around the event, the films position Festival of Gaming as an event built for every side of the gaming industry.
