As we gear up for the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2025, we couldn’t be more excited to meet up with our friends and colleagues in the industry and explore the many incredible new opportunities that await us, together. This year, GDC takes place from March 17-21 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California. We will host partner meetings, participate in conference sessions, sponsor events like the IGF Awards and the ESA Foundation’s Nite to Unite.
As Xbox expands to any screen on any device, we’re opening doors and making it easier for anyone to play with any friends they want – whether they choose to play with Xbox console, PC, Smart TV or mobile. At GDC, we’re inviting game developers to go behind the scenes to better understand the significance and impact of what it means for Xbox to be on every screen. We’re committed to empowering game developers to tap into that opportunity by building games that take advantage of Xbox across devices. Our presence at GDC 2025 will reveal the many ways game developers can reach more players with Xbox and showcase success stories of developers who are maximizing the opportunity.
One of the highlights of this year’s GDC will be our sessions and demos of AI for Gaming. These sessions will provide valuable insight and inspiration for developers looking for ways to make their games more easily discoverable, more engaging and to help their teams do more real-time experimentation and visualization, more easily.
Microsoft Gaming AI Sessions at GDC 2025
The Future of Gaming Supported by AI: How Xbox is Empowering Players and Creators (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: Fatima Kardar (Microsoft), Sonali Yadav (Microsoft)
Date: Monday, March 17
Time: 9:30am – 10:30am
Location: Room 3011, West Hall
Discover how Xbox is using AI to unlock new opportunities across the Xbox ecosystem for both players and game creators. This session provides an overview of Xbox’s AI vision and a sneak peek of cutting-edge AI technology across the platform that will enhance player experiences and support game development for creators. Learn about innovative features that will help players discover their new favorite games, deliver personalized support, and get an exclusive preview of upcoming AI-powered tools and services designed to enrich gaming experiences on Xbox. Whether you’re a player, developer, or industry enthusiast, this session offers a glimpse into the future of gaming supported by AI.
AI Innovation for Game Experiences: From Research to Prototyping (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: Haiyan Zhang (Xbox), Katja Hofmann (Microsoft)
Date: Monday, March 17
Time: 10:50am – 11:50am
Location: Room 3011, West Hall
How can AI drive the next wave of dynamic and immersive game experiences? In this panel, game developers and researchers come together to discuss the cutting-edge AI techniques being explored and prototyped to enhance player experiences and support developer creativity. From adaptive gameplay systems to new tools for game creators, this session dives into the intersection of research and product experimentation. Panelists will showcase prototypes and share insights into how AI can, with the guidance of game creators and players, push the boundaries of what’s possible in gaming. This exploratory conversation is for anyone curious about how AI is shaping the future of game development.
Machine Learning Summit: Fitting Armor Assets in ‘World of Warcraft’ with Deep Learning
Speaker: Zhen Zhai (Blizzard Entertainment)
Date: Monday, March 17
Time: 5:30pm – 6:00pm
Location: Room 3018, West Hall
This talk will introduce Deepforge, a deep neural network designed to transform armor pieces for various races in World of Warcraft (WoW). This technology drastically reduces the time required for artists to fit 3D armors from days and weeks to mere minutes. By automating the fitting process, our tool empowers artists to focus more on fine-tuning the details and enhancing the quality of their work. We will explore the model design, training, and deployment, showcasing its unique features and practical applications on mesh fitting for WoW. The primary goal for this project is to ensure high-quality mesh generation suitable for production use, from preprocessing to postprocessing, combined with a robust infrastructure for efficient and reliable model performance. Attendees will gain insights into how Deepforge enhances game asset creation, making it a valuable tool for developers.
AI Executive Panel: Exploring What’s Next in AI for Gaming (Presented by EPAM)
Speaker: Stef Corazza (Roblox) Vitalli Vashchuk (EPAM) Haiyan Zhang (Xbox), Craig Nowell, Databricks
Date: Wednesday, March 19
Time: 10:30am – 11:30am
Location: Room 2020, West Hall
At GDC 2024, EPAM brought together industry leaders to discuss the future of AI in gaming. Continuing the conversation, we will be exploring the role AI has played and what’s to come. In this executive panel we will discuss the practical use cases for developers, creators and players alike. Learn how AI can influence gameplay experience and developers’ productivity along with the associated benefits and potential hurdles of utilizing this evolving technology. Hear from gaming experts as they share exclusive insights and actionable takeaways from their hands-on experiences with generative AI. This session offers a glimpse into the future of game development and the real-world impact it will have in 2025.
Inclusive Gaming AI: Red Teaming for Accessibility and Disability
Speaker: Brannon Zahand (Microsoft)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm
Location: Room 3005, West Hall
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve gaming for everyone. This is especially true for those of us in the gaming and disability community. However, without proper design, development, and testing of AI gaming experiences, it can create new barriers for gamers with disabilities. Unfortunately, applying traditional techniques for developing and testing accessible content is not sufficient in these cases. As such, this talk will discuss how designers, testers, and accessibility subject matter experts can utilize red teaming to create inclusive AI experiences in games and gaming services. It will discuss what red teaming is, why it is extra important when it comes to creating accessible and enjoyable experiences for gamers with disabilities, numerous strategies to prevent and catch a myriad of issues that could impact them, and how to engage the gaming and disability community to help you validate such experiences.
Amplifying Player Voices with LLMs in Game Development
Speaker: Joshua Koen (Blizzard Entertainment), Ian Livingston (Blizzard Entertainment)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 1:30pm – 2:00pm
Location: Room, 2010, West Hall
Our players dedicate tens, hundreds, or even thousands of hours to the experiences that we craft for them. Players have valuable feedback about how we can improve those experiences, but it can be challenging for developers to quickly parse vast amounts of feedback and identify ways to improve experiences. The presenters will explore the benefits and risks of using Large Language Models (LLMs) for analyzing player feedback. LLMs offer a way to efficiently analyze feedback at depth and scale that has not been previously possible. However, there are dangers of producing incorrect outcomes that are easy to overlook without a careful approach. Prompt structure, game terminology, and data complexity can easily trip up LLMs. The session will present ways that Blizzard has been validating the use of LLMs for this type of analysis. We will illustrate workflows for using LLMs to enhance processes for analyzing feedback from players.
How to Engage with Us at GDC 2025
For us, GDC 2025 is as much about showcasing the Xbox developer experience as it is about fostering collaboration with partners and driving our shared gaming future. We’re excited to connect, demystify our vision, and explore new possibilities together. If you are attending GDC in person, whether you’re an indie developer, a seasoned professional, or someone passionate about the gaming industry, we’ve got a line-up of sessions for everyone. If you will be engaging remotely, you can learn more about development and publishing decisions that maximize the full Xbox opportunity by visiting our Game Development Resource Hub here and to learn more about AI for Gaming, check out our Gaming AI Resource Hub here. If you have immediate questions or want to connect with other developers building for Xbox, join our Discord here.
Here’s a selection of additional conference talks featuring speakers from across Xbox:
Monday, March 17
UX Summit: UX Writing: A New(ish) Craft in Mobile Games
Speaker: Patricia Gomez (King)
Date: Monday, March 17
Time: 9:30am – 10:30am
Location: Room 2010, West Hall
Community Management Summit: Social Media Microtalks: Authenticity from You and the Business “We”
Speaker: Cindy Tran (Obsidian Entertainment), Antonio Cara (DeNA Corp.), Harper Jay MacIntyre (Double Fine Productions Inc), Livvy Hall (Xbox Game Studios Publishing), Megan Spurr (Microsoft)
Date: Monday, March 17
Time: 10:50am – 11:50am
Location: Room 2014, West Hall
Live Service Games Summit: Reinventing ‘Candy Crush Soda’ for the Next 10 years
Speaker: Abigail Rindo (King), Paul Hellier (King)
Date: Monday, March 17
Time: 10:50am – 11:50am
Location: Room 2006, West Hall
Animation Summit: ‘Diablo 4’: Bringing to Life the Priestess of Hatred
Speaker: Chad Waldschmidt (Blizzard Entertainment)
Date: Monday, March 17
Time: 3:50 pm – 4:20 pm
Location: Room 2018, West Hall
UX Summit: Making the World Playful: The Importance of Accessible Mobile Games
Speaker: Emilio Jeldrez (King)
Date: Monday, March 17
Time: 5:30pm – 6:00pm
Location: Room 2010, West Hall
Tuesday, March 18
Live Service Games Summit: Mass Engagement Winning Strategies: The 15M Player Tournament of ‘Candy Crush Saga’
Speaker: Margaux Diaz (King), Roberto Kusabbi (King)
Date: Tuesday, March 18
Time: 9:30am – 10:30am
Location: Room 2006, West Hall
Thriving Players Summit: Prosocial Design Workshop
Speaker: Natasha Miller (Blizzard Entertainment), Weszt Hart (Riot Games)
Date: Tuesday, March 18
Time: 9:30am – 11;50am
Location: Room 3005, West Hall
The Climate Crisis Workshop
Speaker: Grant Shonkwiler (Shonkventures LLC), Trevin York (Dire Lark), Paula Angela Escuadra (Microsoft / Xbox), Jennifer Estaris (ustwo games), Arnaud Fayolle (Ubisoft)
Date: Tuesday, March 18
Time: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Location: Room 204, South Hall
Gaming Reimagined: Mobile’s Impact on Play Today (Presented by King)
Speaker: Todd Green (King), Paula Ingvar (King), Peiwen Yao (Blizzard Entertainment)
Date: Tuesday, March 18
Time: 10:50am – 11:50am
Location: Room 2000, West Hall
Unpacking Anti-Toxicity Strategy in “Call of Duty” (Presented by Community Clubhouse)
Speaker: Mark Frumkin (Modulate), Grant Cahill (Activision)
Date: Tuesday, March 18
Time: 2:40pm – 3:40pm
Location: Esplanade 158, South Hall
Live Service Games Summit: Game Designer’s Notebook
Speakers: Marta Cortiñas (King), Kenny Dinkin (King)
Time: 2:40pm – 3:40pm
Location: Room 2006, West Hall
Wednesday, March 19
Opening a Billion Doors with Xbox (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: Leo Olebe (Microsoft), Chris Charla (Microsoft)
Date: Wednesday, March 19
Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Location: Room 3022, West Hall
Accelerating Your Inner Loop with Visual Studio and GitHub Copilot AI (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: David Li (Microsoft), Michael Price (Microsoft)
Date: Wednesday, March 19
Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Location: GDC Industry Stage, Expo Floor, South Hall
Grow Your Audience with the Updated Xbox Experience on PC (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: Tila Nguyen (Microsoft), Jose Rady (Microsoft)
Date: Wednesday, March 19
Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Location: GDC Industry Stage, Expo Floor, South Hall
Make your Game Available ANYWHERE with Xbox Cloud Gaming (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: Harrison Hoffman (Microsoft), Jordan Cohen (Microsoft)
Date: Wednesday, March 19
Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Location: Room 2000, West Hall
Masterworking Systems: Lessons Learned from the Engineering of Season of Loot Reborn in ‘Diablo IV’
Speaker: Patrick Ferland (Blizzard Entertainment)
Date: Wednesday, March 19
Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Location: Room 2006, West Hall
Ask Game Lawyers Anything Roundtable Day 1
Speaker: Ryan Black (DLA Piper (Canada) LLP), Brandon Huffman (Odin Law and Media), Angelo Alcid (Microsoft Corp.), Yan Perng (Netflix)
Date: Wednesday, March 19
Time: 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Location: Room 308, South Hall
Xbox Game Studios Panel: Scaling Cross-Platform Development Across Xbox and PC (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: Kate Rayner (Microsoft), Soren Hannibal Nielsen (Microsoft, Chuck Rozhon (Obsidion Entertainment), Chad Dawson (Double Fine Productions) Phil Cousins (Microsoft), Magnus Auvinen (Machine Games)
Date: Wednesday, March 19
Time: 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Location: Room 2000, West Hall
Thursday, March 20
DirectX State of the Union: Raytracing and PIX Workflows (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: Claire Andrews (Microsoft), Austin Kinross (Microsoft)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 9:30am – 10:30am
Location: Room 2009, West Hall
VFX Storytelling: How “Hearthstone” Breathes Life Into Hundreds of Cards
Speaker: Alex Cortes (Blizzard Entertainment)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm
Location: Room 2006, West Hall
Strategies for Indie Devs: How to Succeed with Xbox (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: James Lewis (Microsoft)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 11:30am – 12:30pm
Location: GDC Industry Stage, Expo Floor, South Hall
G.A.N.G. Demo Derby: Sound Design
Speaker: Nick Hartman (Sound Lab), Scott Gershin (Sound Lab), Charles Deenen (Source Sound Inc), Gary Miranda (Injected Senses Audio), Brian Farr (Blizzard Entertainment)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 12:15pm – 1:45pm
Location: Room 3018, West Hall
From Idea to Action: Lessons from a New Accessibility Initiative (Presented by The Entertainment Software Association)
Speaker: Aubrey Quinn (Entertainment Software Association), Paul Amadeus Lane (Amadeus 4th Corp), Amy Lazarus (Electronic Arts), Dara Monasch (Google), Anna Waismeyer (Microsoft/Xbox), Steven Evans (Nintendo of America), David Tisserand (Ubisoft)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 12:15pm – 1:15pm
Location: GDC Main Stage, West Hall, Street Level
Windows Productivity Tools for Game Developers (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: Demitrius Nelon (Microsoft), Kayla Cinnamon (Microsoft)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 12:15pm – 1:15pm
Location: Room 2024, West Hall
Securing the Joy of Gaming: Xbox’s Commitment to Gaming Security and Innovation (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: Temi Adebambo (Microsoft)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Location: GDC Industry Stage, Expo Floor, South Hall
Xbox Play Anywhere Developer Roundtable (Presented by Microsoft)
Speaker: Chris Charla (Microsoft)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Location: Room 2004, West Hall
King: Enhancing Mobile Audio with Accessibility and Inclusion
Speaker: Eduardo Broseta (King)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 2:30pm – 3:00pm
Location: Room 3024, West Hall
Friday, March 21
Game Career Seminar: STR, DEX and INT: A Genre-Spanning Way to Think About Gameplay
Speaker: Joseph Shely (Blizzard Entertainment)
Date: Friday, March 21
Time: 11:50am – 12:20pm
Location: Room 3005, West Hall
Game Career Seminar: Killer Portfolio or Portfolio Killer Part 2: Portfolio Reviews
Speakers: Greg Foertsch (Bit Reactor), Sarah LeBlanc (Bit Reactor), Rembert Montald (Lightspeed LA), David Yee (Unannounced), Jeffrey Johnson (inXile Entertainment), Jade Law (Wardog Studios), Gaurav Mathur (E-Line Media), Jessica Kutrakun (Hypixel Studios), Inmar Salvatier (Maxis), Jeff Parrott (Blizzard), Daanish Syed (Bit Reactor), David Johnson (UndertoneFX), Jeff Skalski (Yellow Brick Games)
Date: Friday, March 21
Time: 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: Room 3000, West Hall
