Deconstructor of Fun TWIG #374 GDC 2025: The Honest Debrief
Mar 19, 2026
A no-filter debrief from GDC week with candid takes on the conference vibe and who actually showed up. Rumors swirl about major industry shakeups and westward moves by Chinese studios. AI conversations dominate, focusing more on pipelines and operations than on standout AI-native games. Shifts in UA, investor pockets, and growing interest in Roblox as a reach and IP tool are highlighted.
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GDC Felt Smaller But Executive Heavy
- GDC felt smaller but more decision-maker dense with many senior execs attending side events rather than the main floor.
- Jen, Michail, and Adam observed packed offsite events like Night to Unite despite quieter expo halls and canceled meetings due to travel issues.
AI Flipped The Room Energy
- AI dominated conversations and flipped energy in rooms, shifting executives from cautious to excited about building agents and pipelines.
- Adam and Phil described people moving past demos into building agentic tools like Claude Code and internal agents driving enthusiasm.
Prioritize AI Adoption Over Tool Purchases
- Do focus AI spending on adoption and change management, not just subscriptions or models.
- Michail warned buying tools without training or prompting skills risks wasted spend and employee fear about job loss.