For the primary time in years, there are not any blockchain gaming talks at GDC

Not way back, the annual Recreation Builders Convention in San Francisco was liberally sprinkled with adverts for blockchain firms and sponsored talks about NFTs. They’ve all left.

Whereas GDC 2023 featured talks reminiscent of “So, You Need to Construct a Blockchain Recreation” and “How Polygon Labs Is Optimizing Video games for an Rising Blockchain Future,” I can not discover a single session about that rising blockchain future on the schedule for GDC 2026, which kicked off Monday and runs by means of Friday.

The closest factor I discovered is one discuss whose description mentions “digital wallets and various cost strategies most well-liked by gamers in rising areas,” and I noticed a single banner promoting a blockchain-related firm within the conference heart as we speak, however that is it thus far.

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Even all the way in which again at GDC 2017, there was a chat titled “Embracing Disruption: What Blockchains Imply for the Recreation Business,” however there’s nothing like that this yr. Disruption was not embraced, it appears.

In the meantime, generative AI is well-represented at GDC 2026, with Nvidia and Google on the scene and talks arising this week that embrace “Experimenting With AI-Powered Assistants in Video games,” “AI Developments of At the moment and Alternatives For Tomorrow,” and “Construct Dwelling Video games With AI.”

The expo flooring, which a number of years in the past featured some massive blockchain cubicles, will this yr be populated by Tripo AI, Arcade AI, Blueberry AI, Gamercury AI, Moonlake AI, Tesana AI, and numerous AI firms that did not conveniently put “AI” of their names so that we might know what they do.

There’s pressure between massive tech and artistic staff right here: In keeping with a survey printed by GDC itself earlier this yr, the vast majority of GDC’s attendees will not be on board with generative AI.

52% of the surveyed video games trade professionals mentioned that “generative AI is having a destructive influence on the sport trade,” whereas solely 7% shared the other opinion, that generative AI is sweet for the trade.

“I would relatively stop the trade than use generative AI,” one UK-based recreation design supervisor commented.

At GDC 2026, I’ve already met with one generative AI-focused recreation developer that hopes to change the dialog by demonstrating that enormous language fashions will be made subservient to authored storytelling in ways in which gamers like. Extra on that to return.

Whereas blockchain gaming has retreated from GDC, it hasn’t gone away. The hosts of the GDC 2023 talks I discussed, NFT card recreation Splinterlands and blockchain firm Polygon Labs, are nonetheless round.

There’s some mainstream help, too. Sony has a Web3 wing known as Block Options Labs, which created the Soneium blockchain, and EVE On-line developer CCP (not the prime instance of “mainstream,” I admit) is experimenting with a blockchain-powered recreation known as EVE Frontier.