Is there really a hole in the scene of gaming shows, now that E3 as we once knew it is no more? That's certainly what most organizers around the world believe, as indicated by the expansion of events such as the Leipzig GC or the Tokyo Game Show. But the most ambitious of them is yet to come in 2007, back in the USA: the Game Developers Conference (GDC), soon to be "the world's largest trade event dedicated to the game industry".

The CMP Game Group - GDC's organizers - announced that they are more than doubling their show floor for next year's edition, in order to accommodate the game industry market need for a single, one-stop shop event. The next Game Developers Conference will take place March 5-9, 2007 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.

This isn't the first time that GDC is being held in San Francisco (last time was in 2005), but 2007 will be the first year of GDC's long-term relocation to the Bay Area, according to the event's official website.

"As GDC enters its 20th year, it emerges as the event with the largest gravitational pull of any other game industry-only event", said Jamil Moledina, executive director of the GDC. "While it remains our primary goal to serve the game development community and ensure that the session-based half of GDC remains unchanged, we also believe it is time to dramatically upgrade the range of expo opportunities."

Along with its traditional "session-based half", GDC 07 will also continue to support both the widely respected Game Developers Choice Awards, and the Independent Games Festival (IGF - the oldest and most prestigious game innovation laboratory), by adding a dedicated Independent Games Conference, as well as a casual / independent reception. Cocktails on the house?

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)