D2C, co-development and "volume over viability": GDC 2026 trends revealed

• GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 drew in around 20,000 attendees.
• Prevalent conversations included co-development, mobile monetisation and AI.

Generative AI, dual monetisation on mobile and the co-development of games were among the biggest topics of conversation at the GDC Festival of Gaming 2026.

The trends have been highlighted alongside shifting advocacy policies and game financing as the big five this year - all named as key trends shaping the industry in the GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 Trends Report.

This second annual GDC trends report has been published more than two months on from the event, which drew in around 20,000 attendees this March.

Stronger together

Held at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco, the GDC Festival of Gaming’s key themes emerged through conversations between attendees from over 85 countries.

Rising difficulties in securing funding, resources and publishing partnerships was a common thread, hence the report found an increasing number of studios are embracing co-development. Among the potential benefits is an increased workforce on a project, coming from across companies.

Advancements in remote working during the pandemic are thought to play a role, having made co-development easier to implement despite time zone challenges.

At the same time, the report did voice dissenting opinions like that of Blind Squirrel Studios VP of production Steven Sargent, who argued co-development is a big commitment and can take time away from a studio’s own work.

“It’s not as easy as people think it is," he said.

Elsewhere, the report suggested mobile games are increasingly focusing on "mechanics over metagaming and volume over viability". Hypercasual remains a key part of the ecosystem with shorter development times, allowing a fast response to the latest trends.

Roblox head of developer community Justin Sousa shared that around 80% of Roblox users are on mobile.

And, within the mobile conversation, D2C monetisation was a prevalent point of discussion this year. Legislative changes have impacted Apple’s business practices, making direct-to-consumer options more viable for mobile publishers. The report said D2C has "started catching on".

Finally, support for using AI was "consistent" in the context of brainstorming, task management and emails. This was especially the case among older and neurodivergent professionals. Claude Code was frequently discussed, as were concerns of more industry layoffs from companies "betting big" on AI.

The full report includes interviews on AI concerns, financing and more.

After the event wrapped up, PocketGamer.biz also spoke with our Mobile Mavens who attended. Arcanix director Oscar Clark said: "GDC needed a restart. And it got one."