By San Francisco, – The Italian Gaming industry is the protagonist at the Moscone Center in San Francisco for the GDC Festival of Gaming, the main reference event for the global video game industry, scheduled until March 13th.
The event is the most important annual event in the United States for developers, publishers, investors and industry operators.
GDC brings together professionals and operators in the video game industry – programmers, artists, producers, audio professionals, game designers and investors – offering a privileged context for discussion and networking on future development scenarios in the sector. The program of the 2026 edition includes over 750 conferences, panels, tutorials, and round tables, with the contribution of leading international experts and a focus on the key topics of video game development: Audio, Marketing, Game Design, Production and Team Management, Development and Graphics.
The event hosts over 350 exhibiting companies with an estimated attendance of over 30,000 visitors. In addition to Italy, the national pavilions present include Spain, Germany, Portugal, Wales, Brazil, India, Chile and Pakistan.
Italy participates in GDC with a delegation of nine companies within the Italian Pavilion “Games in Italy”, organized by ICE-Agency in collaboration with the Association of the Video Game Industry in Italy (IIDEA). The delegation includes operators specialized in the development of video games for all the main distribution platforms, with a wide and diversified offer that includes different genres – from racing to action, from single player experiences to multiplayer competitions – and both entertainment and e-learning content.
To support the Italian participation, ICE-Agency has prepared an articulated package of services, first of all the creation of the Italian Pavilion, set up with a video wall and dedicated graphics, a dedicated catalog of the collective and a promotional page within the official Welcome Guide of the event.
To further strengthen the visibility of the Italian presence at GDC, ICE-Agency has also organized a networking event at and in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco. The initiative will see the participation of about one hundred guests, including investors, publishers, developers, startups and other qualified operators in the videogame sector and American and international innovation, as well as the Italian delegation.
The global video game market is going through a phase of sustained growth. Valued at $289.7 billion in 2025, the industry is expected to reach $593.3 billion by 2031, with a compound annual growth rate of 12.7%. The expansion is driven by the increase in the adoption of smartphones for the use of video games, the spread of 5G networks, the development of cloud gaming, multi-platform experiences and the growing popularity of subscription services.
In 2025, mobile gaming in the U.S. represents the largest segment of the market with 55.9% of total revenues, while in-app purchases constitute the dominant monetization model with a 44.1% share. Subscription services, on the other hand, are the fastest growing segment. On the content side, shooter games lead the genre market with a 62.2% share, while the 18–34 age group represents the main audience with 39.35% of the market share (source: Mordor Intelligence).
“Not just fun! The video gaming sector has always been a driver of digital innovation, both in software and graphics, up to the most advanced technologies (from mixed reality to artificial intelligence). As INNOVIT, we have already in the past dedicated space to Italian startups that develop gaming products and Italy has an increasingly dynamic and interesting landscape. We are therefore very happy as Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco to once again be part, together with the Italian Trade Agency of the GDC Festival in San Francisco”. – said Massimo Carnelos, Consul General of Italy in San Francisco
“Promoting the talent and innovation of video games made in Italy at GDC is a source of great satisfaction for us,” underlines Giosafat Riganò, Director of the ICE-Agency Office in Los Angeles. “The sector is growing thanks to the creativity of companies and the various forms of public support, including international promotion. In this context, the Italian market exceeded 2.4 billion euros in turnover in 2024, positioning Italy among the main European markets in the sector. Participating in a global event like GDC also allows our companies to deal with new technologies, in particular with developments related to artificial intelligence.”
