GDC Austin becomes GDC Online

Game Developers Conference Austin is getting another makeover. Event organizer Think Services today announced that its online-focused trade show will henceforth be known as Game Developers Conference Online.

First held in 2003, the annual event has seen upheaval and change about on par with the industry it has covered. The show's original name was the Austin Game Conference, but that changed after the organizing Game Initiative was acquired by CMP Game Group. CMP rebranded the show as GDC Austin to fit in with its expanding lineup of GDC shows worldwide, then rebranded itself as Think Services.

Even before its latest renaming, GDC Online has always been focused on emerging connected trends in the gaming industry. Part of that grew from the Austin-area's community of massively multiplayer online role-playing game developers, including Sony Online Entertainment, NCsoft, and most recently, BioWare Austin. However, Think Services has also been positioning the show around social networking and mobile developments, with keynote addresses from executives behind Playfish and Habbo Hotel in recent years.

GDC Online is set to return to the Austin Convention Center October 5-8. For more on the show, check out the official Web site. Expect further GDC Online details to be revealed after Think Services' flagship show, the San Francisco-based Game Developers Conference, wraps up its March 9-13 run.