GDC Canada set for 2009 debut

The Game Developers Conference has grown from its humble beginnings in San Francisco to a global brand with offshoot shows in Paris, Beijing, Austin, Texas, and now Vancouver, British Columbia. GDC organizer Think Services Game Group is working with Reboot Communications to replace next year's edition of the Vancouver International Game Summit with the inaugural Game Developers Conference Canada.

GDC Canada is being organized "in response to Canada's increasingly important role in the international game development landscape," according to Think Services. The show will cover different gaming disciplines on different platforms, with an emphasis on the Canadian gaming industry.

Along with Montreal, Vancouver is a hotbed of Canadian game development. The city plays host to Electronic Arts, Radical Entertainment, Backbone Entertainment, Disney Interactive Studios, Deep Fried Entertainment, and Slant Six Games, among others.

GDC Canada will be part of Vancouver Digital Week 2009, which will run May 11-15 on Granville Island. For more on the show, visit the official Web site.