The GDC Expo is a veritable labyrinth of service firms and tools providers – but don’t fret. Develop is on hand to help you find the best technology providers and potential partners

Who’s at GDC 2016?: Exhibitors Guide

ALLEGORITHMIC

Booth 316, GDC Expo

Middleware provider Allegorithmic will be showcasing the latest additions to its Substance range of texturing tools. Throughout the week, the firm will be showcasing the use of its tools in triple-A games, including Uncharted 4, Rainbow Six: Siege and Call of Duty.

AMAZON LUMBERYARD

Booth 1224, GDC Expo

The retailer-turned-platform-holder will be showing off its new game engine, built to help devs create Xbox One, PS4 and PC titles.

AUDIOKINETIC

Booth 524, GDC Expo

The creator of Wwise and SoundSeed will be spreading the word about its products, their latest updates and how they can help developers improve the audio quality of their games.

AUTODESK

Booth BS2622, Business Center

Known for its art and animation software such as the Maya range, Autodesk will no doubt be revealing more about its new Stingray game engine, announced at GDC last year.

CRYTEK

Booth 1602, GDC Expo

The engine provider will once again be introducing its high-end game creation tools to new and established developers. The company will also be on the lookout for new talent, setting up shop at booth CC2406 in the Careers Center.

DIMENSIONAL IMAGING

Booth 2342, GDC Expo

This Scottish firm’s performance capture technology has been used in numerous triple-A blockbusters, including Remedy’s upcoming Quantum Break. GDC attendees can learn more on the show floor.

EPIC GAMES

Booth 1024, GDC Expo

Now available for free to everyone, the Unreal Engine will be demonstrated on the show floor with the help of not only Epic Games’ own tech demos, but also a number of projects built by the firm’s talented community.

FACEWARE TECHNOLOGIES

Booth 1244, GDC Expo

Having been brought on board for blockbusters such as The Witcher III and Grand Theft Auto V, Faceware will be in San Francisco to introduce its powerful facial performance capture hardware and software to developers.

FIRELIGHT TECHNOLOGIES

Booth 624, GDC Expo

The Australian company behind widely-used audio tool FMOD will be on hand to discuss its product with devs of all sizes. FMOD has been used in such recent hits as Just Cause 3 and Forza Horizon 2

GAMESPARKS

Booth 105, GDC Expo

Devs will be able to find out more about the Backend-as-a-Service provider and how it can help studios with all the intricate server-side tasks that have become fundamental to multiplayer games on all platforms.

GEOMERICS

Booth BMR2640, Business Center

The ARM-owned company behind impressive lighting tech Enlighten will be looking for more development partners that can make the most of its tool, as well as demonstrating the possibilities for global illumination.

GOOGLE

Booth 612, GDC Expo

The internet giant will be prominent at GDC 2016, with several of its most important teams manning the Expo booth. Experts will be on hand from Google Play, as well as its affordable entry to the virtual reality market, Google Cardboard.

GRAPHINE

Booth 429, GDC Expo

Tools provider Graphine will once again be flying the flag for its Granite texture streaming software. The SDK recently received a full update.

HAVOK

Booth BMR2822, Business Center

Acquired last year by Microsoft, the leading middleware provider will still be showcasing its wide range of products, handling everything from physics and destruction to cloth and AI.

INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC

Booth BMR2630, Business Center

In addition to giving a talk on its experiments with virtual reality, the creative force behind Star Wars and countless other cinematic special effects-fests will be meeting developers to discuss what it can bring to the world of games.

ITALIAN TRADE COMMISSION

Pavilion 702, GDC Expo

Aiming to raise the profile of the Italian games industry, this government organisation is working with local trade body AESVI to bring more studios to GDC, all under the duo’s ‘Made In Italy’ banner.

MARMALADE TECHNOLOGIES

Booth 1016, GDC Expo

The growing tools provider will not only be showcasing its recently revamped Marmalade Platform, but also its newly released Marmalade Cloud Services, which draws on partnerships with GameSparks, Game Analytics and more.

MICROSOFT

Booth BS2522, Business Center

Continuing to push its cross-platform strategy with Windows 10, Microsoft will be on hand to tell developers the latest ways in which the firm is making it easier for studios to develop for PC, mobile devices and, of course, Xbox One.

NINTENDO

Booths BMR2732, 2738 & 2742, Business Center

Don’t expect the Mario maker to be giving everyone a glimpse at the NX, but do expect Nintendo’s developer relations team to be educating studios about how they can get their games on the growing eShop.

NORTHERN IRELAND SCREEN

Booth 1016, Expo

The government-backed agency is looking to improve its support for games devs, as well as attracting studios from abroad to set up shop in Ireland.

NVIDIA

Booth 824, GDC Expo

Spread around GDC, the graphics specialist can also be found at Booth CC2424 in the Careers Center and on the Moscone’s overhang at Booth MR2040. The firm will be showcasing its contributions to virtual reality, AI and even self-driving cars.

OCULUS

Booth 802, GDC Expo

The pioneer of the modern VR movement is on the cusp of a major milestone: the commercial release of Oculus Rift. Expect to learn more about the final device.

OPTITRACK

Booth 2116, GDC Expo

Often taking up a sizeable chunk of the expo floor to demonstrate its motion capture technology, OptiTrack will once again be showing off its latest hardware.

PERFORCE SOFTWARE

Booth 632, GDC Expo

Perforce has been a little quiet since its acquisition last month by Summit Partners, but it will still be keen to meet developers and show off its version management software.

SIDE FX

Booth 302, GDC Expo

Creator of the Houdini Engine as well as other procedural tools, Side FX has worked with top talent across animation and visual effects – including the team behind Avengers: Age of Ultron – but is keen to further expand its games business.

SIMPLYGON

Booth 218, GDC Expo

The Swedish firm will be showcasing the latest additions and updates to its optimisation software, which helps improve the level of detail for 3D models and environments through the powers of automation.

SOFTLAYER TECHNOLOGIES

Booth 1910, GDC Expo

The IBM-owned company specialises in integrating cloud computing into games and apps, handling storage, networking, security and more – and experts will be on hand to talk devs through the services it offers.

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT

Booth 1202, GDC Expo

With PS4 leading the console market and PlayStation VR shaping up to be a serious contender in the virtual reality space, expect plenty to see at the PlayStation booth. Sony will also be in the Careers Center.

SUMO DIGITAL

Booth 1016, GDC Expo

The UK developer behind LittleBigPlanet 3 and the upcoming return of Crackdown will be attending GDC to spread the word about its talented team and hunt new talent for its recently opened third studio.

UK GAMES INDUSTRY STAND

Booth 1016, GDC Expo

Hosted by trade body UKIE and government organisation UK Trade & Investment, this will be the hub for a multitude of British firms in San Francisco, including Sold Out, Wales Interactive, Cubic Motion and numerous indies.

UNITY TECHNOLOGIES

Booth 1402, GDC Expo

With Unity 5 now being used by countless developers around the globe, the engine’s creator will be on hand to demonstrate some of the coolest new features that will soon be available to its vast community.

VMC GAMES

Booth 732, GDC Expo

The QA and localisation expert will be attending GDC to discuss how it can assist developers with beta testing, reaching new markets, handling live operations and more. It will also be able to share more about its Global Beta Test Network.

You can find the full list of exhibitors and their locations by heading to www.gdconf.com/expo

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