Game developers and producers are gathering in San Francisco for the weeklong Game Developers Conference, but this year, many international developers say they are staying away because the country is too dangerous.
Dozens told Ars Technica they are wary of travelling to a country they see as hostile to international visitors, particularly developers from minority groups, trans developers and anyone with outspoken politics.
Godot Foundation executive director Emilio Coppola said: “I honestly don’t know anyone who is not from the US who is planning on going to the next GDC. We never felt super safe, but now we are not willing to risk it.”
Some developers said their doubts started in 2020, when GDC was cancelled due to Covid-19, then replaced by a smaller Summer GDC later in the year. One developer, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “The value of in-person events has kind of stepped off since COVID pushed things virtual.”
For many, the mood shifted hard around the 2025 show during President Donald Trump’s second term, as border scrutiny stories spread beyond immigration enforcement.
Le Cabinet du Savoir creative director Nazih Fares said: “Hearing European citizens getting arrested by border control over their views on the US is not something I would like to test for myself.”
Some who travelled in 2025 described the trip as grim rather than normal.
Pamplemousse Games freelancer and audio director Neha Patel said: “The agent at the border was very intrusive, more than the usual ‘Ah, brown people’ racism. I lied and said that I did not have American clients, nor did I admit that work as a freelancer. I was too scared.”
Studios responded with paperwork and briefings that sounded more like a crisis drill than a conference plan. A big-budget studio developer, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “Last year, every studio representative got an additional safety briefing, and our company helped prepare legal paperwork for everyone in case they got in trouble with ICE or immigration. For 2026, we’re not planning any physical presence as far as I know.”
Individuals piled on their own safety rituals before flying. Twirlbound senior producer JC Lau said: “I felt compelled to send copies of my itinerary, passport and other IDs, speaker information to at least three other people who weren’t attending, with the instructions that if I didn’t contact them by a specified time to let them know that I had landed and cleared security, that they should take my information to the Australian consulate.”
Coppola said: “I scrubbed my social media timelines just in case I posted something that could get me in trouble.”
A GDC representative told Ars the 2025 show “saw strong attendance from international attendees that was generally in line with previous cycles.” Yet developers said the travel climate now sits behind every booking decision, particularly with the show pushing new branding as the “Festival of Gaming”.
Cohop Game founder Eline Muijres said: “I read a few long reads about how UK/German tourists ended up detained, and that was the final straw for me. I have a unique name, and it is very easy to find my political views online. It doesn’t feel safe for me.”
Phantom Compass developer Tony Walsh said: “We have heard enough firsthand stories of trouble at the border, and it’s only getting worse by the week. It’s totally unsafe for us to cross the border.”
For some, this fear is an escalation of old problems rather than a brand new shock. Indie developer and consultant Rami Ismail said: “I’ve never really felt safe traveling to the US,” and added: “Under this new, violent administration, it’s simply not safe to travel.”
Ismail continued: “I ain’t going to GDC because I’m 99 per cent sure I would not leave detention anytime soon. It used to be bad; now my white friends are being treated like I used to be.”
Even developers who assume they would sail through scrutiny said that confidence now feels brittle. An Xbox employee in a foreign country, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “I work for Xbox, and I am white, so it shouldn’t be a problem for me. Until it is,” and added: “Many international folks are not coming in person because of the political situation.”
