While there are going to be plenty of highlights for both game developers and the videogame press at large to talk about at this month’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, event director Meggan Scavio has confirmed that there will be no keynotes delivered by the big three console manufacturers, Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony, in an effort to move the conference away from “announcing things” and towards “[focussing] on developers.”

This year at GDC, the biggest headline event will be a keynote delivered by industry legend and game designer Sid Meier, as opposed to any new hardware announcements by Sony or Nintendo, if Scavio can help it.

Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Scavio said:

“I’ve taken a bit of a shift when it comes to programming keynotes - I really want to focus on developers, and I want to have a developer onstage at GDC every year as a way of showcasing what the conference is about.

“It’s not about making news,” Scavio continued, “it’s not about announcing things - it’s about making better games, and I kind of want to… not really turn them into icons, but I want to recognise the talent of the developers out there.

“There’s a core to GDC that’s developer-friendly, and I want it to be a place that’s a community,” she said. “People think of it as that place they go once a year, they see old friends - and when it becomes so enormous, people lose that community feel. They get lost and alone at GDC, and it’s not meant to be that way - so I don’t mind that E3 is taking off as a trade show again.”

Sounds like a fine idea to me!

GDC 2010 takes place from March 9th to March 13th at the San Francisco Moscone Center this year.

Get me on a plane! I ain’t gettin’ on no boat, fool!

Source: GamesIndustry.biz