GDC 2010 attracts record industry numbers

The 2010 Game Developer's Conference, which ended in San Francisco on Saturday, attracted a record industry turn out of over 18,000, the show's organisers have confirmed.

In total, 18,250 industry professionals attended the event - surpassing last year's total of 17,000.

The five day event included keynotes from Sid Meier and Peter Molyneux, and Sony also took the opportunity to both showcase the first games for its upcoming motion controller and announce its official name - PlayStation Move.

"Even through hailstorms and turbulent business times, the passion, experience and sheer dedication of the gaming community really showed through this week, to make for an incredible conference," said event director Meggan Scavio.

"I'm proud to see the games industry reinvigorated by the new platforms, inspiring ideas and fresh business models showcased at GDC 2010, and I hope attendees take the lessons that they learned from the event to create tomorrow’s amazing titles."

Alongside the news of record attendance, it was also confirmed the show will return to the Moscone Convention Center next year from Monday, February 28 to Friday, March 4.

A call for lecture submissions will open this summer, while other GDC events - including Canada, Europe and Austin - are still to take place this year.

The show hosted a wide range of tutorials and summits, including the AI Summit, Mobile/Handheld Summit and GamesBeat as well as the 12th Annual Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Choice Awards.

You can read our extensive coverage of the show highlights here.

Photo courtesy of the Game Developers Conference