13 Welsh games studios and companies are on the way to the
40th GDC Festival of Gaming – the games industry's
major annual global gathering - in San Francisco, California.
Expected to draw in 30,000 attendees this year, the GDC brings
together game developers seeking to attract attention, promotion
and support.
Supported by the Welsh Government via Creative Wales and Trade and Invest, an
eye-catching Cymru Wales exhibition stand will give the companies
a space to offer live demos of their latest projects, meet
with major players and grow their networks - forging strong
international connections that could potentially become major
inward investment opportunities for Wales.
One of the trade mission's biggest success stories is the
Rocket Science Group.
The company, which also has bases in New York and Texas, decided
to establish its UK base in Wales after connecting with members
of the Creative Wales team at the GDC in 2022.
Within 12 months, the Cardiff office had employed 50+ Welsh and
Wales-based creatives, allowing the company to add new products
and services, and doubling its revenue.
Some of Wales' finest studios and companies, including Breaking
Change, COPA Gaming, Delta V and Dragon Scale Studios are in the
delegation this year.
Dragon Scale Studios will also be attending to showcase their
latest IP in-development: Snuggly Tails -
a story book adventure designed for parent and child
co play.
Co-Founder and Studio Director said Jan Pelka
said:
"We're really happy to be heading back to GDC this year! It's
always an incredible opportunity to show off our newest prototype
to a wider audience of industry professionals, and to spend time
connecting with peers, publishers, and collaborators from across
the games industry.
“Trade missions like this are hugely valuable for smaller
studios. They help startups access large international events
that might otherwise be difficult to attend, and they provide
support, visibility, and a strong network while you're there. The
Welsh cohort in particular often becomes a group of close
industry friends, and the relationships formed during these trips
often are just as valuable as the meetings and conference
themselves.
“Events like GDC also give studios like ours a chance to remind
people that we're very much alive, active, and continuing to make
cool and mighty things!"
The Games sector is a thriving creative sector in Wales, with
some major achievements in recent years including Steam chart
success for Wales Interactive's Sker Ritual and Cardiff-based
Sugar Creative's long-term partnership to create content for
Ubisoft.
The UK gaming market was reportedly worth around £7.82 billion in
2023, and an estimated £352 billion globally. To date, Creative
Wales has directly supported 77 digital companies including
games, animation and immersive tech studios.
Minister for Creative, , said:
“This trade mission is an important tool that provides our
talented creatives with opportunities to share new IP, build
connections, share ideas and build lasting partnerships and reach
audiences worldwide that will drive real growth back home.
“We're making sure our games companies have every opportunity to
grow and attract investment and I'm proud that through Creative
Wales we can give our games industry the platform it deserves on
the global stage."
Notes to editors
To view the list of Welsh companies attending, click here:
GDC 2026
To discover more about funding and support offered to Games
companies click here: Game On
