GDC attendance hits record 22,500, up 17 percent

The annual Game Developers Conference broke records this year with more than 22,500 attendees, up 17 percent from a year ago.

That’s probably a sign of the times, as the overall game industry has expanded and, as a whole, has recovered from the economic doldrums of 2008-2009. The GDC attendance number is a bellwether for the industry’s overall economic health, which has been bolstered by the growth of mobile, social and online games even as the core console game industry shrinks.

The career hall seemed particularly busy. The expo floor had more than 300 exhibitors. Montreal-based Polytron took home the Seamus McNally grand prize for the Independent Games Festival for the game Fez. And Bethesda Game Studios won Game of the Year at the Game Developers Choice Awards for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Check out our compete coverage of the five-day event here.