Hey!
We’re only days away from the the Game Developers Conference and Epic is excited to be there. Unreal Engine developers and our partners have scheduled a wide variety of presentations and talks throughout the week, so be sure to look through the list and come see them. We’ll also be hanging out on the expo floor at the Unreal Engine booth where you can come up and talk to us or try out some cool demos.
If you are going to GDC, let us know in the thread and be sure to say “Hi” to us at the booth!
You will absolutely want to see our “State of Unreal: Epic Games Opening Session” happening on Wednesday, March 16, at 9:30am PT in Moscone West 3001 and livestreamed to Twitch.
GO HANDS-ON WITH UNREAL ENGINE GAMES AT GDC 2016
Before we dive into details around all of the learning content, we’re honored to announce what you’ll be able to enjoy at the Unreal Engine booth at Moscone South 1024.
Please help us welcome these amazing developers into the Unreal family. Stop by and say hello, and play these games we love from teams large and small:
3 Kingdom Blade from Action Square (Android)
ABZÛ from Giant Squid and 505 Games (PS4)
ARK: Survival Evolved from Studio Wildcard (Xbox One)
Astroneer from System Era (PC)
Bears Can’t Drift!? from Strangely Named Studio (PS4)
GRIP from Caged Element (PC)
Obduction from Cyan (PC)
Protostar from Epic Games and Samsung (Android)
Rocket League from Psyonix (Xbox One)
Street Fighter V from Capcom (PS4)
Unreal Tournament by Epic Games (PC)
FUN FACT: Obduction and Astroneer will be publicly playable for the first time ever, and we’re honored to make this showing possible for Cyan and System Era Works, respectively. We’ve been fanning out over these two games and can’t wait to get them into your hands.
Have questions about Unreal Engine 4? Come on by!
Epic’s senior developers and support staff will be on hand to provide Unreal Editor demonstrations, give talks in our open theater (featuring a new talk every 30 minutes!) and converse openly on the show floor.
Our team and a handful of outstanding community members will be happy to show you around.
What about VR, you say?
Of course, we haven’t forgotten about VR. Keep an eye out for more news in the coming days.
GO FORTH AND PROSPER WITH UNREAL
Now, onto the GDC sessions. Please note that all times listed below are PST (GMT -8).
MONDAY, MARCH 14
VRDC begins!
We’ll share more news on the VR awesomeness that will be kicking off on Monday, 3/14 very soon.
Epic’s Jim Brown holds his annual workshop:
**“Level Design Workshop: The Illusion of Choice”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/level-design-workshop-the-illusion-of-choice)
**2:10-2:40pm in Moscone North 130
Jim Brown, Senior Designer, Epic Games
And Epic’s Jay Hosfelt returns:
**“Animation Bootcamp: Tricks of the Trade”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/animation-bootcamp-tricks-of-the-trade)
**4:40-5:10pm in Moscone North 132
Amy Drobeck, Senior Animator, 5th Cell Media
Jean-Denis Haas, Lead Animator, ILM
Billy , Animation Director, Sucker Punch
Jay Hosfelt, Lead Animator, Epic Games
Simon Unger, Lead Animator, Phoenix Labs
M. Lehmann, Art Director, Riot Games
AI Summit begins!
**“AI for Generated Worlds”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/ai-for-generated-worlds)
**4:40-5:10pm in Moscone North 134
Damian Isla, Co-Founder & Tech, The Molasses Flood
Abercrombie, Emperor, Epic Games
(editor’s note: is that really your title? 
TUESDAY, MARCH 15
**GDC 2016 Unreal Engine Education Summit
**8:30-11:30am at the Intercontinental Hotel
Eventbrite registration is open!
Audience: Educators and Instructors
Epic’s big session at VRDC:
**“Going Off the Rails: The Making of Bullet Train”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/going-off-the-rails-the-making-of-bullet-train)
**10-11am in Moscone West 2006
Donaldson, Senior Designer, Epic Games
Whiting, Technical Director & Lead VR Engineer, Epic Games
A few more talks from Epic and Unreal friends:
**“VR Production & Development: A Deep Dive Into Kite & Lightning’s Workflow”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/vr-production-development-a-deep-dive-into-kite-lightnings-workflow)
**10-11am in Moscone West 2002
Ikrima Elhassan, Co-founder & Technical Director, Kite & Lightning
Cory Strassburger, Co-founder & Creative Director, Kite & Lightning
**“Making Compelling and Immersive Story at 90 FPS”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/making-compelling-and-immersive-story-at-90-fps)
**1:20-1:50pm in Moscone West 2002
Maxwell Planck, Technical Director, Oculus Story Studio
**“Tales from the Trenches: AI Disaster Stories”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/tales-from-the-trenches-ai-disaster-stories)
**1:20-1:50pm in Moscone North 134
Rabin, Principal Lecturer, Digipen Institute of Technology
Rez Graham, Senior AI Programmer, Independent
Abercrombie, “Emperor,” Epic Games
Champandard, Founder & CEO, AiGameDev.com
Tobias Karlsson, Principal Software Engineer, Microsoft
Troy Humphreys, Lead AI Programmer, Turtle Rock Studios
**“Creating a World for Companies and Brands”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/creating-a-world-for-companies-and-brands)
**3:50-4:20 in Moscone West 2002
Tony Christopher, CEO & President, Landmark Entertainment Group
**“Is Vulkan a Game Changer?”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/panel-discussion-is-vulkan-a-game-changer-presented-by-imagination-technologies)
**4-5pm in Moscone West 3022
Joe , Leading Developer Technology Engineer, Imagination Technologies
Tobias Hector, Software Design Engineer, Imagination Technologies
Niklas Smedberg, Senior Engineer, Epic Games
Bill Bilodeau, Developer Advocate, Google, Inc.
Dean Sekulic, Co-founder, Croteam
**“Rebel Rebel: Challenging the Rules of VR”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/rebel-rebel-challenging-the-rules-of-vr)
**4:40-5:10pm in Moscone West 2006
Orth, Founder & Creative Director, Three One Zero
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16
Jackpot! This is the Big Day.
These sessions in the dedicated Unreal Engine theater will be listed on the GDC website and app scheduler soon, but you’re seeing it here first!
**“State of Unreal: Epic Games Opening Session”
**9:30-10:30am in Moscone West 3001
Livestreamed to Twitch
**“The Future of Virtual Reality: Luminary Panel Discussion”
**11am-12pm in Moscone West 3001
Livestreamed to Twitch
**“Building Paragon in Unreal Engine 4”
**12:30-1:30pm in Moscone West 3001
Livestreamed to Twitch
**“Digital Humans: Crossing the Uncanny Valley in Unreal Engine 4”
**2-3pm in Moscone West 3001
Livestreamed to Twitch
**“A Real-Time Rendered Future”
**3:30-4:30pm in Moscone West 3001
Livestreamed to Twitch
**“Game Developers Town Hall”
**5-6pm in Moscone West 3001
Livestreamed to Twitch
And, if the above isn’t enough to whet your appetite, there are even more Unreal talks on Wednesday:
**“Vulkan on Mobile Unreal Engine 4 Case Study”
**](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/vulkan-on-mobile-with-unreal-engine-4-case-study-presented-by-arm)9:30-10:30am in Moscone West 3022
Marius Bjorge, Staff Engineer, ARM
Daniele Di Donato, Senior Software Engineer, ARM
Niklas Smedberg, Senior Engineer, Epic Games
**“Hitting Budget: Creating Highly Detailed Worlds with Unreal Engine 4 and Simplygon”
**](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/hitting-budget-an-example-of-creating-highly-detailed-worlds-with-ue4-and-simplygon-presented-by-simplygon)11am-12pm in Moscone West 3007
Samuel Rantaeskola, Product Expert, Simplygon
Jurre De Baare, Framework Engineer, Epic Games
**“2016: A Pivotal Year for F2P on PlayStation”
**](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/2016-a-pivotal-year-for-f2p-on-playstation-presented-by-sony)12:30-1:30pm in Moscone West 3022
Wes Phillips, Global Brand Manager, Epic Games
Sarah Thomson, Sr. Account Executive, F2P, Sony Computer Entertainment America
Erik Whiteford, Director of Marketing, Wargaming.net
Todd Harris, COO, Hi-Rez Studios
Ivan Sulic, VP of Marketing, Digital Extremes
Laura Naviaux, Chief Publishing Officer, Daybreak Games
**“Making Light Work of Dynamic Large Worlds”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/making-light-work-of-dynamic-large-worlds-presented-by-arm)**2-3pm in Moscone West 3009
Dominic Matthews, Product Development Manager, Ninja Theory
Ivan Pedersen, Technical Artist, Geomerics
THURSDAY, MARCH 17
“Introduction to Unreal”](Introduction to Unreal: GDC Thursday Tickets, Thu, Mar 17, 2016 at 9:30 AM | Eventbrite)
9:30am-12:30pm at the AMC Metreon
No GDC badge required - FREE!
**“The Gamer’s , Part 2: UX of Onboarding and Player Engagement”
**](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/the-gamers--part-2-ux-of-onboarding-and-player-engagement)10-11am in Moscone West 2006
Celia Hodent, Director of User Experience, Epic Games
**“Production: Working at the Heart of the Team”
**](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/production-working-at-the-heart-of-the-team)11:30am-12:30pm in Moscone North 132
Shonkwiler, Producer, Epic Games
Greg Stone, Sr. Producer, Backflip Studios
Charles, Sr. Producer, Gearbox
Michelle Ducker, Producer, Media Molecule
**“Rendering Faster and Better with NVIDIA GameWorks VR in UE4”
**](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/rendering-faster-and-better-with-nvidia-gameworks-vr-in-ue4-presented-by-nvidia)12:45-1:45pm in Moscone West 3014
Cem Cebenoyan, Director of Engineering, Game Engines and Core Tech, NVIDIA
**“Surrounded by 800lb Gorillas! Standing Up to the Competition”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/surrounded-by-800lb-gorillas-standing-up-to-the-competition-presented-by-boss-key-productions)**12:45-1:45pm in Moscone West 2009
Cliff Bleszinski, CEO, Boss Key Productions
Arjan Brussee, COO, Boss Key Productions
Tramell Isaac, Art Director, Boss Key Productions
Rohan Rivas, Studio Communications Manager, Boss Key Productions
**“Building Obduction: Cyan’s Custom UE4 Art Tools”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/building-obduction-cyans-custom-ue4-art-tools)**3:00-3:30pm in Moscone West 2001
Eric Anderson, Art Director, Cyan, Inc.
**“In the Trenches: Optimizing UE4 for Intel”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/in-the-trenches-optimizing-ue4-for-intel-presented-by-intel)**5:30-6:30pm in Moscone West 2000
Niklas Smedberg, Senior Engineer, Epic Games
Jeff Rous, Graphics Software Engineer, Intel
**“Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel on Android - AAA Porting with NVIDIA CodeWorks”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-on-android-aaa-porting-with-nvidia-codeworks-presented-by-nvidia)**5:30-6:30pm in Moscone West 3014
Horowitz, Engineering Manager, Developer Tools Mobile, NVIDIA
Paul Hodgson, Sr. Developer Technology Engineer, NVIDIA
Jeffrey Kiel, Sr. SW Engineering Manager, Graphics Developer Tools, NVIDIA
FRIDAY, MARCH 18
“Introduction to Unreal”](Introduction to Unreal: GDC Friday Tickets, Fri, Mar 18, 2016 at 9:30 AM | Eventbrite)9:30am-12:30pm at the AMC Metreon
No GDC badge required - FREE!
“Killer Portfolio or Portfolio Killer: Part 1”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/killer-portfolio-or-portfolio-killer-part-1-advice-from-industry-artists)11:45am-12:45pm in Moscone North 130
Greg Foertsch, Senior Art Director, Firaxis Games
Alison Kelly, Consultant, Alison Kelly Consulting
Wyeth , Lead Technical Artist, Epic Games
Shawn Robertson, Art Director, Irrational Games
Nicholas (Sparth) Bouvier, Art Director, 343 Industries
Scott, Senior FX Art Lead, Bungie
“Magical Realism: The Art of Creating Everest in Your Living Room with VR”](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/magical-realism-the-art-of-creating-everest-in-your-living-room-with-vr-presented-by-nvidia)12:15-1:15pm in Moscone West 3014
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson, CEO and Co-founder, Sólfar Studios
**“How We Introduced UX into Epic Games’ Production Pipeline”
**](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/how-we-introduced-ux-to-epic-games-production-pipeline)1:30-2:30pm in Moscone West 3001
Celia Hodent, Director of User Experience, Epic Games
Heather Chandler, Sr. Producer, Epic Games
**Killer Portfolio or Portfolio Killer: Part 2
**](http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/killer-portfolio-or-portfolio-killer-part-2-portfolio-reviews)1:30-5pm in Moscone North 132
Greg Foertsch, Senior Art Director, Firaxis Games
Darren Bacon, Lead Concept Artist, 343 Industries
Marie-Michelle Pepin, Character Artist, Freelance
Sulzbach, Lead Character Artist, Firaxis Games
Gavin Goulden, Lead Character Artist, Insomniac Games
Scott, Senior FX Art Lead, Bungie
Nicholas “Sparth” Bouvier, Art Director, 343 Industries
Shawn Robertson, Art Director, Irrational Games
Wyeth , Lead Technical Artist, Epic Games
Alison Kelly, Consultant, Alison Kelly Consulting
David , Lead Visual Effects Artist, Infinity Ward
–
Make sure to let us know if you’re going! We’re looking forward to meeting as many people as possible.
That’s it for now! Stay tuned for more announcements next week and at GDC.
If you’re on Twitter, you can get all the latest updates by following @UnrealEngine](https://twitter.com/UnrealEngine).