Welsh games studios head to San Francisco for global industry showcase
Thirteen Welsh games studios and companies are in San Francisco this week representing Wales at the 40th GDC Festival of Gaming, the games industry’s main annual global gathering.
Creative Wales and Trade and Invest Wales, both part of the Welsh Government, are leading the trade mission, which runs from 9 to 13 March 2026.
The Welsh group is exhibiting at the Cymru Wales pavilion in the South Hall.
Jack Sargeant MS, the Welsh Government minister responsible for the creative industries, said the event was a direct route to international growth for Welsh studios.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
The 13 companies attending cover a range of activity within the games sector, from independent development studios to publishers, backend technology providers and creative agencies.
Studios at this year’s event include 10six Games, which is showcasing You vs Zombies, an AI-driven title selected as an official entry for the London Games Festival 2026.
COPA Gaming, whose lead developer Matt Aspland runs a YouTube channel with more than 19 million views teaching Unreal Engine development, is presenting The Department/Trosedd, a Welsh detective game set against a bilingual Heddlu/Police backdrop.
Rocket Science Group, which has its European headquarters in Cardiff, is one of the trade mission’s established success stories. The company first connected with Creative Wales at GDC in 2022 and chose Cardiff for its UK base as a result.
Within 12 months its Cardiff office had employed more than 50 people and the company doubled its revenue. It expanded again in 2025 with the addition of Multiplay and the launch of Space Rangers, a specialist games industry recruitment studio.
Good Gate Media, founded by BAFTA Cymru Award-winner John Giwa-Amu, is attending alongside a portfolio that includes the film The Man in My Basement, which held the number one streaming spot on Hulu after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Creative Wales said it has directly supported 77 digital companies to date, including games, animation and immersive tech studios.
The GDC Festival of Gaming is expected to draw 30,000 attendees this year.
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