Event Date:
March 9, 2026 - March 13, 2026
Event Location:
Moscone Center | San Francisco, CA
Event Details:

Schell Games will have a significant presence at GDC 2026 (Game Developers Conference), held from March 9–13 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Six team members, including CEO Jesse Schell, will lead sessions covering the full spectrum of modern game development. Key technical deep dives include John Kolencheryl’s analysis of the modular architecture evolution within the I Expect You To Die VR trilogy and Crystal Lee’s roundtable on AI Audio workflows. Leadership and professional health are also prioritized, with sessions on soft skills in engineering by Jess Case, community building by Daniel Lin, and a microtalk strategy guide on overcoming impostor syndrome featuring Ziyad Duron.
- Schell Games
- Jesse Schell
- I Expect You To Die (Trilogy)
- GDC Live Service Summit
- VR puzzle design
- Leadership as a Service (LaaS)
- live service game design
- What is the schedule for Schell Games speakers at GDC 2026?
- Monday, March 9: Jess Case (1:50 PM, Room 3018) and Jesse Schell (3:10 PM, Room 2006). Tuesday, March 10: Daniel Lin (3:10 PM, Room 207). Wednesday, March 11: John Kolencheryl (10:30 AM, Room 2001). Thursday, March 12: Ziyad Duron (10:30 AM, Room 3018). Friday, March 13: Crystal Lee (10:50 AM, Room 312).
- Will there be any sessions focused on Virtual Reality (VR) technology?
- Yes. On Wednesday, March 11, Principal Engineer John Kolencheryl will present a session on the technology evolution of the I Expect You To Die series, specifically discussing the transition from monolithic classes to modular, event-driven architecture in VR development.
- Does the event cover the impact of Artificial Intelligence on game development?
- Yes. Crystal Lee is hosting an AI Audio Roundtable on Friday, March 13, in Room 312 (South Hall). The session covers AI use-cases in audio generation, workflow assistance, and sound library searching.
- Are there sessions for game community organizers or studio leads?
- Yes. Daniel Lin is leading a roundtable for community organizers on Tuesday, and Jess Case is presenting on leadership soft skills and "Leadership as a Service" on Monday.
- Where can I hear Jesse Schell speak at GDC 2026?
- Jesse Schell will be presenting "Game Designer's Notebook" on Monday, March 9, at 3:10 PM in Room 2006 (West Hall) as part of the Live Service Summit.







