A tumultuous time in the game industry is underscored by ICE at GDC fears

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In a response to a question about how GDC Festival of Gaming will react to ICE agents if they request information about attendees or to access the convention, I was told that organizers are in “discussions with the mayor’s office … about the safety, security, and overall experience of attendees.”

When asked earlier for specifics about the discussions between city officials and GDC, I was referred to a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie in which he underscores the priorities of local law enforcement as protecting public safety, “including the right to peaceful expression.”

“We will continue to uphold San Francisco’s longstanding policies that keep local law enforcement focused on keeping our city safe—not federal immigration enforcement,” the mayor wrote. “If you see SFPD on the street, they are there to keep you safe, not to assist immigration enforcement.”

Earlier in the week, I raised concerns some have about the safety of international visitors to the show with GDC Executive Director, Innovation & Growth, Mark DeLoura.

When I asked whether organizers have discussed the possibility of ICE agents coming to GDC, which runs from March 9 to March 13, to conduct visa checks among attendees, DeLoura said they have had a range of conversations.

“We have really good partners in San Francisco in the mayor’s office as well as at the state level,” he said. “So that’s helpful for sure.

“These are questions that are very appropriate, and we think about a lot. I really think of GDC as being an international event, so I want it to be safe for international people.”

You can read the full column, which was first published Jan. 29 on Game.