It was a pleasure connecting with everyone at GDC 2024! Our booth was buzzing with excitement as attendees stopped by to dive into the world of O3DE. We fielded a number of interesting questions, ranging from technical topics, to broader discussions about the future of open source game development. Many left with an O3DE hat or shirt, but more importantly, they departed with a deeper understanding of what O3DE has to offer – and where we aim to take the engine, placing user concerns and vision front and center.
Throughout the event, our demos and sessions garnered significant interest, covering topics like the O3DE renderer, design principles, toolkits, roadmap, and mobile development within O3DE. These sessions served as valuable educational opportunities, empowering attendees to grasp the potential and versatility of our platform.
Speaking of demos, Oppo had a booth at GDC with several high fidelity demos created with O3DE, which they had running on their mobile devices. Below are just a few of the displays from their booth. 
GDC wasn’t just about disseminating information – it also provided us with valuable insight about the pulse of the game development community. Conversations with developers shed light on why O3DE and other open-source tools and engines are so crucial to the game dev ecosystem. More importantly, these discussions provided us with a clear idea of how we need to improve the engine:
- Unchanging, Transparent Licensing: O3DE’s licensing terms need to remain consistent and transparent, ensuring developers are never blindsided by unexpected charges.
- User-Driven Development: Features need to be developed based on user needs, not vendor monetization goals. This ethos will be facilitated by the O3DE Foundation (O3DF), which operates through community contributions and donations, allowing for a focus on user-centric development.
- Cutting-Edge Renderer and Modular Design: O3DE needs to continue to focus on developing a modern, high-fidelity renderer and a modular architecture, facilitating easy integration of third-party tools and simplifying feature additions.
- Openness and Standardization: O3DE must continue to commit to an open codebase for all to see, fostering a welcoming environment for developers transitioning between game development tools.
Buoyed by the feedback and insights gathered at GDC, the O3DF is doubling down on its commitment to the community. Here’s how we’re taking action:
- Prioritizing Stability: We’re dedicated to minimizing crashes and bugs within O3DE to ensure a smoother user experience.
- Thoughtful Development: We understand the importance of avoiding disruptive changes without proper deprecation plans.
- Enhanced Feature Development: We’re exploring the implementation of webGPU, Blender integration, Houdini integration, and USD pipeline integration to further enhance O3DE’s capabilities.
- Boosting Visibility: We’re working tirelessly to increase the visibility of O3DE and other open-source tools and engines, ensuring they receive the recognition they deserve.
If you share our passion for O3DE and want to get involved, this is the perfect time to join the community! We want to hear from users and developers, to help create a 3D engine that works for you. Whether you’re a user or a potential contributor, there’s a place for you in our growing ecosystem. Connect with us on GitHub and Discord to engage with like-minded individuals, or visit the O3D Foundation website to learn more.
Together, let’s shape the future of game development with O3DE!
