Interesting article on what we can expect from the 2009 GDC. It doesn't look like anything big will be announced, according to the GDC event director Meggan Scavio

The GDC will take place the week of March 23rd

For the full article go here - http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/03/16/from-kojima-to-first-sexual-experiences-gdc-director-hypes-this-years-show/

After years of increased spectacle that turned GDC into a prelude to E3 — and saw “Gears of War 2” announced during a keynote by one chainsaw-gun-wielding Cliff Bleszinski — Game Developers Conference is going back to basics.

“It got a little out of control with announcements and things of that nature,” GDC event director Meggan Scavio told MTV Multiplayer in a phone interview on Friday. “What GDC is best at is showing what technology and innovation is going to be in a few years. It’s an early peek at what gaming is going to be like two or three years from now.”

This year, there should be fewer announcements. “Metal Gear” mastermind Hideo Kojima will deliver a keynote not to unveil his very own “Spore” but to reflect on the process of making “Metal Gear” games. “His keynote will be a look back,” Scavio said. “It is not there to be a big announcement or anything. Keynotes are not there for game announcements. That’s what press conferences are for. I’m excited about having a developer on stage at the level he is [talking about] ‘How did he get there? ‘ ‘What did he do?’”

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who is also giving a keynote, is also not arriving to present an E3-style product showcase, though he’ll be part of a Nintendo push at GDC to present developers with information and inspiration regarding development for the DSi, the download-friendly, camera-enabled DS arriving in the U.S. on April 5.

There will be plenty of interest at the show for gamers anyway. The MTV Multiplayer team has marked more than 70 speeches, press demos and other events slated for next week’s GDC and related conferences likely to include material of interest to the non-gamemakers out there. There will be roundtables that put the creators of “Shadow of the Colossus” and “Fallout 3” on the same panel to a presentation from the never-dull Peter Molyneux. Technical-sounding panels that include titles like “God of War III” and “Mass Effect 2” in them seem worth a visit. And Scavio highlights some instant classics of her own: a trio of developers behind “Portal,” “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and “Habbo Hotel” pitching games related to their first sexual experiences, post-mortems on major games (including “Gears of War 2″) and the annual Game Developers Choice and Independent Games Festival twin awards shows.

While game companies continue to schedule press demos for upcoming games around GDC, the platform holders are likely to reveal less than they have in the past. Microsoft, which had previously surrounded the event with satellite showcases for upcoming Xbox 360 titles, is showing no new games to the press during the GDC week. (Last year, the company booked demos and interviews for “Fable 2,” “Ninja Gaiden 2,” and “Too Human.“) Sony will return with a “blogger’s lounge,” an off-site venue that has playable games. Nintendo, which, oddly, made GDC 2007 the first venue where “Super Paper Mario” was playable, has not announced plans for any game showcases at this year’s event.

GDC 2009 may be less of a circus and a showcase than in years’ past, but it’s sounding like it will still be a rich show. Just check your chainsaw gun at the door.

Sounds neat, though I'm still hoping for an exciting announcement or two

Pity.