The 5 biggest announcements of the 2019 GDC

By Jordan Sirani

Eliminating obstacles was a recurring theme in the most important announcements of this year's Game Developers Conference. Google aims to do so on a large scale, theoretically eliminating hardware barriers with its Stadia streaming platform, while smaller exclusive barriers have been demolished in the form of Cuphead and PlayStation library from Quantic Dream .

On the last day of the GDC, we decided to revisit the past week and compile a list of the most exciting stories of the conference. From the announcement of the launch of Google's gambling initiative to that of the surprise game, here are the five most important announcements of the GDC 2019.

Google stadium unveiled

The official announcement of Google Stadia is without a doubt the biggest news of this year's conference. During its one hour presentation earlier this week, Google formally detailed its gaming initiative, outlining a platform designed for both players, developers and streamers.

Stadia will be supported on desktops, laptops, TV, tablets and phones. The games can be played with existing USB controllers and keyboards, although Google has also revealed its own specially designed controller for the platform. In addition to supporting third-party games from developers such as Ubisoft and id Software, Stadia will offer exclusives developed by its proprietary studio, led by Jade Raymond, Stadia Games and Entertainment.

The platform will be launched in 2019 and more details will be released this summer. We also read the specifications of Google Stadia and recommendations on the speed of the Internet, as well as collaboration with Stadia and its controller.

Announcement of Hyrule cadence

Nintendo's Nindies showcase at GDC ended with Cadence of Hyrule's surprise announcement: Crypt of the NecroDancer feat. THE legend of Zelda. The brand new game takes over Crypt of the NecroDancer, the roguelike-rhythm formula, and adds both Link and Zelda as playable characters, as well as other Hyrule images and sounds.

After the announcement, we spoke with developer Brace Yourself Games to learn how an independent developer has created an official Zelda game.

Cuphead announced for Nintendo Switch

The announcement of Cuphead for Nintendo Switch is another good surprise from GDC's Nindies Showcase. Previously an exclusive Xbox One and PC, the famous independent actor shows up on his new platform on April 18th.

Shortly after the announcement, Microsoft detailed its intention to provide Xbox Live support to Nintendo Switch, starting with Cuphead as a post-launch update.

The old exclusives PS of Quantic Dream on PC

Former PlayStation exclusives: Detroit: Become Human, Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two souls arrive on PC via Epic Games Store.

The partnership between developer Quantic Dream and Epic Games was announced at this year's conference. The three games will be available on PC in 2019 and will remain exclusive to Epic Games Store for one year.

Vampire: The Masquerade – The Surprise Suite Of Bloodlines

The last day of the GDC began with the surprise announcement of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. The continuation of the cult action-RPG 2004 is in development since 2015 and will be available on consoles and PC in 2020.

IGN was able to witness a live demonstration of Bloodlines 2 before GDC was unveiled. Based on our first impressions, it looks like a worthy continuation of the original, "while having the potential to be a great point of view on the modern RPG".

To learn more about this year's conference, check out the complete list of 18 Nintendo games featured by IGN at its GCC 2019 Nindies Showcase.

Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN who is most excited about Bloodlines 2. You can follow him on Twitter.