As you might know, this year we hosted our first US-based GodotCon in Boston. Taking place at the tail end of spring, this was three solid days focused solely on making games with the Godot Engine. Our first day had hands-on workshops followed by two days of talks. For our inaugural event we had:
- Over 300 attendees.
- Over 100 proposals.
- 38 talks.
- 14 showcases.
- 3 great days.
GodotCon was run by members of the Boston Godot User Group and Boston Game Dev in co-ordination with the Godot Foundation during Boston Gamedev Week. From May 5th to May 7th we had three days of Godot-focused content at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center (NERD Center!). A huge thanks to Microsoft for generously donating the space. This would not have been possible without them and their commitment to supporting non-profits and open-source software.
And while we’re at it, a huge thanks to all of our sponsors: Arm Technology, Endless Foundation, W4 Games, Mike Klubnika, Xogot, Binary Solo, and Disla Media. Without them a conference like this would not be possible.
The format
For our first US-based GodotCon, we committed to three days of programming. The first day we had five different workshops that covered a host of interesting topics. Travis Hunter walked folks through their first multiplayer experience with an incredibly fun grand finale where everyone got to play their game together. Scott Doxey showed us how to make a gdextension, end-to-end. Simon taught us way more than we ever needed to know about how Markov Chains work and how we can apply that to our projects. Jesse (CoderNunk) gave us a method for doing anime-style 3D characters using Blender. Nicholas O’Brien went into incredible depth on narrative design.
On days 2 and 3, we got an amazing batch of talks and updates. You may have heard Adam talk about how the team got C# web exports working. Acerola took us super in-depth with Compositor Effects. We got a inside look at converting Domekeeper to multiplayer. And some dufus even talked about making games on your phone. All in all, there was a wide berth of topics from folks from the entire Godot community.
We’re happy to say that we have finally released all of the videos from GodotCon for free on YouTube; everything from lightning talks to workshops!
The showcase
In addition to the talks and workshops, we were able to put on a small games showcase.
In no particular order:
- Burrito Bear by SpaceOrca: Eat burritos, avoid garbage in three bold, beautiful, shiny dimensions.
- Turnip Boy Steals the Mail by Snoozy Kanoo: A free new Turnip Boy adventure.
- Memori by PracticalNPC: A precision pixel platformer with challenging puzzles.
- Dunderbeck by RUST LTD: Fight, build, and eat your way across the mythical land of Cincinatti.
- no signal by exodrifter: An emotional point-and-click hard sci-fi adventure.
- Dante’s 9 by John D: A roguelite action-platformer fused with a deckbuilder.
- Dukkido by MariSuCho: A physics-based action-RTS, featuring large handcrafted levels and dungeons.
- Neongarten by Moonroof Studios: A minimalist cyberpunk city builder.
- TurnTide Tales by Comfy Mitten: An epic swashbuckling adventure across the high seas with a daring crew.
We also had some other cool stuff on display!
- Xogot: The Godot editor on an iPad native interface.
- Sweet Spot: An interactive art exhibit by Michael Berthaud.
- Godot Beyond Games: Migeran showed their AR / VR / XR / Mobile / Web / Robotics uses of Godot Engine for non-game work.
- Endless Access: An education platform with lots of neat Godot integrations.
Many thanks go to our small group of volunteers who helped everything run smoothly. Volunteers who did tons of design work. Volunteers who helped talks run smoothly. Volunteers who basically lived at the badge and merch tables and helped us pack our awesome swag bags.
(Speaking of swag bags, how cool was our awesome Anthology “cassette” that included games, demos, and experiments by our speakers and showcasers!?)
The future
When we first mentioned GodotCon Boston, folks were disappointed at the thought of missing a Godot event in Europe. Well, let that thought drift away. Although the name might be different, we’ve got Europe’s Godot Engine event, GodotFest happening in November, and the Godot Foundation has already started organizing the GodotCon EU 2026. Get your tickets for GodotFest now! The prices were just lowered, but they go up starting in October.
But what about GodotCon in the US!?
You’re hearing it here first. GodotCon US will take place in Boston again next year. Putting on GodotCon to this level takes a large effort. The Boston Godot User Group put on a well-organized event. This time they have an entire year to prepare for something even bigger and better.
Do you want to put on the next GodotCon in your city? Let’s make it happen! Reach out and get a conversation started. GodotCon loves to travel, but there are a few things we’d prefer to see from a potential GodotCon site:
- An experienced, dedicated game development group. It’s hard to trust a group that hasn’t been around for a year to stick together for another. (Besides, you need a large pool of volunteers!)
- Some organizing experience.
- Somewhere easy to travel to.
Our GodotCon organizers would love to work with you and get you to successfully host an event.
The support
If you’d like to help keep GodotCon running, please consider supporting the Godot Foundation. Our goal for these events is always to try and keep the cost low so that more of the community can participate. Financial support from the Godot Foundation and sponsorships helps us to do so.