SIGGRAPH 2026 Launches Dedicated Games Summit in Los Angeles

While SIGGRAPH has long served as a hub for real-time rendering and computer graphics research, the Games Summit marks a deliberate expansion into broader industry challenges. According to Games Chair Emily Hsu, the programming acknowledges that technical brilliance alone is insufficient if it lacks economic viability. Sessions will bridge the gap between creative ambition and bottom-line efficiency, covering topics ranging from accessibility and audio design to the complexities of proprietary engine development.

The summit features a deep dive into the practicalities of AAA production, including a session on Electronic Arts' work with the Battlefield 6 destruction system and a breakdown of film-grade performance capture pipelines. A central highlight is the fireside chat with IO Interactive’s Henrik Schlichter and AMD’s John Canning, who will dissect the risks and rewards of building custom engines like Glacier. By seating film and game developers together for an OpenUSD roundtable, the conference aims to foster hybrid fluency in an era where the traditional boundaries between cinematic production and interactive gaming have largely dissolved. Following the summit, specialized games-focused content—including the long-running Advances in Real-Time Rendering course—will continue throughout the remainder of the week.