Padua, March 13, 2026 - DStars, the Italian initiative dedicated to celebrating and connecting the video game development industry, returns on March 27–28, 2026 with two days of online events highlighting the best of Italian game development and bringing together voices from across the international games industry. The event will open on March 27 with the DStars Awards 2026, recognizing excellence among Italian studios and professionals. Competing for Game of the Year are five standout titles: CloverPit, Bye Sweet Carol, The Lonesome Guild, Horses, and Steel Seed. Alongside the main award, the event will celebrate the achievements of some of the most talented developers and studios in the Italian industry.
On March 28, the focus shifts to DStars Connects, the conference format dedicated to talks and discussions with leading industry figures. This year’s edition introduces Patch as the new media partner and will be hosted by Emanuele Gregori, Alessandro Bruni, and Alberto Belli. The conference will open with Andre Garcia, Design Director who has worked on titles such as Dragon Age, Anthem, and Assassin’s Creed Unity, during his career at studios including BioWare, Hangar 13, Ubisoft, IO Interactive, and Lucasfilm.
Additional Italian and international guests, along with the full event schedule, will be announced next week.
DStars continues its mission to celebrate Italian talent while creating opportunities for dialogue and connection with the global games industry.
DStars Awards shortlisted nominees
https://www.dstars.it/dstars-awards-awards-2026
DStars Connects schedule [updated daily since now on]
https://www.dstars.it/dstars-connects-speakers-2026
Past Editions https://www.dstars.it/past-editions
Don’t miss the chance to hear from industry leaders and celebrate the excellence of game development at DStars 2026!