2nd – 5th October

Central London.

The London Games Festival is a week of events aspiring to become the “Cannes” of the games industry. Well situated in London, as the UK has long been regarded as the gateway
to the European games market in both business and consumer terms. In its first year, the festival will be predominantly trade focused, but cultural, artistic, educational and consumer
elements will evolve as part of the activities too. The core events will be:

  • TIGA Content Market (3rd and 4th October) – a market where developers can meet publishers and service providers to the industry. Following previous highly successful content markets in London by TIGA (The Independent Games Developers Association), this year’s event is set to be bigger and better
  • London Games Summit (4th and 5th October) – a fascinating conference looking at key issues of interest to publishers and developers, held by TIGA and ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association)
  • BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards for artistic and creative innovation in video games with the makers credited rather than the marketers.

    Ian Baverstock, Chair of TIGA said,

    “The combinbation of Londons economic development agency, BAFTA, plus both TIGA and ELSPA champing at the bit to work towards creating a new international event has been a while coming but this is the beginning of something built on solid foundations and we expect many important organisations to announce complimentary activities in the near future”

    Rob Cooper, MD Northern Europe and Export, Ubisoft UK said,

    “With publishers, retailers and developers staging their own events throughout the year, it is clear that our industry needs an event that brings all aspects of it together in a forum that really shows video games at their best and that the UK is still a world leader in this market. The London Games Festival will allow new ideas and opportunities to flourish, and will also allow the industry, in conjunction with BAFTA, to show its recognition and respect to those who have achieved great results over the year.”

    Paul Jackson, VP and MD Northern Europe, Electronic Arts said,
    “We’re incredibly excited by London Games Festival. It is something that is grabbing the industry’s imagination. The hope is that it captures for games what an event like Cannes captures for film. We’ll be looking to see how we can be involved in the London Games Festival in ways that best reflect the EA brand and our games.”

    Adam Roberts, EVP Europe and UK MD, Vivendi said,

    “London Games Festival is a remarkable way of carrying the message that games are central to modern culture and entertainment. And from an industry perspective, it’s fantastic to see ELSPA, TIGA, BAFTA and the London Development Agency working together.”