As you can imagine, when we started planning the 2020 edition of the London Games Festival things were very different.
But in the last few weeks we have quickly changed our plans to emphasise digital and online activity and virtual events.
Today marks the start of the London Games Festival, and while it’s not happening on the streets of London, we’re proud to be offering up something for the screens of the world, whether you’re a games professional or keen to more about how games are made.
Indeed, while we won’t be bringing local talents together face to face, we’ve managed to cast a wider net to include games professionals globally.
And the great news is that, despite the circumstances, there’s enough going on across the next week and beyond.
Here’s the highlights:
ENSEMBLE (Today, 26 March onwards)
Our yearly programme championing and showcasing BAME talent in UK games takes place online to start with, before a physical exhibition at various city sites across the year
GAMES LONDON BUSINESS HUB (Monday 30 March & Tuesday 31 March)
Our B2B event survives as a virtual meeting place for professionals, with an emphasis on getting expert advice and talking to funders – and participants from all over the world
GAMES FINANCE MARKET (Wednesday 1 April & Thursday 2 April)
Although now closed to applications, our core event is still taking place – albeit also a digital event, with investor pitch meetings taking place over video calls
NOW PLAY THIS AT HOME (Friday 3 April to Sunday 5 April)
The Now Play This exhibition team are delivering a brand new experimental event over the last three days of the festival – full details to come
BAFTA GAMES AWARDS (Thursday 2 April)
The British Academy is still committed to championing the best games creativity from the last year and will broadcast a winners show revealing who has won its coveted awards
AUTISTICA PLAY (Friday 3 April)
Although most fringe events had to be put on hold by organisers, charity Autistica is putting together a livestream
But right now things have got started with EGX REZZED DIGITAL, an online version of the popular indie games showcase – check out their schedule at www.rezzed.com
