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1/9 More than 2,000 people attend TennoCon, an annual convention at London's convention centre, RBC Place, Saturday which celebrates Warframe, a video game developed by London company Digital Extremes. (MAX MARTIN, The London Free Press) 2/9 A costume of a Warframe character by Henchmen Studios, a special-effects shop in Toronto, is modelled at TennoCon Saturday. The outfit took a team of eight people more than three weeks to make. More than 2,000 people attend TennoCon, an annual convention at London's convention centre, RBC Place, Saturday which celebrates Warframe, a video game developed by London company Digital Extremes. (MAX MARTIN, The London Free Press) 3/9 A costume of a Warframe character by Henchmen Studios, a special-effects shop in Toronto, is modelled at TennoCon Saturday. The outfit took a team of eight people more than three weeks to make. More than 2,000 people attend TennoCon, an annual convention at London's convention centre, RBC Place, Saturday which celebrates Warframe, a video game developed by London company Digital Extremes. (MAX MARTIN, The London Free Press) 4/9 A Warframe player tests his skills at one of many gaming stations set up around TennoCon TennoCon, an annual convention of gamers hosted by Warframe developer Digital Extremes at London's convention centre, RBC Place. (MAX MARTIN, The London Free Press) 5/9 Giant sculptures depicting characters from the popular online game Warframe -- developed by London-based Digital Extremes -- greet fans as they enter TennoCon, an annual convention of gamers hosted by Digital Extremes at London's convention centre, RBC Place. (MAX MARTIN, The London Free Press) 6/9 Costumes of Warframe characters by Henchmen Studios, a special-effects shop in Toronto, are modelled at TennoCon Saturday. Each outfit took a team of eight people more than three weeks to make. More than 2,000 people attend TennoCon, an annual convention at London's convention centre, RBC Place, Saturday which celebrates Warframe, a video game developed by London company Digital Extremes. (MAX MARTIN, The London Free Press) 7/9 More than 2,000 people attend TennoCon, an annual convention at London's convention centre, RBC Place, Saturday which celebrates Warframe, a video game developed by London company Digital Extremes. (MAX MARTIN, The London Free Press) 8/9 A panel discussion was part of TennoCon, an annual convention at London's convention centre, RBC Place, Saturday which celebrates Warframe, a video game developed by London company Digital Extremes. More than 2,000 people attended. (MAX MARTIN, The London Free Press) 9/9 The line-up of fans -- some of whom arrived as early at 4 a.m. -- stretches along Wellington Street toward King Street Saturday waiting for the 11 a.m. opening of TennoCon, an annual convention of gamers hosted by Digital Extremes at London's convention centre, RBC Place.(MAX MARTIN, The London Free Press) Previous Image Next Image

Fans attending the convention met with game developers, competed in Cosplay costume competitions, tried out escape rooms and tested their gaming skills against other Warframe players.

“It’s super surreal,” said Scott McGregor, design director for the game. “The response from the fans gets better every year. The community support blows me away.”

He said the success of Warframe and TennoCon speaks to a growing tech industry in London.

“There’s a lot of companies springing up here,” he said. “We want to support the local community.”

More than 2,000 of the game’s most diehard fans attended the event.

The lineup to get inside stretched outside the entrance of RBC Place, formerly the London Convention Centre, up Wellington Street, and back around King Street.

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Steven Wright travelled from Manchester, England, for TennoCon. He stopped in Michigan to meet up with friends he’d met playing the game online before the group made the trip to the London convention.

“I’ve been playing the game for years,” he said. “You get to make friends around the world.”

Last year’s Cosplay competition winner, who goes by the alias Crystal Sunrise, returned this year dressed as her favourite character, Ember Sun.

The Michigan native said Digital Extremes helps build a tight-knit community of gamers.

“Warframe means a lot to us as friends and family,” Sunrise said. “It got me through some hard times. It’s something to go to at the end of a day that all your friends play.”

mamartin@postmedia.com

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