London Games Festival expands for 2019 Capital city's celebration of video games industry will now run for 13 days after 65,000 attended 2018 iteration

James Batchelor UK Editor Friday 5th October 2018 Share this article Share

The organisers of the London Games Festival have released the first details for next year's event, promising an extended run and larger showcases.

Previously the festival has run for 10 days, but London Games Festival 2019 will be expanded to 13, kicking off on April 2nd and running through April 14th.

Highlights will include the annual games character cosplay parade, the Games Finance Market, an expanded Now Play This exhibition of experimental games at Somerset House, and the return of the LGF Hub - a two-day centre of workshops and summits around games culture and more.

There will also be a second phase for the Ensemble exhibition, which aims to highlight BAME games talent based in the UK. You can read about the original exhibition here.

London Games Festival will also encompass other events, such as the BAFTA Games Awards and EGX Rezzed, which is run by GamesIndustry.biz parent Gamer Network.

The London Games Festival is a celebration and exploration of the video games industry organised by Games London, which is a joint venture between Film London and trade body UKIE.

There were 40 different events held last year, with close to 400 games for people to play, attracting more than 65,000 attendees. It also generated a fair amount of business for the industry, with investors arranging deals worth nearly £20 million over the course of the festival.

The expansion for 2019 follows news that the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has pledged £1.2 million to enable LGF to run for another three years.

Applications are now open for various London Games Festival activities, including nominations for Ensemble. Find more at the Games London website.