Making London the games capital of the world

28th January 2016

Games London

Jordan Mulcare

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London’s games and interactive entertainment industry is set for a £1.2m boost with the launch of Games London, a ground breaking new programme to make the city the games capital of the world, tapping into a market that globally is worth around $81bn.

Funded by the London Enterprise Panel (LEP), Games London is being delivered by Film London, the capital’s strategic agency for film and media and games trade body Ukie and will build on recent growth in the games sector, which generated £2.8bn in revenue in 2015.

The Games London programme will deliver:

A new annual London Games Festival – with the first taking place in April 2016 – to showcase and celebrate the industry’s huge cultural and economic impact
A new international business-to-business networking event to attract top investment to the UK
Inbound and outbound trade missions to promote the tax relief and the sector overseas
A range of training and skills initiatives

The 2016 London Games Festival takes place 1^st April to 10^th April, and will include 15 official events across 10 different venues in the capital. Highlights include:

Now Play This (1^st April – 3^rd April), a weekend festival of games and play at Somerset House, as part of Utopia 2016: A Year of Imagination and Possibility
The brand-new Games Finance Market (5^th April – 7^th April), a first of its kind event that recreates the successful formula delivered by Film London in matching film finance to film projects during the London Film Festival. The Games Finance Market will connect interactive content talent with global investors and partners from across sectors
A series of insightful ‘LGF @ BFI’ talks (4^th April) programmed and presented by London Games Festival in partnership with BFI Southbank
The inclusion of already influential global events: British Academy Games Awards (7^th April) and EGX Rezzed (7^th April – 9^th April)
An inspiring cultural programme that helps change perceptions of video games and champions the medium as a cutting-edge art form – plus a London Games Fringe of alternative and exciting smaller events

Games London is being led by Michael French who was appointed in September 2015. French has been working in the games sector for 13 years as a journalist and publisher, building brands and events that support and grow the games industry. Partners include BAFTA, London & Partners, Gamer Events, Somerset House and the BFI.