Video gaming has become a huge multibillion-dollar global industry and London-based games developers are at the forefront of the sector, helping to sharpen the cutting edge of gaming design while showcasing the capital’s role as a major international technology hub.
This makes London an obvious place to host a gaming festival, and this year’s edition exceeded all expectations. Organisers had hoped for a total attendance of over 50,000 across the 17 days of the festival, which ran from 9-25 April, but in the end over 100,000 people visited. This included over 4,000 developers, creators, investors and publishers from 41 different nations, representing more than 900 gaming companies and corporations.
That’s a new record for the festival, which is in its ninth year. Plans are already in place for the 10th-anniversary edition of this gaming extravaganza, which will run from 3-13 April 2025.
What is the London Game Festival 2024?
The festival is part of Games London, a multimillion-pound initiative backed by Film London and supported by a £1.2m fund provided by the office of the London Mayor. The capital had previously hosted a games festival from 2006 to 2012, but when it folded in 2013, London was left without a major gaming event to rival Germany’s Gamescom and Paris Games Week.
The concept was relaunched in 2016, supported by the then-Mayor Boris Johnson. It was conceived as a platform for showcasing the best of UK and London-based gaming talent to gaming consumers, and as a hub for industry figures to network and share ideas.
Initially encompassing 15 events staged at 10 different city venues, the Game Festival has grown steadily to become a major international gaming event. The 2024 edition featured some big names in the gaming and leisure industry. Giant games corporation Hasbro was involved in supporting VIP Day at the Festival, while Coutts Bank was an Opening Night partner and Vue Cinemas was the venue host for the Screen Play section of the festival.
As events were held across the city, there was something for everyone to enjoy and games enthusiasts could take their time exploring the attractions of the festival and the enormous variety of cultural and dining experiences that London has to offer.
What could visitors see at the festival in 2024?
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The vast majority of the 100,000 attendees at the London Games Festival 2024 were gaming fans and consumers, and they certainly had plenty to explore with a bewildering diversity of games and interactive experiences on offer around the city.
Among the variety of events staged at 30 different venues across the capital, the Now Play This programme held at Somerset House was one of the most popular. Billed as a Festival of Experimental Game Design, this year’s edition featured everything from academic lectures on the theory of game design to family game-construction workshops, along with an array of fascinating exhibitions, showcasing the ingenuity of game designers and developers.
One of the biggest events in 2024 was Screen Play, hosted at the Vue Cinema in Leicester Square. This conference focuses on the links between the game, TV and film industries, and features contributions from prominent figures in all three sectors. Screen Play 2024 included contributions from Westworld and Interstellar screenwriter and producer Jonathan Nolan and game director Todd Howard from Bethesda, as well as discussions on world-building and animation.
The ever-popular Trafalgar Square Takeover was another big hit at the 2024 London Games Festival. This year, the event, which aims to illustrate alternative aspects of the gaming industry, was built around Ensemble, which showcased the gaming talents of Black, Asian and other underrepresented ethnicities. It included a dedicated lounge where the public could play selected games and take part in a variety of family activities.
WASD is another highlight of the festival, which brings together the public, game developers and those hoping to build a career in the UK gaming sector. Staged at the Truman Brewery in East London, WASD featured a wide selection of playable games, a lineup of talented indie game developers, and provided support and advice for those hoping to break into the industry.
Alongside the main festival attractions, there were also dozens of side events to explore. For example, those looking for a social gaming experience could check out the Streamcast Cosy Café event, held at the Loading Bar in Stoke Newington, which brought people together to play their favourite games on Switch, Steam Deck and a range of different systems.
The Strand Campus at Kings’ College is the venue for another popular side event, Game Day X, which combines the gaming festival with a gaming industry conference. Visitors who want to try the latest games always have plenty to choose from and the 2024 Game Day X event featured interactive VR exhibitions that proved extremely popular. At the same time, developers and students were able to attend a variety of workshops and lectures covering every aspect of gaming.
Looking ahead to the London Games Festival 2025
The 2024 London Games Festival was the most popular edition so far, but next year could set new records. The 2025 Festival will be the 10th anniversary of the event and is likely to be the biggest yet. Although the details are yet to be announced, we do know that the 2025 Festival will run from Wednesday 2nd April to Sunday 13th April and will once again be backed by the London Mayor’s office. For gaming fans and industry figures alike, it is one of the highlights of the year. See you there!