London Games Festival will return for its seventh edition in April 2022 thanks to a fresh round of funding from the Mayor of London.
LGF22 runs from Friday 1 April to Sunday 10 April. Professionals and players will have access to both in-person and digital programming, flagship games funding event Games Finance Market, the debut of a new consumer show, W.A.S.D, plus returning cultural heavyweights like Now Play This and the BAFTA Games Awards.
London Games Festival is delivered by Games London, an initiative from Film London, the capital's screen industries agency, and video games trade body Ukie – with a mission to make London the games capital of the world. Since its founding in 2015 Games London has supported over 1,000 games companies, generated £70m worth of business for participants and in turn created nearly 600 jobs in the city.
The funding from the Mayor of London supports the Festival plus Games London’s wider programming, such as its trade missions, the Ensemble exhibition championing Black, Asian and minority ethnic games talent, and the second Games London Accelerator cohort.
London Games Festival has become an internationally renowned celebration of games culture and a key driver for participating businesses – games studios involved in 2021’s digital festival reported total business deals in excess of £20m, and thousands tuned in every day to watch, play and learn about games.
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture & Creative Industries, said: “Thanks to a fresh round of funding from the Mayor, the London Games Festival is back for its seventh year and is going from strength to strength. This cutting-edge industry has thrived during lockdown and next year’s fantastic programme will promote the next generation of creative talent - generating jobs and investment and helping to confirm London as the games capital of the world.”
Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission said: “We are delighted and grateful that the Mayor of London has chosen to officially support Games London for the programme’s seventh year. 2022’s London Games Festival has already attracted major new events to the city – it will continue to reflect the influential role games play as part of people’s day-to-day lives and in London’s creative industries, generating investment and jobs in the capital.”
Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of Ukie, said: “The London Games Festival has helped cement the capital’s global reputation as a cultural, financial and creative centre for games. We’re pleased to once again invite the world to London to do business together, celebrate the immense artistic achievements of our community and bring the whole city into the wonderful world of games.”
The 2022 festival theme is ESCAPE THE METAVERSE, exploring the ways popular games and virtual worlds are blending with real-life to create the future of entertainment - and inviting participants to join the new festival’s mix of interconnected online and onsite activity.
Programming for the festival already has a number of planned highlights in place including:
- A new, free to attend outdoor event in the heart of London, starting on 1 April to kickstart the festival, featuring the LGF22 Official Selection plus other artworks and installations drawn from festival content such as Ensemble. This event will feature a matching online showcase for those who cannot be there in person
- The seventh Games Finance Market, a leading event that connects games makers with funders, which runs over four days (5 April to 8 April) for both digital and face to face meetings
- Another perception-changing collaboration with Now Play This at Somerset House, which will run 2 April to 10 April with events and workshops around the venue with a public exhibition running 8 April to 10 April
- The brand new event W.A.S.D will run at Tobacco Dock from 7 April to 9 April promising a place for consumers to play games, chat to developers, meet favourite content creators and share their love of games. It will also be the home for Games Finance Market’s face to face meetings. More details will follow in coming weeks.
- The festival’s returning programme of panels and conferences available in-person and with recordings available on the LGF World Stage EPG - the video series was watched by over 100,000 in March 2021
- Meanwhile, the BAFTA Games Awards, the games industry’s most prestigious accolades, is also set to return as a physical event plus livestream on the evening of Thursday, 7 April
Applications are now open for developers and industry professionals looking to take part in key parts of the London Games Festival:
- The second edition of LGF’s Official Selection which showcases new games from developers around the world: https://games.london/os22
- Project/game submissions for the Games Finance Market, where over 60 investors will be ready to hear pitches: https://gfm.games.london
- Speakers and Content Proposals can be made here: https://games.london/submissions
Tickets to festival events, which include access to the Games London’s new global meeting and delegate network, will go on sale later in the year.
You can discover more about the programme in the coming months via www.games.london and @londongamesfest on social media. Those interested in hosting associated side and fringe events should contact info@games.london in the first instance. Please note that all dates and venues are subject to change and physical events will be run in adherence to relevant health and safety protocols.
London Games Festival 2022 partners include Taylor Wessing UK. To find out more about partnership and sponsor opportunities at London Games Festival, contact paul.davies@games.london.