First London Games Festival events confirmed

The 2012 London Games Festival will kick-off in style, as organiser Ukie unveils the first events within the month-long celebration.

Running from September 27th – October 28th, the London Games Festival is a celebration of gaming culture, offering a wide range of events for the public and industry.

The last London Games Festival saw over 85,000 people attend a whole host of activities – and this year looks set to be even bigger.

The Eurogamer Expo 2012 once again kicks off London Games Festival. The UK’s biggest dedicated public gaming event takes place at Earl’s Court on September 27th, 28th, and 29th – and will be the public’s first opportunity to get their hands on the industry’s key releases . Tickets for the event are available now at: http://www.eurogamer.net/expo/

A Gala event hosted by Ukie will close the first day of the event, also on September 27th. As part of the event, GamesAid, the industry charity, will hand out cheques to the its chosen charities.

The Games Media Awards, hosted by Russell Kane, take place on Thursday October 18th at Vinopolis. Now including the prestigious Games Writer of the Year Award, the event offers the games industry the opportunity to celebrate the finest writers in the business .

Future Publishing’s Golden Joystick Awards return on October 26th. The longest-running games awards in the world continue to grow in popularity, with over 2 million votes last year.
The MCM London Comic Con will return to ExCeL between October 26th and 28th, bringing the Festival to a close. The twice-yearly Modern Pop Culture event, bringing games together with movies and comics, and will be the public’s first opportunity to get their hands on some Christmas’s must-play games at the UK’s biggest event of its type. http://www.londoncomiccon.net

“There is no better way to bookend the London Games Festival 2012 than with two high-profile consumer events,” says Kirsty Payne, Festival director. “These are just the start – we have some wonderful activities planned, each of which will celebrate the culture of gaming in a unique way. We’ll be launching the full website soon where people will be able to begin planning their London Games Festival. With more to do than ever before, we’re sure it’s going to be a tremendous success.”