Those attending the London Games Festival in just under two weeks’ time can rest assured that the week-long event is still going ahead.
The festival is set to run from Thursday, March 26 to Monday, March 6 but, at the time of writing, it has recalibrated on much of its key programming.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the team is monitoring the ever-evolving situation and the festival will now place a heavy emphasis on digital and online programming, with the festival switching its Business Hub and Games Finance Market events to online-only.
A spokesperson for Games London said: “Games professionals will have the chance to conduct meetings online via video calls on a new digital meeting platform. Studios can pitch to investors, while a range of experts on a variety of topics, including how to contingency plan in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, will be available for video calls.”
Some of the largest events, like the EGX Rezzed (March 26 to 28), Now Play This (April 3 to 5) and Trafalgar Square Games Festival (April 4 to 5) – have been postponed until further notice.
Last week, the BAFTA Games Awards announced it was moving its ceremony to an entirely online livestream event on April 2.
Will tickets be refunded?
Since the festival has moved purely online, most paid tickets will be refunded. The spokesperson said: “We can only take responsibility for the Games London events within the London Games Festival – which are all being fully refunded – and the rest of the events are at the organisers’ discretion but we know that BAFTA is refunding, Now Play This are also refunding and EGX are honouring the tickets.”
Games London, who organises the annual event, is a year-round programme backed by the Mayor of London and has a mission to make London the games capital of the world and create jobs and stimulate business for the interactive entertainment industries – recent statistics show it has helped to create 550 jobs in just four years.
This year, it is helping businesses progress during a difficult moment, by implementing the tech needed to bring the festival online.
Coronavirus, or Covid-19, has disrupted events like the LGF in an unprecedented manner, but Games London has used its information page to keep everyone as up to date as possible, developing ways to turn the festival digital-only and continue to reach the masses as the possibility of physical events decline.
In the past few weeks, Games London has seen the demand for meetings rise ahead of the Games Finance Market on April 1 and 2, so has implemented an extra virtual meeting system to underpin its Business Hub event on March 30 and 31.
Games London said in a statement: “Of course we can’t necessarily plan for every outcome. But we’re committed to our mission of supporting games developers and hope we can deliver something to further that mission under particularly difficult circumstances.”
For the full London Games Festival line up, visit games.london
