London Games Festival lineup confirmed

The recent cancellation of Games Market Europe was a reminder of the troubled history of London game expos. In 2004, the long-running European Computer Trade Show and the brand-new European Games Network duked it out for industry attention. The latter courted popular attention by coordinating with the open-to-the-public Game Stars Live event at the sprawling ExCeL Centre in London's Docklands district. The result was all three events going under, even though EGN and GSL boasted solid attendance.

With Leipzig now the major European gaming show, the London Games Festival aims to engage both the British public and its games industry when it runs from October 2 to 7, offering the hoi polloi a chance to look at the inner workings of the industry. The Vue cinema in Leicester Square, the heart of London's West End, will play host to playable versions of upcoming games from Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and Take-Two Interactive. The Oxford Street branches of retailers HMV and John Lewis will both be holding special events all week with competitions and prizes.

The industry program will focus on next-generation development issues, with the Game Developers Conference London offering a two-day series of sessions. The ELSPA Game Summit will take a more business-oriented approach and focus on the opportunities offered by new platforms. The London Game Career Fair will also let newcomers speak to game companies about job opportunities, with the October 2 "Lizards' Lair" contest allowing potential designers to pitch their concepts to a panel of industry experts. Winners will be offered a week's internship at a publisher or developer.

Crossing over both the consumer and industry arms is the Video Game Awards, hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Now fully established as the third arm of the organisation alongside film and television, the event--which is celebrating its ninth year--will recognise individual game genres and technical achievements and will crown an overall game of the year. BAFTA members involved in the games industry will choose winners from 17 categories, with the final announcements being made at a ceremony on October 5.

GameSpot UK will be attending the event in London. Look for more information on the event's games soon.