Edinburgh Interactive Festival dates announced

The Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2008 has opened up registration with the announcement that it will take place over August 10-12 this year.

The event will be held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre along side Dare ProtoPlay - the public showcase event of Dare to be Digital.

"Edinburgh holds a unique place in the heart of the games industry. It mixes games into a cultural melting pot that is the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe. Our move to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre is designed to make the event more approachable and accessible for the public and other elements of the Festival," said Chris Deering, chairman of Edinburgh Interactive Festival.

"It's free to the public and is a great way for people to spend some time looking at new games from new young development talent, to be inspired by the Games Screenings, to see and experience some hands-on time with new games and perhaps pick up their first games machine at the retail store."

"Of course, we are delighted that we have been able to mix this year's developments with a partnership with the Dare to be Digital programme, originated by Abertay University. It's a wonderful project and we are a natural fit for each other under the EIF banner," Deering added.

The Edinburgh Interactive Festival is part of the wider creative Edinburgh International Festival that celebrates the arts and entertainment, and is particularly popular as a venue for breaking new musical, theatrical and comedy acts.

Among the delegates that attended last year's event were representatives from Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, EA, the BBC, Channel 4 and Endemol.