London Games Festival 2010
X Factor stars Jedward to perform at Nintendo Wii party on October 9th.
Friday 24 th September: The organisers of the London Games Festival today announced the new events confirmed in the already exciting calendar, including performances by X Factor stars Jedward at the Nintendo Wii party at Chessington World of Adventures.
This brings the tally of events up to 18 - with even more to be announced - making the London Games Festival, in association with UKIE, one of the strongest gaming-oriented festivals around. Ed Vaizey, government Minister of Communication, Culture and Creative Industries, has also been confirmed as closing speaker of the festival at the London Games Conference on 4 th November.
The four newest inclusions to the festival are as follows;
Cartoon Network hit Ben 10 will be heading to Leicester Square on 2 nd October, with over 1,000 kids descending on central London for a screening and exclusive play of the game. Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction will be available to buy from 29 th October and will be released on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP and DS. Media Molecule, the Guildford-based developers that came up with BAFTA award-winning title LittleBigPlanet, will be delivering this year's annual BAFTA Video Game lecture, in association with GAME, on 7 th October. BAFTA's Annual Lectures showcase the most renowned creative forces in film, TV and video games, providing a platform to discuss their personal vision for the future of their industry. All members of the public are welcome, for more information or to book tickets visit http://tinyurl.com/baftalecture. As a precursor to the festivities, BAFTA will also be holding a Q&A session with developers Ninja Theory on their upcoming title Enslaved: Odyssey to the West on 27 th September. Tameem Antoniades, co-founder and Chief Creative Ninja at Ninja Theory, will discuss the various creative sources that shaped the game. The event will be chaired by Gamespot Editor Guy Cocker and is open to all - tickets cost £5. For more information and to book visit http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=408495&interface=bafta .The Nintendo Wii party will take place this year at Chessington World of Adventures on 9 th October, with Jedward topping the bill. The event is Nintendo's reward to all of their most loyal Wii customers and invitees will not only be lucky enough to witness the talents of the X Factor stars but will have access to the park throughout the day In what could be the ultimate football gaming experience, Citizen Game will be holding the first ever public review of FIFA 11 and Pro Evo 2011 on 9 th October, 12-6pm. The event is free and open to everyone; whether you're a gaming enthusiast or just curious, all are welcome at The Star of Bethnal Green to play the games on Xbox 360 and PS3 and generally have a laugh. Designed to highlight the power of citizen journalism, this unique experiment will be a day of great chat and social gaming. For further details about the Citizen Game Review please visit http://www.citizengame.co.uk/publicreview/. "I'm really excited to confirm the next batch of great events around London," Says Kirsty Payne, Director, London Games Festival. "Jedward are an amazing addition to the bill and I look forward to welcoming a wider audience than ever before to the festivities. From BAFTA lectures to pop concerts, the London Games Festival really does open up gaming to all comers and this year is looking to be better than ever."
With more events yet to be announced, the London Games Festival has gone from strength to strength and is looking to be a strong rival to other events of the world gaming calendar. The full list of events now runs as follows;
· London Games Festival will kick off on 30 th September, with a gala opening and VIP preview at the Eurogamer Expo, Earl's Court.
· For the following three days (1 st - 3 rd October), the Eurogamer Expo will host up to 20,000 consumers in the UK's largest gaming exhibition.
· Presentation of Ivy The Kiwi? and Q&A session with Yuji Naka, creator of Sonic The Hedgehog.
· The Games Invest event will take place on 1 st October.
· A Eurogamer Expo party raising money for GamesAid will be held on 1 st October.
· Ben 10 event in Leicester Square will be held on 2 nd October.
· Just Dance 2 launch party on 7 th October.
· The BAFTA Video Game lecture delivered by Media Molecule will be held on 7 th October.
· Sony PlayStation Game Runner Event on 8 th October.
· The Nintendo Wii party with Jedward on 9 th October.
· BoardGameCamp at Whittaker house on 9 th October.
· The Citizen Game Review of FIFA 11 and PES 2011 will take place on 9 th October.
· The Power to the Pixel Cross-Media Forum will run from 12 th-15 th October.
· The Games Media Awards take place on 14 th October.
· TIGA will hold a developer focussed event of 27 th October
· The Golden Joystick Awards will be held on 29 th October.
· The MCM Expo returns from 29 th-31 st October, bigger and better.
· The London Games Conference will close the Festival on 4 th November.
The London Games Festival is supported and funded by UKIE - The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment. It will run from 30 th September-4 th November, in and around London. For specific information on the programme announced so far, please visit www.londongamesfestival.com or follow on Twitter @londongamesfest.