Mayor of London invests £1.2m in new London Games Festival

Boris Johnson has given the UK games industry 1.2m to launch Games London and develop a new London Games Festival.

LGF will take place between April 1st to April 10th, and includes a Games Finance Market, a series of BFI talks, and it will also encompass EGX Rezzed and the British Academy Game Awards. You can find more information right here.

Games London is a collaboration between UKIE, Film London and the Mayor of London and is led by former MCV publisher Michael French.

The aim for the festival is to shine a light on the games sector and boost investment in UK games development, from both local and overseas investors. And turn London into the global capital for games development.

The announcement was made via a wonderful video featuring Boris Johnson strolling around Minecraft.

London is already a star player when it comes to games and interactive entertainment, but international competition is fierce and we need to ensure our city can compete with our global gaming rivals,” said Johnson in a statement.

Through Games London we are supercharging an increasingly important sector for our economy, one that exemplifies the capital’s reputation for creativity and innovation. From design to banking and civil engineering to film, games technology is being used in a host of different sectors. We are investing in a dynamic and constantly evolving industry to take London to another level as a world-leading capital for games and interactive entertainment.”