The UK Government has committed new funding to London Games Festival as part of its Creative Industries Sector Plan published today, Monday 23 June.
Support for LGF comes as part of a wider three-year £30m Games Growth Package for key programmes in the video games sector designed to back the next generation of start-up games studios and talent and drive inward investment in the sector.
London Games Festival is delivered by Games London, an initiative from Film London, the capital’s screen industries agency, and video games trade body Ukie (The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment). Since its inception, it has been supported by the Mayor of London.
Today’s additional funding from Central Government adds to the multi-year funding already committed by the Mayor of London. London Games Festival outputs in terms of investment and revenue generation will double, up to £30m a year starting in 2026, as the Festival continues to play an active part in supporting the video games ecosystem and UK economic growth, generating millions for the economy.
Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of Film London and Games London, said:
“Coinciding with London Games Festival’s tenth anniversary year, this announcement is the best birthday present we could hope for! This funding will secure the future of the Festival, providing stability for our charitable objectives to champion, grow and make more diverse London and the UK’s games industry, and support our ambitions to make this one of the most important Games Festivals and programmes in the world.
“Our thanks go to DCMS for their game changing support, and to the Mayor of London for their founding and long term commitment. Since its inception in 2015, London Games Festival has become an event of national and international significance, and we look forward to working with our national and regional partners to continue to develop the capacity of our UK Games industry as a whole.
“We also welcome the announcement of additional investment in the UK Global Screen Fund and the National Film and Television School.”
Michael French, Head of Games London and Festival Director, London Games Festival, said:
“With 100,000 visitors each year, London Games Festival has already become the UK’s no.1 video games event, and is hugely economically effective. Every £1 from our founding funder, the Mayor of London, generates £37 back for the economy. But this increased investment from national government will fast-track the festival’s ambitions to go further, help grow our capacity, and allow us to compete with global events.
“Funding will allow us to deliver an expanded festival programme, including more showcasing opportunities; to grow a number of our existing programmes UK-wide; and develop new ones. Our plans for international outreach, talent development and more cultural activity will all create an improved experience for businesses. This is a win for the entire UK video games ecosystem as we create a significantly larger cultural festival for video games with major global appeal.”
