The United Kingdom’s relationship with the video game expo scene has crumbled. Once upon a time, the nation boasted showcases like the Insomnia Gaming Festival, WASD, and EGX, but they’ve all disappeared into the shadows over the years.
The Insomnia Gaming Festival went bust (and is trying a half-hearted resurgence), WASD shut down, and EGX has become a pitiful, almost unbranded corner in the larger MCM Comic Con in London. I attended EGX over the weekend, and I’m sad to say that it’s no longer worth keeping alive.
EGX’s disappearance marks the death of the UK gaming expo circuit.
UK Gamers Are Left to Dream(Hack)
Next year, DreamHack returns to the United Kingdom for the first time in ten years, which is a saving grace of sorts for gamers across the territory. In some places, the courageous efforts of more grassroots events like EPIC.LAN are trying to get some wheels turning, but the most iconic expos in the business have now faded into nothingness.
In 2024, the Insomnia Gaming Festival imploded after 25 years of entertaining visitors, thanks to financial woes brought on by the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s trying to make a grand return in 2025, but it’s not looking good.
Also in 2024, the WASD showcase, a more intimate event in London that was one of my favorite events in the world, was shut down as the event’s organiser entered liquidation.
Now, I’m sad to report that EGX is done and dusted.
Farewell, EGX
Formerly known as the Eurogamer Expo, EGX was once the shining star of the UK gaming scene, a monumental event that drew international acclaim and hosted a showfloor featuring the biggest names in the business.
The COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t kind to EGX, but in the years that followed the devastation of the virus, EGX seemed to be getting back on an even keel. That growth has ebbed away into nothing, and EGX is now an unrecognizable corner of the larger MCM Comic Con event.
I attended EGX (for the last time) this year, and baulked at what was on display. It was almost impossible to spot any EGX branding, and what I did find was a few scattered indie games and a lone LAN area featuring a few rigs with a mix of playable titles on them. No big names, no exclusive demo opportunities, and almost nothing in the way of gaming activations.
In 2024, EGX and MCM joined forces, but the showcases were separated, and EGX still enjoyed a standalone profile that was represented in the branding of the event. This year, EGX has all but disappeared, leaving MCM standing tall – but even that has issues.
As I walked around MCM, I was greeted by vast swathes of market-style stalls selling anime body pillow covers, mystery bags, animatronic furry tails, AI-generated art prints, and plastic toys aplenty. Amid a sea of half-baked cosplays and bored-looking event employees, I found none of my people; the gamers had failed to show out for EGX, what little of it there was.
Barely an Expo
The PR folks backing the event were offering me nothing but film and TV opportunities, and despite there being the likes of Troy Baker, Ben Starr, Chris Judge, Doug Cockle, Neil Newbon, and Elias Toufexis in attendance, nothing came up in a gaming capacity.
I made a conscious effort to request some kind of connection from the staff running the meet and greet area, and was palmed off with a ‘Sorry, they don’t have time for that,’ by a go-between messenger of an employee who failed to get me any traction from a nearby manager. I should stress that the manager who had ‘no time’ for me was plainly standing on the spot doing nothing.
With no games to play, no big-named exhibitors occupying the show floor, and there being nothing in the way of gaming activations, I was reduced to wandering the stalls and trying to get excited about merchandise (spoiler alert: I didn’t).
The panels were visited by a half dozen people every time someone was on the stage, the security staff were lacklustre and weren’t doing their job properly, and the busiest portion of the event seemed to always be the ‘food court’.
I can see EGX vanishing entirely next year, and while MCM will persist, it too has been reduced to something almost unworthy of a spot in your calendar. All eyes are now on Gamescom, an utterly phenomenal event that continues to expand year after year. I’ve been to Gamescom twice and can stress that it’s the ultimate event in the world for gamers, and I just praise that it’s only a short flight away for me.
Elsewhere, gamers around the world can still enjoy events like Summer Game Fest, PAX, DreamHack, Tokyo Game Show, and other localized, regional events. If you want a regular expo in the UK, you’re out of luck and will need to travel.
Do you agree that the United Kingdom needs to do better in the gaming space? Let me know on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Had exactly the same experience at “EGX” on Sunday, I was gutted. I’d been suspicious given how barebones the EGX website had been and everything just forwarded to the ComiCon site but wow I wasn’t expecting it to be that pitiful. Fingers crossed for DreamHack next year.