In recent years, the United Kingdom’s gaming scene has been shaken by a dwindling count of in-person events. It was tough coming out of COVID-19, but for a while, a decent spread kept gamers across the nation entertained. We had EGX, Insomnia, WASD, and a few other, smaller events scattered here and there.
Earlier this year, Insomnia disappeared following a round of layoffs at the event’s parent company. Now, after months of speculation, it has been revealed that WASD London, which first took place in 2022, has been struck from the schedule forever as the organiser enters liquidation.
To Nothing
In October, EGX surfaced as it does every year, but it was twinned with MCM, the nation’s biggest comic con event. It was suspected that this was to help keep both events afloat, and while the turnout was solid, the future of EGX is also under threat.
The Insomnia Gaming Festival, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, was due to take place in September, but the expected show dates came and went without a word being uttered.
Now, WASD London’s organiser has entered liquidation, with the firm’s co-founder lamenting the state of the scene:
(The) increasing costs and less demand for stand space means running events is just not viable for us anymore.
For a while, WASD London was becoming a spearhead event in the city. It welcomed both top-tier titles and indie developers, helping to cast a light on lesser-known games with small (or no) budgets while also allowing players to enjoy the next biggest games.
At past WASD events, I was fortunate enough to be one of the first people in the country to play Dead Island 2 and Lords of the Fallen. I maintain that when it peaked, WASD London was one of the best industry events in the United Kingdom.
In a comment posted on a BBC article, one indie gaming aficionado expressed their concerns about the sustainability of these events:
Now that bigger gaming companies are running their own digital events, there’s no reason for them to spend time, money, and resources on being present at in-person events.
Pretty soon, all we’ll have that’s anywhere close to the UK will be Gamescom – but the saving grace there is that it’s effectively the world’s biggest gaming expo right now.
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