Edinburgh International Games Festival 2004 Announced

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(Press Release)

April 28 2004, Edinburgh - The EIGF04 (Edinburgh International Games Festival 2004) committee is pleased to announce this year’s EIGF festival, set to run from August 8-22, following its overwhelmingly successful debut in 2003.

EIGF04 launches into its second year with the backing of key industry players including Nintendo, Nokia N-Gage™, NVIDIA™, PlayStation®2 and Xbox®. The festival is supported by trade bodies ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) and TIGA (The Independent Games Developers Association), and is financially supported by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian. It will also feature contributions from luminaries such as Neil Young of Electronic Arts and Ian Livingstone of Eidos, cementing its status as the critical cultural event for the interactive entertainment industry.

EIGF04 comprises three separate but interrelated events:

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Trade Conference - Two days of debate exploring the art & form and the business of interactive entertainment driving popular culture, and its convergence with other creative media such as music and film featuring leading players from all these industries, August 12-13.

Game Screenings - Four-day ‘making of’ series offering the chance to get "up close and personal" with the creators of some of the leading games, August 11-14.

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Go Play Games - Two-week public gameplay exhibition providing gamers with the opportunity to get interactive with the very latest and greatest software and hardware products at the Royal Museum, August 8-22.

EIGF is building momentum as it establishes itself as a key attraction during the Edinburgh Festival’s season in August, when Scotland’s capital city plays host to thousands of performers, broadcasters, film makers and the entertainment industry. It highlights the growing bond between video games and other entertainment industries, notably music, literature, television and film. Gaming enthusiasts, creative and interactive entertainment industry personnel and game creators and publishers from across the world are poised to descend on Edinburgh again this summer.

The festival aims to achieve the following:
- An international showcase for the UK interactive entertainment industry
- Examine what makes “interactive” the fastest growing entertainment medium
- To position interactive entertainment alongside the traditional cultural art forms
- To engage the public with the interactive and creative industries, providing them with the chance to "get interactive" with the latest and greatest games and technology

Greg Ingham, chairman of the EIGF04 and chief executive of the Future Network PLC commented, “EIGF04 will provide an enjoyable and invaluable experience for all, positioning the interactive digital medium as a mainstream form of entertainment which makes a valid and considerable contribution to global culture.”

Neil Young, vice president and general manager at EA’s Maxis studio, said: “I am honored to be a part of the Game Screenings at EIGF04. It’s a great forum to be able to demonstrate 'The Sims 2' and discuss the impact games with underlying simulations at their heart are having on our entertainment industry.”

Please visit www.eigf.co.uk for more details. Your delegate pass entitles you to access all conference sessions, after show party, *Go Play Games and *Game Screenings.
*Dependent upon availability