Press releases
ITV Game Stars goes live as ExCeL sets site on biggest ever consumer games event
31/10/2003
Major media support lined up including ITV programming; ELSPA confirms endorsement; GAME to be retail partner
The collaboration of a number of major video and computer games industry organisations and media owners is announced today, with the news that Game Stars Live, a new public event targeting around 100,000 consumers, is to be held in London at ExCeL, London’s Exhibition Centre from 1st – 5th September 2004.
The event is the result of the co-operation of a number of key partners including Granada Enterprises, London EventCo, ExCeL’s in-house exhibition organising company, and ELSPA, the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Additionally, Game Stars Live will be supported by ITV, a mix of major media partner and GAME, the leading video games retailer.
Game Stars Live will take place over five days at the tail end of the summer holiday period 2004 at ExCeL, the state-of-the-art exhibition site in London’s docklands.
As part of its commitment to the Game Stars brand, Granada will be working with London EventCo to develop a 60-minute Game Stars Live TV programme based around the event for broadcast during Q4 2004. This is in addition to the Game Stars entertainment and awards show which will be broadcast during Easter 2004.
Game Stars Live is also supported by a significant media partner mix including Capital FM and XFM along with a major national newspaper and lifestyle media brand for 16-34 year olds – each of which will promote Game Stars Live to their respective audiences either side of the event.
In keeping with the Game Stars ethos, Game Stars Live will be a vibrant, adrenaline-pumping interactive entertainment experience, designed to excite, delight, amaze, inspire and enthral. It is the most ambitious consumer gaming event ever devised, allowing the industry to showcase its Christmas 2004 wares alongside other lifestyle brands, music, sport and other entertainment acts.
Commenting on Game Stars Live ELSPA Chairman Scott Dodkins1 said: "We judged the time was right to introduce a high profile consumer event in the UK, with enough clout to attract visitors from all over the country.
"ELSPA was drawn to the Game Stars Live proposition on many levels, but clearly with a number of co-partners, it brings a significant media footprint. London EventCo articulated an exciting vision about the event and how it would work. Because of this ELSPA has decided to endorse the event and will be working closely with London EventCo in the weeks and months ahead."
Rob Mackenzie, Managing Director of London EventCo, said: “The team at London EventCo has a great deal of experience in creating and executing major public and trade events. Games are the most enthralling interactive medium and are perfect to really capture the imagination of the public and media in a ‘live’ environment.”
Martin Lowde, Commercial and Sponsorship Director of Granada Enterprises, said: “London EventCo really impressed us with its plans to create a major consumer event using the ITV Game Stars brand. It’s a great opportunity for Granada and a fantastic opportunity for the games industry to create a large-scale consumer event with significant media support. We’re confident ITV Game Stars Live will be a great day out for consumers – and of immense benefit to the games industry.”
GAME, the largest specialist retailer of games in Europe, will be the exclusive retailing partner at Game Stars Live. It is also a partner of the Game Stars TV show.
Anna Macario, Marketing Director of GAME, said: “As the UK’s favourite video games store, GAME is absolutely delighted to be a partner in Game Stars LIVE. We believe that this is the consumer event that our customers are crying out for. It provides national media exposure through ITV and a whole host of other partners. This is exactly the kind of event that GAME has been wanting to support for some time, and over the coming months we will be developing plans to support Game Stars LIVE throughout all our UK stores. We are very hopeful that this event will raise the profile of our growing industry to different types of customers.”
A spokesman for Capital FM, which has 2.3 million listeners and London’s biggest radio breakfast show, said: "We recognise that computer gaming is, after music, one of the most important pastimes for our listeners. Game Stars Live looks set to be one of the biggest celebrations of gaming that has ever been seen and as London's No.1 radio station, Capital FM is delighted to be involved in this exciting event."
Charlotte Soussan, Head of Marketing at XFM, the London-based radio station that plays all the best guitar music, dance and hip hop, said: "XFM listeners are a young, up-market audience who are not only passionate about new music but keen gamers too. Game Stars Live is a great brand fit for XFM and something that our core listeners will be able to identify with."
Rob Mackenzie, Managing Director of London EventCo, added: “Our media mix and marketing plans will deliver the greatest consumer games show the games industry has ever seen. The response from the industry so far has been outstanding. This has been backed up by the delivery of significant media support which will be extended further in the coming weeks as we ratify a number of other broadcast and print based media deals.”
Meanwhile Game Stars Live has already attracted the attention of leading publishers.
Paul Jackson, Managing Director at games publisher Electronic Arts, said: "EA believes that a large scale consumer event is something that can be of real value to boost the overall recognition for the gaming industry. We are therefore following the plans for Game Stars Live with interest."
John Davis, Marketing Director of games publisher Eidos, the company behind Lara Croft Tomb Raider, said: "Eidos believes the development of a large scale consumer event is right for the games industry. The media mix for Game Stars Live is very attractive."
Richard Williams, Marketing Director at games publisher THQ, said: "A large scale consumer event could be of real value to the games industry. Initial plans for Game Stars Live seem very interesting."
Game Stars has been licensed to London EventCo by Granada Enterprises which owns the rights to Game Stars with consultancy Barrington Harvey.
Game Stars Live will be a multi-format consumer gaming event and will include a main stage area from which the media partners including ITV, Capital FM and XFM will broadcast. It will also include a series of features such as The Bear Pit games challenges, The Virtual vs. Reality Zone, The International FragFest, Europe’s largest LAN party and Get Into Gaming, a careers and education zone, amongst many others.
For further details please contact:
Simon Soffe (Head of PR & Communications)
Lisa Artemis (PR Executive)
GAME Stores Group
Tel: 01344 464442/464512
About GAME
GAME is Europe's leading specialist retailer of computer software and video games. The Group (formerly called Electronics Boutique) currently operates from over 340 stores in the UK and Eire, 30 GAME stores in Sweden, over 90 CentroMAIL stores in Spain and over 55 ScoreGAME stores in France. It also offers on-line shopping and game play services.
For further corporate information log onto www.gamegroup.plc.uk, and for the new look on-line store log onto www.game.uk.com
1Scott Dodkins is Senior Vice President Activision Europe
