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London Games Festival Reveals Speakers & Orchestral Performance

The London Games Festival has revealed some of its first plans for the April event, including some early speakers and a performance

Published Sun, 19 Jan 2025 16:13:07 -0600

by Gavin Sheehan

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Article Summary

London Games Festival 2025 unveils first plans for April event.
Key speakers include Story Kitchen and Crystal Dynamics.
New panel explores adapting entertainment IPs into games.
Orchestral performance celebrates iconic video game music.

Organizers for the London Games Festival 2025 have revealed some of their earliest plans for this year's event, as they ramp up to what's happening this April. Among the early confirmations include a few new speakers added to the list, as well as a full orchestral performance. We have the details for you below as tickets are now on sale for people to attend the week and a half long event.

London Games Festival 2025

Speakers

Screen Play, the festival's conference on the expanding relationship between games and other entertainment industries, has named its first wave of key international speakers:

Story Kitchen co-founders Dmitri M Johnson and Mike Goldberg will open the event with a keynote discussion on connecting the worlds of games, film, and television. Story Kitchen is one of the production companies behind the blockbuster adaptation of SEGA's Sonic The Hedgehog -now a $1bn film franchise- and is also working on bringing forward new adaptations of Square Enix's Just Cause for Universal, Reikon's Ruiner for Universal, SEGA's 90s classics, Streets of Rage for Lionsgate and ToeJam & Earl for Amazon MGM Studios as well as Hazelight's "Game of the Year," It Takes Two, for Amazon MGM Studios. Additionally, Story Kitchen has a television first-look deal at Amazon MGM Studios and an animated film first-look deal at DreamWorks Animation. Joining Story Kitchen is Crystal Dynamics. The conversation will be moderated by leading entertainment lawyer Simon Pulman of New York-based Pryor Cashman.
Amanda Kruse, Head of Business Development at new label Big Fan Games, part of Devolver Digital, will lead a panel that discusses how developers can successfully adapt entertainment IPs into interactive experiences. Other panelists include Cyrille Imbert, CEO of Dotemu, which has worked on a number of acclaimed game revivals, including Streets of Rage 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge.

Orchestral Performance

The London Video Game Orchestra is an amateur orchestra dedicated to bringing the awe-inspiring world of video game music to a wider audience. Embarking on a journey that transcends the LOADING screen, their new performance will go straight to the heart of what makes video games—and their music—so special. Whether you're a seasoned gamer or new to the world of video game music, this event is a celebration of creativity and community. The games community across the UK has the opportunity to add even more events to the London Games Festival schedule; applications remain open for Side Events, a stream of the festival that officially runs from Monday, April 7 to Sunday, April 13. The Side Events strand is perfect for third-party partners or smaller community events that want to contribute to the wider LGF audience.

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