QD Events has announced the launch of a new eSports and gaming festival in Glasgow next year, with the aim of marking Scotland as a global leader in the gaming industry.
Held at the SECC, Resonate Total Gaming will take place on 29-31 July 2016.
The news arrives after leading figure in the Scottish gaming industry Chris Van der Kuyl, director of Scotland-based game developers 4J Studios, was reported telling MPs it is time to “get serious” about the industry.
“This is exactly the type of exposure the industry needs: Scottish developers and publishers sitting alongside their international peers and promoting this exciting event to an ever expanding audience of enthusiasts,” Van der Kuyl said of the event launch.
Agreeing that the time is right in Scotland for this event, Fran McIntyre, MD of organiser QD Events said: “The industry in the UK is worth over £3.9bn in consumer spend and our local cities are clearly identified as ‘game-making’ hubs”.
The festival will incorporate a professional eSports tournament, a junior Gamer zone, a Play Hall and a Retail zone, where gamers will be invited to play, experience, compete, share, watch, and practise skills alongside their gaming friends and YouTube heroes. In addition Resonate will feature dedicated Indie and careers zones.
Tsitsi Lynn Makuni, show director said: “We want to celebrate excellence in video-gaming and smash the old-fashioned myths about this being all about teenagers playing games at home, on their own.
“Teenagers will form a key part of our audience, but so will the adults playing FIFA and Candy Crush and the kids playing Minecraft and Super Mario. In short, Resonate is designed with gaming enthusiasts at its core. ”
Resonate Total Gaming is being launched in association with eSports agency, Gfinity.
Neville Upton, CEO of Gfinity said: “The enthusiasm among gamers for this event is palpable. Scotland has never seen a video-gaming event of this scale and we look forward to wowing audiences with an experience they’ve only ever witnessed online.”
