ELSPA Chief Promises End To London Game Show Clash

ELSPA (European and Leisure Software Publishers Association) director general Roger Bennett has promised to ensure that two concurrent videogame trade shows will never be run in London again. This week has seen the traditional ECTS trade show run at exactly the same time as the new ELSPA-backed EGN show, which itself ran in conjunction with new consumer show Game Stars Live. This resulted in attendees having to travel the considerable distance between both events, with many choosing to eschew ECTS entirely. Despite the earlier bitter war of words between the organizers of each event, Bennett is resolved to repair the damage to ensure that the UK remains the premier venue for future events in Europe. Referring to the German-based Games Convention, Bennett commented: "We can't have two events operating at the same time. It won't happen again, or we run the risk of losing the whole thing to Leipzig." Gamasutra will have a full report on the London Games Week, including looks at ECTS, GDC Europe, EGN and Game Stars Live, next week.