Leipziger Messe Pulls Plug On GC Asia

Conference organizer Leipziger Messe will no longer operate its GC Asia event, originally scheduled for this September in Singapore, citing the "overall currently prevailing economic situation." "It is a regrettable, but necessary decision", says Jorg Zeissig, managing director of LMI Asia. "We will continue to keep an eye on the Asian games market so that we can pick up again with new concepts if this becomes appropriate." The event and its associated developer conference ran in Singapore from 2007 to 2009. The organizer's goal at the time was "to firmly establish what will be the Asia-Pacific region's largest convention devoted to digital media, computer games, entertainment and educational software as well as hardware." The most recent GC Asia event, in September 2009, registered 80 exhibitors and 102,500 visitors, and featured its own DICE Summit in partnership with the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Leipziger Messe still operates the GC Online event in Leipzig, Germany, an online-centric consumer/business game event set for this July 8th-11th. It aims to offer contrast with Cologne's retail publisher-supported GamesCom event.