Network N acquires controlling interest in WASD and London Developer Conference business, Roucan Events & Content

Network N :

Network N Holdings is delighted to announce it has taken a controlling share of Roucan - the events business that owns WASD and London Developer conference.

 
Roucan was founded in 2020 by Matt Styles and David Lilley - formerly of Gamer Network, aiming to build the best and most credible gaming events in the UK and beyond. As a double act they previously played a large role in the meteoric rise of EGX and Rezzed, and following up with the new business launched WASD, the most credible games event in the UK.

 
Back in 2022 Network N Holdings acquired a minority stake, now bolstered by a much larger investment. Both founders will stay with the business to grow events over the next few years.

 
It is the ambition for Roucan to continue growing the established event brands, plus support  and deliver new community led moments on behalf of publishers and developers.

 
James Binns, Executive Chair of Network N commented, “I have long admired the work of Matt and David. They are super smart and know the events market. We look forward to helping them develop the business over the next few years. Our media portfolio will drive community, ticket sales and live activations. Our agency Project N will support them to guarantee their success. See you all at London Developer Conference.”

 
David Lilley added, “WASD has been a rare success in a tough market over the last few years. Folding into the Network N business gives us all the tools we need to build our owned events, as well as providing support for the Network N brands.”

 
In the next few months Roucan will host the London Developer Conference at Savoy Place, to mark the opening day of London Games Festival - sharing a venue with The Games Finance Market. Tickets are on sale now for the event on April 11th 2024.

 
Then to close out the festival WASD will open Thursday, April 25th until Saturday 27th. The fan favourite event will again present the newest and best collection of Indie games and more, to a buzzing audience at the Truman Brewery in London.

 

 

<sup>About Roucan 
 
Roucan Events & Content is the owner of the WASD and London Developer Conference brands and the most credible games event organiser in the UK. Founded by David Lilley and Matt Styles, the company focuses on experiences that gamers want and have a positive effect on the UK Videogames business.


About Network N 
 
Network N is a games media company founded in 2012 by James Binns and Tim Edwards, with a focus on building media and communities around games. Publishing arm Network N Media owns and operates over 10 brands including</sup> PCGamesN^, Pocket Tactics^, Wargamer ^and The Loadout^{; global advertising network} Publisher Collective ^{looks after revenues for over 200 websites, reaching more than 140m monthly users; and creative agency} Project N ^{delivers websites, video, social media content and community management for clients across the world. The group employs around 150 people and remains independent.}