Yorkshire Games Festival Returns In March At Venues Across Bradford

The Yorkshire Games Festival returns from 7-10 March at venues across Bradford, as the National Science and Media Museum remains temporarily closed to undergo refurbishment.  

The festival celebrates all things gaming and returns with a packed programme of gameplay, talks, workshops, and networking events featuring high-profile industry speakers along with the popular Let’s Play family weekend.  

This year’s festival will kick off on Thursday 7 March with Game Talks at the Jubilee Centre, featuring an impressive lineup of high-profile industry insiders to help attendees further their knowledge and employability in the fast-moving sector. Featuring international games companies such as Larian Studios – creators of 2023’s ‘Game of the Year’ winner Baldur’s Gate 3 and Square Enix, the studio behind the iconic Final Fantasy series. Hosted by Alex Earle, Producer at Radical Forge, this year’s talks will explore the path from education to making blockbuster games; dive into how to create compelling characters and stories; as well as give insight into how to level up designs, plus much more. The festival will also include a special in-conversation event and Q&A with actor Samantha Béart, one of 2023’s stand-out performers in video games, voice and performance actor for Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3 and BAFTA Breakthrough Brit.  

The popular Let’s Play family weekend will return this year from 9-10 March with a different look, as it takes over the Broadway Shopping Centre with free family gameplay and activities. Families will be able to test new projects from Northern developers and experience brand new games made in Yorkshire; alongside free activities like code cracking and button bashing and visitors can create their own games characters or challenge friends to classic couch co-op favourites, plus much more. For the first time, the festival will also feature adults-only activity during the weekend, with an evening takeover of The Studio next to the Alhambra on Saturday 9 March. Visitors will be able to play a large selection of board games, as well as compete on the big screen in multiplayer challenges and more. 

Commenting on this year’s festival, Sally Folkard, Head of Screen and Cultural Engagement at the National Science and Media Museum said: “We’re thrilled to deliver another packed Yorkshire Games Festival to celebrate all things gaming. This year the festival spreads across Bradford venues while the museum and Pictureville Cinema are temporarily closed. The programme not only welcomes an impressive lineup of industry experts working across the gaming sector to inspire the next generation, but also offers families opportunities to discover the industry with free gameplay and activities.”  

While the museum’s Pictureville Cinema also remains temporarily closed, the Yorkshire Games Festival will be doing a special screening at The Studio on Saturday 9 March with a gaming-related Kid’s Club film as part of the Pictureville Presents programme. 

For more information about this year’s Yorkshire Games Festival and to book tickets, please visit: https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/whats-on/yorkshire-games-festival