First look at Melbourne International Games Week 2023

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The state government has released details of Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) with the first program announcement revealing 10-days of events that will give gamers the chance to see, play and celebrate the latest in games.

Creative Industries Minister Steve Dimopoulos unveiled the first round of MIGW 2023 programming – featuring everything from Mario Kart tournaments to major industry events – which will take over Melbourne from September 30-October 8.

Flagship events such as the Games Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) industry conference will see local studios and developers connect with games leaders from across the globe. The fan-favourite epic games expo PAX Aus will also take over the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 6-8 October.

Melbourne’s live music community is invited to join the action at High Score, a conference focused on the art of composing music for games, while Freeplay: Parallels will showcase some of the most cutting-edge works emerging from Victoria’s indie developers.

Australia’s best and most innovative games will be celebrated at the Australian Game Developer Awards on 4 October. On 6 October, the Mario King Of Kart Tournament will see 32 racers vie for the coveted title of 2023 ‘King of Kart Champion’ live at Fed Square.

“Victoria is the heart of Australia’s games industry and Melbourne International Games Week celebrates the latest products, developments and opportunities in this fast growing, and much loved, industry sector,” said Mr Dimopoulos.

Melbourne International Games Week was established in 2015. Since then, it has grown into the largest games gathering in the Asia Pacific. In 2022, MIGW attracted a record-breaking crowd, with close to 86,000 attendees at in-person events and more than one million from across the globe at online events.

MIGW 2023 event runs from 30 September to 8 October 2023 and the full program will be announced in August.

Details: www.gamesweek.melbourne.