PLAY Expo Manchester, the Norths biggest ever video gaming expo, returns for its sixth year at the huge EventCity exhibition centre in Manchester with an expected 25,000 attendees!
The two-time award nominated show will once again be jam packed to the gills with loads of features, tournaments, exhibitors and oodles of video gaming mayhem. With everything you love about gaming and popular culture all under one roof, the show has something for everyone and is not to be missed.
Tickets are on sale now at www.playexpomanchester.com
If you’re into nostalgia, (and judging by where you’re reading this, you are!) the highlights will be:
Massive Spectrum Sunday feature and Panel
REPLAY EVENTS and MEMOIRS of a SPECTRUM ADDICT are proud to announce a fabulous 8-bit union on Sunday 15th October at PLAY Expo Manchester. Calling it, SPECTRUM SUNDAY, you are be invited to watch a 40 minute segment of the film, Memoirs of a Spectrum Addict, followed by a Q&A panel including director Andy Remic and starring the stars of the film Andrew Hewson, Jon Hare, Steve Turner, Rich Stevenson, Simon Butler, Jim Bagley, Mark R. Jones, Mev Dinc and others pending confirmation!
Want to fulfil your ultimate fan boy ZX Spectrum experience? Well, you need to set your SatNav for PLAY Expo in Manchester on Sunday 15th October 2017. Copies of the film will also be available to purchase, and no-doubt there to sign by the stars of the ZX Spectrum world! Come and relive the 80s, Spectrum style!
Psygnosis Panel and Q&A
We’re very excited to be able to announce that we will have a panel talk and Q&A with a number of former Psygnosis team members at PLAY Expo Manchester this October. Psygnosis was formed in 1985, was acquired by Sony Electronic Publishing in 1993 and became SCE Studio Liverpool. The studio closed in 2010 but during their lifetime Psygnosis created and published many iconic games – from 16-bit classics such as Lemmings and Shadow of the Beast through to the massive Wipeout franchise on the PS1 along with G-Police and Colony Wars.
A number of former employees will be joining us for the panel – confirmed so far are Mike Clarke, Martin Linklater, Chris Graham and Mike Kaiser with more to be added. Mike Clarke said “PLAY Expo is always a great event and what better place to meet with old colleagues and talk about our experiences in the early years of the game industry. Psygnosis was a very dynamic place there are many stories to tell about what it was like to work there!”
Retro Gaming
We know one of the biggest draws for attendees to PLAY Expo Manchester is the retro zone so this year we are going to make it even bigger! Last year we ran close to 400 machines across the retro zones – this year we’re going for 500 making it the biggest ever collection of retro machines at any European gaming expo! As well as more retro consoles and computers we’ll be bringing back the handhelds section and expanding the classic PC games zone that we introduced last year. Our retro zone is a time slice of the past 40 years of games which will be featuring a number of consoles and computers, each running a selection of the best games for each system. So whether you’re Sinclair, Commodore, Nintendo, Sega, Sony or even an Xbox fan, there will be something for everyone.
And of course well have a selection of games for each system too, so if you can’t choose Manic Miner over Decathlon or Gran Turismo over Metal Gear Solid, don’t worry as our event staff will be on hand to help you find your favourite game at PLAY Expo Manchester.
Pinball
Think yourself a Pinball Wizard? Fancy trying out your skills against some of the best pinball players in the UK? Want to get your pinball play streamed live across the world? Want to win a cash prize and a trophy? New to Play Expo Manchester this year is the Play Expo Pinball Battle, the biggest pinball showdown in the UK!
Anyone can enter, and there are no pre-registration requirements. Just turn up, pay the £4 entry fee (£3 before 1pm on Saturday), and play three games of your choice from a selection of ten. Not happy with your scores? Then play again! Theres no limit to the number of entries you can purchase. You can enter at any time during show opening hours on Saturday, and on Sunday until 12 noon. Theres lots of chance for free practice too, as there will be at least another 100 pinball machines on free play at the show.
Arcade Games
Arcade video games conjure up nostalgic memories of childhood for so many people, be it fighting with your friend over who was going to be on the left-hand buttons on Mortal Kombat, or who got which gun while shooting zombies in House of the Dead. PLAY Expo Manchester will help you relive memories like these at with a selection of classic arcade machines or you to play on with every one set to free play. Finally, no pockets weighted down with ten pence pieces! Amongst the titles on show will be some of the must-have classics like Pac Man, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders as well as the more modern favourites like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Daytona USA. We will have over 100 arcade machines at PLAY Expo again this year – will your favourite be one of them? Want more? How about sit-down deluxe hydraulic Outrun, Afterburner and Power Drift machines? We’ll have them too!
Shopping Hall
The shopping hall – whether its classic games, consoles, gaming merchandise, retro toys, or even custom made artwork you seek, our retailers will have all of this and more! With hundreds of retailers under one roof selling every conceivable type of gaming merchandise you’ll want to save your pennies for PLAY Expo Manchester!
