Malta to host inaugural game development and esports expo Playcon

A combination of stakeholders in Malta have announced Playcon, Malta’s first game development and esports expo. The event will take place on October 3rd-6th at the MFCC.

Playcon is an initiative launched by GMR Entertainment and supported by GamingMalta and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation.

Playcon will showcase the best Maltese industry stakeholders have to offer all under one roof, making it possible to discuss and engage the future of video games and esports as an extension to the DELTA Summit, part of the Malta Tech Week. Malta has a clear goal in these fields: to become a central hub in the Mediterranean and Europe for video game development and esports.   

The expo will provide a unique opportunity for both game enthusiasts and newcomers to experience this exciting chapter in video gaming, which will bring new opportunities for the economy, for young people, as well as contribute to the development of the local community.

Playcon’s expo will be open for DELTA ticket holders only on October 3rd-4th October whereby all those attending can visit both the DELTA Summit and Playcon Expo under one roof. 

During these two days, thousands of school students from various grades will have the opportunity to tour the Playcon expo and experience the following:

• Learn more about the careers in video game development and esports
• Understand what courses are available in video game development by several education institutions  
• Attend for coding workshops games edition as part of the EU Code Week
• Full immersion in an esports house understanding more what esports is all about, game strategy, personal development, team building, keeping fit and adopting healthy lifestyles, content creation
• Digital Scavanger Hunt with Augmented Reality were students will have a task to search for Maltese traditional cultural elements using their tablets
• Learn more about and try the games developed in Malta
• Enjoy several game experiences

Playcon will also feature a full day Game Dev & Esports Summit on October 4th with the participation of global speakers like Ralf Reichert, CEO of ESL and Asi Burak from Games for Change, together with local experts and political figures like Hon. Silvio Schembri, Hon. Evarist Bartolo, and Hon. Clifton Grima.

GamingMalta will be giving the opportunity to local game development companies to showcase their products and promote the industry to those interested in pursuing a career in the esports or video game sector.

Playcon will also feature key consumer elements, with games like FIFA 2020, Tekken 7, CS:GO, League of Legends, Clash Royale, Brawlstars, and Hearthstone featuring amongst others. The tournaments and competitions are hosted with the help of the likes of ESL, GMR, QLASH, MTV, BLAST, and World Pro Racing but to name a few.

Playcon aims to be an educational and entertainment experience for parents and grand parents to learn more about games and spend time playing with their children.  There will be a number of game experiences for all ages taking digital games to the next level all tying into an overall education piece.

Kersten Chircop, Founder of GMR Entertainment commented: “We are very excited to be organising Playcon, Malta’s first game development and esports expo, alongside GamingMalta. This event will provide a unique opportunity for both game enthusiasts and newcomers to experience this exciting chapter in Malta, which will bring new opportunities for the economy, for young people as well as contribute to the development of the local community.”

The general public can attend Playcon for free at MFCC Ta’ Qali on Saturday 5th between 10am and 10pm and Sunday 6th October between 10am and 6pm. The expo is also supported by the Visitmalta.com and the Ministry for Education and Employement. 

Esports Insider says: We know the efforts Malta have been making to position themselves as a hub for video game development and esports in recent times. Playcon is a culmination of the country’s efforts thus far and on paper, it looks impressive. We look forward to seeing how it goes down next weekend.

Disclaimer: Esports Insider is a media partner of Playcon.