Due to the weakening of appetite for any traditional show concept in the UK, Games Market Europe, a London-based videogame trade event has been canceled by the organizers in its second year following ESA announced to downsize E3.

London trade show cancelled
10:00, Aug 16th by Stuart Dinsey
The UK will not host any kind of pan-industry retail trade event this year, following a decision this morning to cancel Games Market Europe.
MCV understands that an almost inevitable capitulation follows weak exhibitor support. The news also comes the same year as the collapse of the annual spring event run by independent retail association NASCR.

GME was due to have taken place at the Business Design Centre in Islington on September 6th and 7th.

It launched last year, as a deliberately low-key and low-cost networking event for suppliers and retailers. Exhibitors included Nintendo, Ubisoft, Vivendi, Buena Vista and Codemasters.

But the weakening of appetitie for any traditional show concept in the UK, following a futile war between CMP?s ECTS and ELSPA?s own events in 2004, left a daunting task for GME organisers Tandem Events and Barrington Harvey - who had bravely tried to fill the September gap.

The GME cancellation also swiftly follows significant downsizing for the previously serene E3 trade event in Los Angeles.

"As industries evolve, so do the events that serve them," said a GME spokesman.

Tandem and BH will now take soundings from suppliers and retailers to see if a new event can be built for 2007 that reflects industry needs..

[via mcvuk]