UK game expo WASD has been canceled after its organizer entered liquidation. The BBC shared the news this morning and spoke with co-founder David Lilley who confirmed the event had become unsustainable.
“Increasing costs and less demand for stand space means running events is just not viable for us anymore,” said Lilley. WASD launched in 2022 in a bid to replace the EGX Razzed indie showcased.
The London event focused on spotlighting smaller creators in tandem with larger releases. Rumors of WASD’s demise began to spread earlier this year when its website went offline shortly after the 2024 event took place.
WASD’s importance to indie games
Speaking to the BBC, Lilley said he understood how important WASD had become for indies and thanked them for their support.
The news comes with the wider video game industry in disarray. Layoffs and studio closures have carved through the industry in 2024, with major players like Microsoft, Sony, Embracer, EA, Take-Two and others choosing to cancel projects, shutter or divest teams, and enact layoff-laden restructuring plans that have left thousands of developers grappling with debilitating uncertainty.