Who doesn’t love the thrill and spills of a gaming expo? Especially the event that tops them all in the UK, EGX. An expo which sees the best in AAA, indie, developers and community coming together for four days of gaming joy.
This year saw the event returning to the Excel in London, which is where it has called home for the past three years and looks to be based there moving ahead.
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Bit of a disclaimer before moving on this was my 12th EGX, so it’s safe to say I know what a good and bad expo is. Having followed it from its heyday at Earl’s Court, to its move to the NEC in Birmingham for five years and now to its new home back in London.
It’s also worth noting is this is only the second EGX to take place after the pandemic – with last year’s being a total leap of faith in many ways. It’s fair to say the show is still feeling the fallout in a lot of ways.
Once again, two of the big three were missing. Nintendo basically only showed up with Splatoon 3. Along with firms like 2K, Ubisoft and even Bandai Namco. This does impact the show no matter how you look at it.
Indie Gap
Leaving it up to the indie scene once again to save the day…and save it they did (once again) as this felt a lot like EGX Rezzed but on steroids, as it was said pre-show there was over double the games than last year, which felt right. But in an indie way.
There was an overall less focus on the end of year blockbusters and more of a spotlight on smaller teams and even getting a foot in the industry door.
That said there was a handful of new titles on show with the biggest being Sonic Frontiers or Goat Simulator 3. Though oddly the biggest headlining title for the show looked to be House Flipper 2. Which says everything that needs to be said I think on AAA attendance at EGX 2022.
AAA Letdown
But beyond six or seven titles, if you were looking for AAA thrills you would have been disappointed. But I think those running the show knew this and, in a way, tried to change the core of things.
There were a lot more stages dotted around the show floor. Hosting everything from eSport tournaments, to talks about how to get into gaming and these were really interesting. The variety of stages often delivered a nice surprise as I walked around the floor.
There was also a strong vibe of the show trying to reposition itself alongside likes of MCM Comic Con. Which makes sense, given it’s an event ran by the same team as EGX. There was a greater emphasis than ever on meet & greets, for example.
With gaming voice acting talent like Martin Copping (CoD and R6S), Chad Michael Collins (CoD), Jeff Teravainen (the voice of Splinter Cell‘sSam Fisher) and Marta Svetek (FNAF). There was a host of streamers and TikTokers to meet like Nick and Cam. If that’s your thing, these personalities are a nice addition.
I would like to give a shout out to the Board and Tabletop game section. This had a strong showing with a HUGE number of games – not only to buy – but also to lose hours learning and playing over the weekend.
The Dark Room
Also at the show was the Aussie powerhouse comedian John Robertson once again with his interactive videogame show The Dark Room – which had not one, but two showings over the event.
John was on top form and as sharp as always, as the Guardian at both the after show on Thursday night and the midday matinee on Saturday, where he cut down countless Darren’s trying to find the light switch, escape The Dark Room and bank the legendary £1,000 cash prize for doing so.
Although most Darren’s left with a prize selected from The Table of Wonders, including 42 copies of Fifa 18 and the infamous Flamboyant Potato (aka pineapple).
It was also great to see John taking time to meet fans pre and post show for a chat or a cheeky selfie.
This must have been my 8th or 9th time seeing the show and no two shows have ever been the same… well, other than Darren’s having to check pockets or is that Czech pockets far too often, oh and the iconic chorus of YA DIE, YA DIE, YA DIE.
Space Age
If I was to highlight any real issues with the show there are only really two points, the first being if your show is being saved by the indie industry, give them a bit more space, please.
It was shocking how much open space there was on the show floor and right next to it was four indie titles crammed onto one stand or VR titles with limited space. Sorry again to the guy I punched in the back.
This isn’t a new issue by a longshot but given how the show has evolved it’s only right that its biggest section gets some room to breathe. Do we really need two huge stands to buy PC parts and look at astronomically priced hardware?
Expo Staff Training
My other issue is the lack of staff with a basic understanding of the game or tech on their stand. A good example was I got hands on with the Stream Deck for the first time and wanted to know what model it was.
Having asked two members of staff on the stand, it turned out only one person knew this level of info. This was also the person collecting IDs (don’t ask) at the front entrance of the stand, so they didn’t have time to chat given the length of the queue.
I understand having agency staff is a big thing to make the numbers on stands. But at least train them to hit a minimum level of knowledge of what they are showing.
Highlight of EGX 2022
If I was to pick a few highlights though from the show, both on the gaming and just general show front (in no order of course) it would be.
Getting hands on with the Street Fighter 6 was a blast and definitely my Game of the Show, the demo on show has been shown in a few places over the past month. Featuring eight different brawlers both old like Ryu and Guile, as well as new blood like Jamie and Kimberly.
I was lucky enough to have a fight with the full available roster and it was outstanding. We played a PS5 build. I got to try the build with the Dual-Sense controller and a very nice Nacon Daija Arcade Stick.
Easy to pick up, runs butter smooth and looks jaw dropping amazing. This will be a HUGE hit when it releases both with fans and casuals alike.
Personal Highlight
A personal highlight from this year’s show was getting to meet both Jeff Teravainen and Martin Copping, as a massive Rainbow Six fan getting a few things signed and a pic or two was brilliant.
They were both where true gents taking time to talk to me about everything from playing the roles, to Martin talking about his Twitch channel and even a cheeky mention of a re-make under hushed tones too.
It’s not often I admit to “fanboying” but it’s not every day you get to meet Sam Fisher aka Zero and Mozzie.
Return of the GOAT
Going back to games, Goat Simulator 3 was utterly mental and just pure unadulterated fun. The demo I played was easy to tell that Coffee Stain North have just taken the first game and turned it up to 11 and then some.
Bigger world, more things to do, tonnes of abilities and best of all four-player co-op. Anarchy will reign, mark my words when this one hits.
Sneaky Peaky
My last highlight is a bit of a doubler as it’s for a game, but also a bit of tech I had never tried out as I got to play Peaky Blinders – The King’s Ransom – a new VR title from Maze Theory games, the team behind the particularly good Doctor Who Edge of Reality games.
The game sees you trying to become the latest member of the Peaky Blinders, as you do jobs to earn the trust of Tommy Shelby before things take a bit of a turn, as you get your hands really dirty battling through 1920s Birmingham.
To its credit it also features some voice talent of the shows cast, so expect to come face-to-face with Tommy Shelby (voiced by Cillian Murphy) and Arthur Shelby (voiced by Paul Anderson).
The demo I played was on the Meta Quest 2 (first time I have used it and it was really good, especially compared to the PSVR – which I own – this was night and day better) and was split into two sections to give you a real flavour of the game, an action section and a slow-paced story driven part.
If you’re a fan of the show, best break out your VR headset and make some room. This is definitely one you’ll want to play.
Changes for 2023
Following the show, it was confirmed that next year’s EGX will take place once again at the Excel, but with a small move of dates to October 12th-15th, 2023. Also worth noting was that there has been no word yet on what’s happening to EGX Birmingham after the first event was cancelled earlier this year.
EGX 2022 had a real challenge on its hands in a lot of ways, after how last year’s event went down, with some comparing it heavily to previous years, despite the world just coming out of the pandemic.
But given how the industry has changed and is still hurting from the events of 2020 (just look at the endless number of games being pushed back just now), it’s just good to actually be able to attend an expo, play new and exciting games, meet people and overall have a good time.