Strapped for sponsors, Edinburgh Interactive Festival is called off

UK trade bodies United Kingdom Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) and The Independent Game Developers' Association (TIGA) are calling off their annual event in Edinburgh, the organizations have confirmed to MCV. "We've decided, along with partners TIGA, that Edinburgh Interactive will be taking a year off in 2013," UKIE CEO Jo Twist told MCV. "We're still involved with what's going on in Scotland and look forward to bringing a big industry event back to Scotland next year." The festival's suspension this year is due in part to a lack of sponsor, as well as other events jockeying for the industry's attention, such as Gamescom -- in which UKIE and TIGA are also involved. "We're currently focusing efforts on Gamescom [instead]," Twist explained. "We're running the official UK industry stand and are taking more than 30 companies to Germany." Edinburgh Interactive Festival is slated to return in 2014.