Some of the headline exhibitions, showcases and guests this year include a trailer world premiere of Netflix’s next original production and tv series The Witcher. Stars from the Netflix Original production Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan are attending, as well as writer of the eponymous bestseller, Andrzej Sapkowski. Producer and showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich will be in attendance. Netflix’s Money Heist, the best performing non-English language series on the platform, will occupy one of Lucca’s main squares.
The Italian premieres of tentpole film releases Terminator: Dark Fate (20th Century Fox), which will open the festival, and Zombieland: Double Tap (Warner Bros. Entertainment Italia) will also be shown and accompanied by zombies invading the ancient city.
The underground dungeon, San Colombano, will be transformed for a Dungeons and Dragons tournament, in partnership with Wizards of the Coast. Actor Joe Manganiello (True Blood , How I Met Your Mother ), Scottish comedian Paul Foxcroft ( Cariad & Paul , Questing Time ), Richard Witther (D&D, Senior Art Director), Bill Benham (D&D Game Producer), Mark Hulmes and Kim Richards (two of the most important members of the British D&D community, better known as High Rollers) and many others will be taking part. In total 180 players and 30 Dungeon Masters will create the largest simultaneous D&D game that the Old Continent has ever seen.
A year after the death of William Goldman, Lucca Comics & Games will be honoring him by launching a special extended edition of The Princess Bride, including 100 new pages of adventure.
Bruce Sterling, one of the main exponents of cyberpunk, will be in Lucca discussing the future along with Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, also known as James S.A.Corey, authors of The Expanse.
This year the Baluardo San Regolo will be the setting for the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare from Activision in a massive exhibition space.
The Gilette Cup Bomber, one of the biggest Fortnite tournaments, also returns for its second year along with free gaming sessions and a Meet & Greet with some of the icons of gaming including Cicciogamer89, J0K3r, Kekkobomba and Los Amigos.
Nintendo will be attending with Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 and Luigi’s Mansion 3. Blizzard Entertainment titles World of Warcraft, Overwatch, StarCraft, Hearthstone, Diablo and Heroes of the Storm will also be present.
Bandi Namco Entertainment comes to Italy for the first time with some of its most important titles including Dragon Ball Z Kakarot, One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 and One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows.
eSports fans can experience the fourth edition of the Italian eSports Open with 5 days full of content including tournaments, world finals and panels with exceptional guests in the evocative setting of the Auditorium San Romano, a former church medieval transformed for the occasion into Esports Cathedral.
2K Games will be activating the ‘Borderlands 3 Parade’, when all Borderlands fans will be summoned by one of the most famous cosplayers in the world, Leon Chiro, who will lead the group inside the city.
Sony Interactive Entertainment Italy offer visitors the chance to try PlayStation™ Now, the exclusive subscription service dedicated to video games and based on the cloud, with a catalog of over 700 games including great exclusives, blockbusters and experiences for the whole family,including God of War, Uncharted 4: End of a Thief and Bloodborne.
In an exclusive location, the Scuderia Ferrari will be celebrating its 90th anniversary with the exhibition of the Cover Art of the 2019 Formula 1 Championship. Visitors and aspiring pro gamers will also be able to interact with the Ferrari Driver Academy and find out about its recent entry into the eSport Championship.
Amazon will also be present via a massive 200sqm exhibition, called the Box of Passions. Amongst highlighting their products, they will also be paying homage to the late, great, Stan Lee.
Lucca Comics & Games stalwart Hasbro will be world premiering new lines of action figures, accessories and vehicles dedicated to the Star Wars saga and Marvelsuperheroes.
BECOMING HUMAN
Becoming Human is the theme chosen for this year and is wonderfully represented in the festival’s official poster, signed by celebrated graphic novelist, Barbara Baldi. Lucca Comics & Games are asking people to join the conversation about what being human means. They will be exploring the relationship between virtual and real, digital and analogue, sleep and wakefulness, flesh and metal, silicon and carbon and all that is possible within these realms.
The festival offers 6,000 gaming sessions at the eSports Cathedral and 12 art exhibitions divided between Palazzo Ducale, Palazzo Arnolfini and Piazza San Martino. Lucca Comics & Games embodies the heritage of Lucca – the walls, the squares, the historic buildings, the medieval alleys and the mysterious undergrounds. It welcomes the participants, the great sagas and all the event partners who together build a great community ready to live an unparalleled experience through a unique event.
Emanuele Vietina, Lucca Comics & Games Director says “The strength of a festival that every year brings together more than 750,000 people – one of the largest community events in the world – lies precisely in it’s ability to combine its’ historical heritage with the imagery of American superheroes, the big videogame franchises, the fantasy and sci-fi literary sagas, the TV series and films. An event that is now one of the most advanced examples of a pop culture festival at international level. Lucca is more than a festival – it’s a festival that produces culture.”
INFORMATION:
Stay tuned on www.luccacomicsandgames.com