Playcrafting announces the return of PLAY NYC – a two-day all-games convention that premiered last year in New York. This August 11th and 12th, gamers and enthusiasts of all ages will experience a weekend-long gaming event that will pack the entire Hammerstein Ballroom with 4 full-floors of games, exclusive interactive installations and game debuts, a live-streaming set with top streamers, and much more. Tickets go on sale May 21st.
“Last year, our promise was to give NYC the first dedicated all-games convention it deserved. This year, we’re taking it to the next level,” says Dan Butchko, CEO of Playcrafting, the organization and community responsible for organizing the event.
Last year’s edition brought in over 5,000 people with 50,000 more joining online and was a top 3 trending topic on Twitter for most of the first day. This year, organizers expect it to double in size with up to 10,000 gamers and enthusiasts throughout the weekend at its new venue, The Manhattan Center, in the heart of New York City.
“We’ve been doing Playcrafting expos for about five years now,” said Butchko. “What started as originally ten developers sitting in a room and showing their games to each other has exploded. It’s a huge indicator that this is the kind of event that New York needs. Play NYC was a phenomenon in its first year. This year it becomes an industry-recognized institution.”
Nationwide, Playcrafting has contributed to the professional advancement of over 25,000 developers by hosting annually more than 200 classes and courses generating over 150 new games. Their quarterly expos are attended by over 1,000 gamers and developers. Playcrafting also hosts the largest Global Game Jam site in the United States and an annual stage production – The Bit Awards – celebrating the year in independent games. Play NYC is the next step in its mission to provide developers the tools to get a leg up by impressing the industry and bringing their games to a whole new level.
Play NYC events will run Aug. 11-12 from 10 am to 8 pm daily. Tickets start at $30 per person. The Manhattan Center is conveniently located one block away from Penn Station and is easily accessible by taking the 1/2/3, A/C/E trains to 34th Street/Penn Station, PATH trains from New Jersey to 33rd Street/Avenue of the Americas, via Metro-North take the Shuttle from Grand Central Terminal Times Square and transfer downtown to the 1/2/3 trains to 34th Street/Penn Station.
PLAY NYC WEBSITE: play-nyc.com