Play Creators Festival

“Character always love being part of the Mojo Pitch event,” said Jon Elliott, Head of R&D at Character Options.

The Play Creators Awards celebrates figures in the toy and game design community that have excelled over the last 12 months, and this year welcomes a new category in Inventor Relations Exec of the Year.

The deadline to get your nominations in is Friday, May 21st 2021.

September’s Virtual Play Creators Festival will mirror the digital format of last year’s event, with two weeks of activity including a week-long virtual conference, a digital awards and a three-day Mojo Pitch event.

“We’re hopeful that this year’s event can be a welcome return to in-person networking, learning and pitching, and we can’t wait to bring the industry’s creative community together later this year,” said Billy Langsworthy, co-founder of Mojo Nation.

A celebration of the toy and game industry’s design talent, among the big winners this year are Spin Master, Big Potato and Seven Towns, while Heayes Design’s Richard Heayes scooped the Design Icon accolade.

Reiner Knizia – the prolific game designer behind over 700 games, including Lost Cities, Modern Art and new Kosmos title My City – discusses how he got started in game design, shares his top tips for fuelling creativity and reveals the game he wishes he came up with!

Panellists include Pixar Animation Studios’ Jen Tan, Roald Dahl’s Stephanie Griggs and SRL Consulting’s Susie Lecker.

The session will be chaired by Erik Quam, Director of Product Development at Fat Brain Toys.

The session will delve into how Ben Butcher – SVP of Creative at Funko – and his team tackle toy design, as well as exploring his own thoughts on fuelling creativity.