Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) is set to return once more for 2023. Taking place from 30 September 2023 to 8 October 2023, the event is being buoyed by an AUD $2 million round of funding from the Victorian Government that aims to increase the profile of MIGW over 2023-2024.
Returning events include the consumer-facing PAX Aus convention, the industry-facing Games Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) along with the Australian Game Developer Awards, and the music and audio-focussed High Score conference.
Freeplay: Parallels, the exciting annual showcase of upcoming Australian games run by the Freeplay Independent Games Festival, will also be an official part of MIGW.
Read: PAX Aus 2023 will feature Nintendo, Bethesda, and more
For the general public and bystander crowd, the Mario Kart King of Kart Tournament will be held once more on the big screen in Melbourne’s Fed Square.
In addition to these events, organisers have now also confirmed several additions to the MIGW 2023 lineup, including:
- ACMI’s Games for Change Asia Pacific Immersive Arcade Showcase – On 4 October, ACMI will host an event spotlighting the latest AR and VR games inspiring social, education, and health changes around the world.
- ACMI’s Cult of the Lamb: Live – From 6-7 October, Cult of the Lamb is coming to ACMI cinema screens for special showings backed by an arranged, live score from First Nations musician River Boy (Narayana Johnson), and musicians from Orchestra Victoria.
- ACMI’s Women and Non-Binary Gamers Club – On 4 October, an online meetup for women, gender non-conforming, trans and non-binary folks will be held. The main focus of this event will be discussing Stray Gods, from Summerfall Studios.
- MIGW at the Table – On 1 October, MIGW at the Table returns. This event is a 12-hour livestreamed event spotlighting the fun of tabletop role-playing games.
- Big Games Night Out – On 5 October from 5:00pm, Fed Square in Melbourne will play host to a games extravaganza, featuring a mysterious Cult of the Lamb stage performance featuring large-scale puppets and a performance by composer River Boy, a Stray Gods fashion show, and a cosplay parade hosted by presenter Myf Warhurst and musician Montaigne. There’ll also be open-air gameplay opportunities and a video game swap meet.
Additional events are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, as Melbourne International Games Week organisers prepare for a September kickoff.
This article has been updated since its original publication on 10 July 2023, to add newly announced events.
