Leipzig plans Games Convention for 2009

Games Convention owner Leipziger Messe has confirmed today that the show is still scheduled to happen in Leipzig in 2009. The news comes in the wake of an joint announcement from the BIU [Germany's answer to ELSPA or ESA - Ed] and Koelnmesse that a new event, GAMESCom, is to be held in Cologne in September next year.

It had been thought that the Games Convention IP may have been licensed to the new showground for a sizeable sum, but in essence the BIU hung Leipziger Messe out to dry, dragging Germany's main show to a new location and refusing to take any tie of the Games Convention brand with it. On the surface, this leaves Leipziger Messe, owner of the biggest games show in the world, with nothing after building up an annual audience of almost 200,000.

Leipziger Messe, obviously, isn't entirely pleased about the events of the last 24 hours, saying it is disappointed with the decision and today telling Eurogamer.de that it doesn't believe the BIU understands the concept of Games Convention or its sister trade event GCDC.

Games Convention 2009 is, therefore, on. Whether or not the BIU has just made the biggest booboo in European gaming history remains to be seen.