New videogame show Play Expo 2012 set to take place in Manchester

A new videogame show which mixes retro with brand new titles is set to take place in Manchester later this year.

Play Expo 2012 is expected to attract 10,000 visitors over its two-day run in October which is now shaping up to be a busy month for the gaming festival calendar.

Organisers are hoping their blend of the latest releases and previews, retro consoles, and costume role play will be a winner with videogame fans.

And they are also looking to attract up to 500,000 worldwide viewers for their streaming coverage of an eSports competition.

The show will be staged on October 13 and 14 at EventCity, a venue which is next door to Manchester's Trafford Centre shopping mall.

One of the organisers Gordon Sinclair said: “There is great demand from gamers for a show outside of London and from our experience, we know there is appetite for our unique approach.

The show follows on from an event called Replay which has taken place in Blackpool for the past three years.

It also comes in the same month as two other major shows: GameCity in Nottingham which has expanded to a week this year and the four-week London Games Festival.

Mr Sinclair said: "We surveyed previous attendees to our shows and found that 96 per cent said they wanted this type of event and that they would be very likely to attend.

"With that kind of support, we are confident that this huge step forward will be a successful one for both us and our exhibitors.”

Tickets for the event went on sale today at www.playexpo.net