The live events struggle continues, as the UK loses one of its biggest in the gaming space. Insomnia 74 will no longer go ahead this year, as organizers say they were unable to secure enough sponsors and exhibitors to make it go ahead.
This comes after initially canceling Insomnia completely in 2024 only to announce it will try to relaunch it with a 2026 event. However, with that now cancelled, it's unclear where Insomnia goes from here.
Insomnia isn't progressing this year, and there's no word on when it will return
“It is with deep sadness that Insomnia Gaming Festival confirms that, after much consideration, the team and their partners have made the difficult decision to cancel i74,” reads a statement released by the organizers.
It is said that while the response from the community has been positive, particularly through ticket sales, there has not been enough interest from the industry.
“Despite extensive reach over several months, low investment from major technology and hardware brands in live events meant that the level of sponsorship and exhibitor attendance dependent on an event of this scale was simply not available,” it reads. “The expo floor has always been a defining part of the Insomnia experience, a place to shake hands with new hardware, discover emerging products, and feel the pulse of gaming technology. Without those partners, and with rising production costs, the team faced an obvious, but sad choice.”
Operations chief Michael Wirks echoed this, saying it would not have benefited if Insomnia had gone ahead. “We've always said that if we're going to bring back insomnia, we're going to do it properly,” he says. “A festival without the presence, spectacle and quality people have come to expect from Insomniac – providing half-measures for the community that has supported the show for a quarter of a century. We'd rather be honest than ask our fans to settle for less.”
He also says he would “love” to see Insomnia return in the future, but makes it clear that it won't happen in 2026. He also didn't say if a final return is guaranteed at this point, so there's no word on anything happening in 2027 either.
Meanwhile, the community doesn't seem surprised at all. Many on social media criticized the decisions made by the organizers, especially the cost to the participants, and the choice of the location of the show grounds.
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