The organisers of London Games Festival this year’s cohort for its flagship Ensemble exhibition, championing the work and voices of Black, Asian, and underrepresented games professionals in the UK.
Curated by author and artistic director Sharna Jackson, the Ensemble initiative showcases the work and stories of eight game developers and creatives from across the industry via exhibitions in various locations during the London Games Festival 2025.
The first installation will be at LGF’s New Game Plus (between April 3 and April 4), then at Trafalgar Square on April 11. LGF is supported by the Mayor of London, and delivered by Games London.
This year’s cohort includes:
- Annabel Ashalley-Anthony, CEO and founder of Melanin Games, has also worked for EA, Ubisoft, Square Enix, and ZA/UM Studio focusing on diversity and inclusion initiatives
- Jonas Gawe, is a community manager and event organiser, who has worked with Into Games, Limit Break, and Electric Saint on its new game Crescent County and led masterclasses at industry events
- John Giwa-Amu, producer and founder of Good Gate Media, has worked on projects including The Complex, Five Dates, Ten Dates, Night Book, and Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus
- Patrick Haraguti, creative director and founder of Ronin Game Studio, has over two decades of experience as a 3D artist and VFX supervisor
- Bulut Karakaya, lead programmer at Ustwo, has contributed to projects including Monument Valley 3 and Desta: Between Memories – has also co-founded two indie studios
- Zakia Khan, senior character artist and lead artist having worked for developers including Rare, Lucid Games, NaturalMotion, and Mediatonic Games
- Tara Mustapha, founder and CEO of Code Coven, has worked as a game designer on titles including Cartomancy, Detours, and Insecure – The Come Up Game and partnered with companies including Google, Netflix, and Meta
- Sarah York, founder of Panda Cat Games, previously worked at Team17, GREE, Sony Liverpool, and Rocksteady having contributed to games including Batman: Arkham Knight and Killzone: Shadowfall
“Welcome to the seventh edition of Ensemble, the exhibition that foregrounds the importance of a diverse industry, by demonstrating its significance in the creation of rich and intoxicating worlds and experiences for everyone,” said Jackson.
“Vibrant and essential work is being created by Black, Asian, and minority ethnic talent in the UK’s games industry each and every day. Let’s celebrate that. Let’s highlight these achievements – especially in this climate – to encourage and support the next generation of talent as they emerge.”
