In a major boost for the Scottish games ecosystem, the UK Games Fund has announced that its flagship public games festival, Protoplay, is returning to a physical event in Dundee this September. The showcase, which celebrates the best emerging talent from across the UK, will take place at LiveHouse Dundee on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th of September.
For Scotland, and Dundee in particular, this is a significant homecoming. Protoplay is the direct successor to the public-facing festival that was a cornerstone of Abertay University’s legendary Dare to be Digital competition. For many years, that event drew student teams from all over the world to the city, making Dundee a global hub for new talent. The return of a major, physical Protoplay to its spiritual home is a welcome return to form and a testament to the city’s enduring importance in the UK (and global ) games scene.
The free weekend festival is the culmination of Tranzfuser, the UK’s leading graduate talent development programme. It offers the public the first chance to play the incredible new games created by this year’s cohort of teams from all over the UK. For participating developers, it is an invaluable opportunity to receive direct feedback from players, and for the industry, it’s a prime chance to scout the next generation of talent.
Deborah Farley, Head of the UK Games Fund, said:
Tranzfuser 2025 is our tenth year of running the competition, and the opportunity to bring the highly promising graduate game dev teams from across the UK to Dundee is one we could not miss! Our new home at LiveHouse Dundee is a huge draw in and of itself to our audience, the cherry on the top will of course be the amazing array of games available to enjoy!
September 2025 – A Packed Month for Scottish Games
Protoplay’s return is the latest major addition to an incredibly busy month for games in Scotland. With the Scottish Esports League finals, the PHASE festival at Murrayfield, and a meeting of the Cross-Party Group on the Games Ecosystem, DICE Europe, the all new Dundee Developer Day (more on which shortly…) all taking place, September is shaping up to be a landmark month.
To celebrate this, the Scottish Games Network will be launching a ‘September Spotlight’ initiative. Throughout the month, we will be highlighting and showcasing the incredible range of events taking place across the country, showcasing how Scotland is becoming a major destination for games culture, policy, and development.
The Scottish Games Network encourages everyone—from the public and students to our established developers and studio heads—to get along to Protoplay to support the teams and celebrate the return of this fantastic event to Dundee.
Find out more and get your tickets here.