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[QUOTE="Queen, post: 88077, member: 27"]
A sponsorship drought just flatlined one of the UK's longest-running gaming festivals before it could even relaunch.

Insomnia i74 officially scrapped
[LIST]
[*]Insomnia Gaming Festival axed its i74 event entirely.
[*]Staffordshire County Showground was the planned venue.
[*]April 30 to May 3, 2026, were the scheduled dates.
[*]Harsh investment climate killed the comeback attempt.
[/LIST]
Why did the event collapse
[LIST]
[*]Major tech and hardware brands pulled back spending.
[*]Expo-floor quality couldn't meet community expectations without sponsors.
[*]Player1 Events' 2024 liquidation preceded this whole saga.
[*]A veteran-led consortium spent a year planning regardless.
[/LIST]
Consortium and refund details
[LIST]
[*]Modern Wolf partnered with Emblem Events & Exhibitions.
[*]High Viz Media Group and Protec European Events rounded it out.
[*]Full refunds hit ticket holders within 7-to-10 working days.
[*]Exhibitors get their money back through the same process.
[/LIST]
DreamHack's community response
[LIST]
[*]DreamHack offered 30% off its Birmingham event tickets.
[*]Discount targets anyone burned by the Insomnia cancellation.
[*]Birmingham's event lands later this same month.
[/LIST]
What happens to Insomnia next
[LIST]
[*]Festival enters an indefinite rest period with no return date.
[*]Organizers cling to hope for a healthier sponsorship landscape.
[*]FISSURE and OffStrike also dropped cancellation or postponement news.
[/LIST]
[/QUOTE]

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