A Familiar Rare Name Heads To Nottingham

Tickets are now available for the 2026 Nottingham Video Games Expo, and the guest list has a strong retro pull. Kev Bayliss, the former Rare artist and designer, has been confirmed for the show, which takes place at the Crowne Plaza on Saturday 18 July 2026.

This year's event also marks the expo's fifth anniversary. Alongside Bayliss, visitors will be able to see former Ocean Software boss Gary Bracey and Amstrad figure Roland Perry, making the day a neat meeting point for several corners of British games history.

Bayliss joined Rare as a teenager and went on to work on some of the studio's best-known games, including WWF WrestleMania from 1989, Battletoads from 1991, Killer Instinct and Donkey Kong Country from 1994, and Diddy Kong Racing from 1997. He now works at Playtonic, the Yooka-Laylee studio that also includes several other former Rare staff members.

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Donkey Kong, Battletoads And Killer Instinct Artist Kev Bayliss Is Attending This Year's Nottingham Video Games Expo 1

The show opens to general ticket holders at 11:00 AM and closes at 5:00 PM. VIP ticket holders can enter earlier, from 10:00 AM. For anyone who likes their gaming history with real cartridges, old names, and a room full of familiar memories, Nottingham's 2026 expo is shaping up warmly.

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