“The starting point for this was my feeling that we, as a society, could be doing more to show support for each other and appreciate our differences,” said set designer and Vice President of Design at LEGO, Matthew Ashton.

“Hosting this conference expands on our offerings and aligns with our mission of promoting and supporting areas of popular art that might otherwise not receive the attention they deserve,” said Eddie Ibrahim, Senior Director of Programming at Comic-Con International.

The new funding competition will see Innovate UK invest up to £2.5m in innovative projects from UK registered micro and small businesses in the creative sector.

The Play Creators Awards celebrates figures in the toy and game design community that have excelled over the last 12 months, and this year welcomes a new category in Inventor Relations Exec of the Year.

“Our new line, designed for collectors and new fans alike, provides a modern interpretation of these classic characters,” said Mattel’s PJ Lewis.

Elsewhere, The Lost Ruins of Arnak, Fantasy Realms and Paleo will battle it out to win the Kennerspiel des Jahres.

The film tells the story of Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the Green Knight.

“We are about to create something new and unique for our industry,” said All About Games’ Daniel Steel.

We caught up with Martyn to find out more about how voice tech firm SoapBox Labs can help toy companies and inventors create great voice-enabled products for kids.

The $4m investment will accelerate Gameboard’s ongoing developer relations efforts and shorten time-to-market for its debut hardware.