Melanin Gamers CEO Annabel Ashalley-Anthony a part of London Games Festival 2025 Ensemble line-up

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Annabel Ashalley-Anthony, CEO and Founder of Melanin Gamers, a UK-based platform dedicated to supporting gamers of colour, has been included in the Ensemble 2025 line-up.

Ensemble is a programme of the annual London Games Festival that showcases Black, Asian and underrepresented ethnicities working in UK video games. This year, eight people have been featured in the line-up.

Annabel, aka Anzy, has worked with major companies such as EA, Ubisoft, Square Enix, and ZA/UM Studio to drive diversity and inclusion initiatives in the gaming industry, and has also represented Melanin Gamers at UK esports events like Insomnia, and Esports News UK community gatherings.

She is also a Women in Games Ambassador and works with the Ghana Esports Federation in international relations. Melanin Gamers also produces content on Twitch, YouTube and more.

The Ensemble initiative champions game developers and creatives from a range of roles and backgrounds. Curated by award-winning author and artistic director Sharna Jackson, this year’s line-up includes experts in the fields of game production, programming, artistry and community management.

Ensemble will be exhibited at various locations during London Games Festival, commencing with an installation at LGF’s New Game Plus (Thursday 3 April and Friday 4 April), the festival’s new boutique games expo and then at Trafalgar Square on Friday 11 April.

Ensemble launched in 2018 and refreshes every year at London Games Festival, but each edition spotlights and showcases inspiring stories in the workforce to promote diversity, advocate for new voices, and change perceptions.

Last year, Black Twitch UK co-founder Ebonix was a part of the 2024 Ensemble line-up.

Annabel Ashalley-Anthony, CEO and Founder of Melanin Gamers, commented:

Curator Sharna Jackson, who chose the eight in this year’s line-up, said: “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.

“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.”

London Games Festival is supported by the Mayor of London. It is delivered by Games London, an initiative from Film London, the capital’s screen industries agency.

London Games Festival 2025 Ensemble line-up

The eight creatives selected for 2025 Ensemble are:

• Annabel Ashalley-Anthony, CEO and Founder of Melanin Gamers; a platform dedicated to supporting gamers of colour, and the creator of Melanin Gamers D&I Consultancy. She has worked with major companies such as EA, Ubisoft, Square Enix, and ZA/UM Studio to drive diversity and inclusion initiatives in the gaming industry.
• Jonas Gawe, Community Manager; with a background in Human Biology and Nutrition, Jonas transitioned from Development Operations to Voice Acting and Community Managing. He has worked with Into Games, Limit Break and Electric Saint on their new game Crescent County. Jonas has also led a range of large-scale industry events, including masterclasses with renowned game developers and voice actors.
• John Giwa-Amu, Producer; with a diverse background, including experience as a poker player, film school graduate, and entrepreneur. He has worked on projects like The Complex, Five Dates, Ten Dates, Night Book, and Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus. John’s philosophy of perseverance, summed up in his belief to “never stop,” has driven his success in both film and interactive media, where he continues to innovate and push boundaries
• Patrick Haraguti, Creative Director and Founder; with over 20 years experience as a 3D Artist and VFX Supervisor, Patrick has worked on games such as Embraer KC-390 VR Tour, Affected: The Manor and Affected: The Asylum. After stepping away from a previous role, Patrick made the decision to embark on a new journey, starting his own independent game development studio Ronin Game Studio.
• Bulut Karakaya, Lead Programmer at Ustwo; where he contributes to projects like Monument Valley 3 and Desta: The Memories Between. With a Master’s in Game Development from Carnegie Mellon University, He co-founded two indie game studios, where he learned valuable lessons in team management and product shipping, despite facing the challenges of closing studios due to financial struggles.
• Zakia Khan, Senior Character Artist and Lead Artist; after transitioning university courses from Biomedical Science to Games Art and Design, she began her career at Rare Ltd, working on Sea of Thieves, and has since contributed to games like Everwild, Fall Guys and Destruction All Stars. With experience at studios like Mediatonic and Lucid Games. Zakia has also served on BAFTA juries and engaged in industry discussions on platforms like the BBC.
• Tara Mustapha, CEO and Founder; after dropping out of university, Tara’s journey took her from bartender to theatrical make-up artist and eventually to game designer. She has worked on titles such as Cartomancy, Detours and Insecure – The Come Up Game, and partners with major companies like Google, Meta and Netflix. As the founder of Code Coven, Tara has supported over 1,000 marginalised developers worldwide, creating opportunities through mentorship and education.
• Sarah York, Founder of Panda Cat Games; starting her career with part-time jobs while studying Animation and VFX, Sarah gained her first role in Quality Assurance at Team17. She then went on to work at GREE, Sony Liverpool and Rocksteady, contributing to games like Batman: Arkham Knight and Killzone: Shadowfall. Now the founder of Panda Cat Games, she is working on a new game, Spirits of Heartwood. ​

The 2025 Ensemble exhibition will also be available to feature at other UK locations – potential hosts and partners are welcome to contact [email protected] to find out more about ways to support and take part in the programme. Last year, esports featured at LGF 2024.

Dom Sacco

Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.

As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.