Insomnia Gaming Festival, one of the biggest gaming events in the UK, is set to return in Spring 2026 according to the official Insomnia Twitter account.
The official bio of the Insomnia Twitter account was also changed to: “We said we’d be back…”
The news comes after the event’s organiser, Player1 Events, went into liquidation a year ago.
Insomnia featured esports tournaments, community activities, a games expo, creator gatherings, panels and more, and took place twice a year before it closed last year. It took place at the Birmingham NEC.
Insomnia founder Craig Fletcher told Esports News UK:
“The posts are true. Insomnia is returning in 2026. I don’t have much else to share right now, but keep an eye on the official social channels as more info will be dropping over the next few weeks.”
Craig Fletcher, Founder of Multiplay & Insomnia Gaming Festival
The community was excited but cautious about the recent announcement.
Some were left confused by the vague nature of the announcement and the lack of public communication from the organisers over the past year.
We’ve reached out to Insomnia’s owners, Supernova Capital, for comment.
Community reaction to the return of Insomnia Gaming Festival
Insomnia meant many things to many people. So it should come as no surprise that people have opened up on social media with a mix of emotions.
Many reactions were positive as the community expressed surprise and excitement.
However, some have raised concerns around how the event ended, and a lack of transparency around the liquidation process of Player1Events, staff being let go and creditors that were owed money.
Meanwhile, event organisers EPIC.LAN have poked fun at the announcement, reacting to Insomnia changing its Twitter bio to “we said we’d be back…”
EPIC.LAN reiterated that they had never left – and continue to run their own events.
What happened to Insomnia Gaming Festival in 2024?
After Player1 Events’ final Insomnia Gaming Festival last year, Player1 Events saw mass layoffs, which took many by surprise.
Just over a week later, Player1 Events filed for voluntary liquidation, marking what many thought was the end of Insomnia.
The parent company of Player1 Events, Supernova Capital, publicly remained silent throughout the coming months.
Adding further to this, it later came to light that Player1 Events owed millions to various entities that worked on or collaborated with Insomnia, including some of its own inter-company entities.
As of the company’s statement of affairs, submitted on September 12th 2024, Player1 Events owed almost £6m to various people and entities, excluding shareholders.
Who is in control of Insomnia Gaming Festival?
Supernova Capital remains the official owner of [the now liquidated] Player1 Events, and therefore Insomnia, from what Esports News UK understands.
Supernova is led by Paul Wedgwood.
Insomnia founder Craig Fletcher’s comments to us do suggest he may be involved too, but that’s to be confirmed.
Is this being run by the Original Insomnia Team, or by a whole new team with zero acknowledgement for the mass layoffs?
— Nikkie Stones 🔜 TwitchCon 🇳🇱 (@TheNikkieStones) May 21, 2025
I was definitely hyped seeing it originally, but now I'm just confused… 🤔🤔
In lieu of the uncertainty around this new iteration of Insomnia, the event is now set to return next year.
More details will likely be announced through the Insomnia Gaming Festival’s social media account.
Having written for Esports News UK since 2022, I’ve cultivated an extensive knowledge of all things esports.
Covering a wide variety of topics during my time as an esports journalist, it’s safe to say I’m a jack of all trades, if you’ll pardon the pun.
