LUCCA60: LEGACY | Global Stars At Lucca Comics & Games Diamond Anniversary Celebration

Global Stars will appear at the Lucca Comics & Games Diamond Anniversary Celebrations, LUCCA60: LEGACY to be held in Lucca, Italy later this year.

Lucca Comics & Games was born 60 years ago today. To mark the date, the full programme for its Diamond Anniversary has been unveiled. The festival runs from Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 1 November across the streets, squares and historic buildings of Lucca. This year’s theme is LEGACY. A look back over six decades of history and a passing of the baton – or rather, the pencil – to new generations. The official poster is by international comics master Claudio Castellini. Celebrated with the exhibition Tocchi da Maestro (Masterstrokes) at Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca.

Claudio Castellini’s poster is the first meta-poster in the festival’s history. Bringing together characters from historic Lucca posters – including Zerocalcare’s ‘Lu’. Don Maitz’s ‘Sandokan’ and Ciruelo’s dragon – around a giant superhero holding a little girl who raises her pencil. The girl to whom Castellini passes the pencil is Louise Stéphant, winner of the Petit Fauve at Angoulême. She has created the poster’s variant cover, to be unveiled on opening day at Teatro del Giglio Giacomo Puccini. It is a handover between generations that sums up the Legacy spirit and the festival’s community of visitAuthors.

Born in Italy in 1966, Lucca Comics & Games has become an international example of Made in Italy excellence. Guided by the ideal of ‘united in diversity’ – the motto of the European Union. This supports this edition together with the European Parliament. This year’s festival will also feature more stands and pavilions than ever before.

60 YEARS OF HISTORY. THE LEGACY OF LUCCA COMICS & GAMES 2026

Celebrations for 60 years of history include the Legacy exhibition at Palazzo Guinigi. The new Luke & Clea video game and a RAI documentary made for the anniversary.

THE LEGACY EXHIBITION AT PALAZZO GUINIGI

On the second floor of Palazzo Guinigi, “Lucca Legacy: a comics and games story” is a Lucca Crea project in partnership with POLI.design at Politecnico di Milano. With scientific supervision from DISEGS at the “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara. The participation of the Fondo Bono and cultural partner Rai Teche.

Conceived as a living space rather than an archive, the exhibition lets visitors interact and leave their own mark, just as in legacy games. Guided by Luke and Clea, characters created by Sergio Algozzino, visitors move through nine environments. From Cover Stories and the Time Machine of historic posters to the Hall of Games, where they can sit down and play. Ending at The Vault, where anyone can deposit a treasured Lucca memento. The floor also previews the future Lucca Comics Museum, planned for the former Manifattura Tabacchi.

LUKE & CLEA – A QUEST FOR LEGACY

Luke & Clea – A Quest for Legacy is a 16-bit pixel game inspired by the 1980s, available free from today on iOS and Android. Siblings Luke and Clea are sucked into a pixel-art Lucca and must cross six levels set in the festival’s landmark locations. Freeing historic mascots and recovering fragments of the shattered Diamond. Festival guests such as Licia Troisi, Cristina Scabbia and Karl Kopinski appear as NPCs. The final level unlocks on opening day, 28 October.

RAI DOCUMENTARY: “60 VOLTE LUCCA”

Rai Cultura marks the anniversary with 60 Volte Lucca: L’avventura storia di Lucca Comics & Games, written and directed by Enrico Platania. Drawing on the Rai Teche archives, it traces the event’s journey from the 1966 “Salone Internazionale dei Comics” to today’s festival of comics, animation, illustration and games. It airs on Rai5 on the eve of the festival and will then be available on RaiPlay.

EXHIBITIONS

Many of Lucca’s historic buildings host the festival’s exhibitions. Alongside the 60th-anniversary show, Palazzo Guinigi celebrates 80 years of Morris’s Lucky Luke with original pages from the master’s archives. Also, American cartoonist Tillie Walden in her first Italian exhibition. Other highlights include Crepax’s Valentina, the first major exhibition devoted to Go Nagai and Spokon at Japan Town.

GO NAGAI: SUN, HEART AND STEEL

Lucca pays tribute to Go Nagai, whose creations revolutionised manga and anime. The exhibition centres on his giants of steel – Mazinger Z, a foundational title of the mecha genre, and Grendizer, a cultural phenomenon in Italy. Alongside Jeeg, Great Mazinger and Getter Robo. It also showcases his masterpiece Devilman, inspired by Gustave Doré’s illustrations for Dante, and his comic-book version of the Divine Comedy.

VALENTINA: THREE DECADES OF MILAN THROUGH THE EYES OF AN ICON

Crepax’s Valentina (1966) was born in a golden decade for Italian comics, alongside Linus and Pratt’s Corto Maltese. Through her, Crepax engaged with cinema, fashion, art, photography and music, and today she is a remarkable time capsule. Through original pages, many unseen in recent years, the exhibition recaptures Milan in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. It is produced in collaboration with Archivio Crepax.

SPOKON: SPORT, TEARS AND VICTORY! THE EXHIBITION AT JAPAN TOWN

In Japan Town, SPOKON, SPORT, TEARS AND VICTORY! traces the Japanese sports genre from 1970s classics such as Rocky Joe and Attack No. 1, through Captain Tsubasa (Holly and Benji) and Slam Dunk, to Haikyu!! and Blue Lock. Curated by Giorgia Vecchini with Alessandro Apreda (Doc Manhattan), it features original drawings, animation cels and vintage memorabilia.

LUCCA IS A LEGACY GAME BY ANDREA ANGIOLINO

Legacy games – narrative board games that change from one session to the next – were born 15 years ago from an idea by Rob Daviau, a former Lucca guest. The exhibition Lucca is a Legacy Game, curated by Andrea Angiolino, explores the genre. Visitors can try some of its best titles at the Games Café.

COMICS

The Comics area sits at the heart of the city centre, with more than 80 Italian and international publishers and over 400 guests. Alongside the Napoleone Pavilions, Piazza del Giglio hosts collecting, art galleries and artist stands. A record ten single-theme pavilions fill the squares and city walls.

Guests arrive from across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East. With a record Asian presence: 15 Japanese creators, 5 Taiwanese, 2 Chinese and 2 Korean.

DISCOVERING THE NINTH ART OF ASIA

Headlining from Japan is Sensei Go Nagai, creator of Devilman, Mazinger Z and UFO Robot Grendizer (28-30/10). Also attending are the duo Gurihiru (Tunué), Yuu Watase (Star Comics), author of Fushigi Yuugi. Saka Mikami (J-POP Manga) and, with Panini Comics, Paru Itagaki (Beastars) and Marvel star Peach Momoko. Other Japanese guests include Marco Kohinata, Miyako Cojima, Furuya Usamaru. Shintaro Kago, Tetsunori Tawaraya, Kōichi Matsuda, Minoru Sugiyama and Yoshiyasu Tamura. From Korea come JH, winner of the 2025 Yellow Kid Comic of the Year, and Cheong-gwa. From China, webtoon favourite Liang Azha and Li Haoling, creator of Link Click (30-31/10). Taiwan brings five creators: 2026 Eisner nominee Chang Sheng, Nownow, Karmarket, Li Lung-Chieh and Lang-Chi.

A JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD WITH (ANOTHER) 50 ARTISTS AND CREATORS

A further 50 leading international guests will attend. From the United States come Frank Miller, Jonathan Hickman, Deniz Camp. Brian Michael Bendis, Samuel Sattin, Jesse Lonergan. David Mack, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Chris Condon, Darick Robertson and Tillie Walden, among others. Argentina is represented by Eduardo Risso, Fernando Blanco and Leandro Fernandez. Canada by Seth and Boum. European guests include Paco Roca, Jordi Lafebre, Tony Valente, Peter Milligan, Danijel Žeželj, Olivier Schrauwen and Mawil. Deena Mohamed (Egypt), Majid Bita (Iran), Lina Ghaibeh and Gina Nakhle Koller (Lebanon) and Mohammad Sabaaneh (Palestine) complete the line-up.

GAMES

LUCCA COMICS & GAMES 2026: SIXTY YEARS OF GAMING, BETWEEN LEGACY AND NEW WORLDS

In its sixtieth-anniversary edition, the Games programme spans board games, role-playing games, LARP, Trading Card Games and miniatures. With major international names, premieres and plenty of chances to play. The Carducci Pavilion remains the heart of the offering, joined by the Lucca Games Café and spaces across the city.

AT LUCCA60, JOE MANGANIELLO IS SPECIAL CURATOR OF THE DUNGEONS & DRAGONS PROGRAMME

Actor Joe Manganiello returns as special curator of the Lucca60 Dungeons & Dragons programme. Including the D&D Icons line bringing settings such as Dragonlance and Greyhawk back to life, with authors Tracy and Laura Hickman attending.

THE ART OF CREATING WORLDS: CRITICAL ROLE AND THE NEW DAGGERHEART EXPANSION

Christopher Perkins (Darrington Press) and Elise Rezendes (Critical Role) will discuss Critical Role’s growth from actual play into a transmedia universe. With Acheron Games, Lucca also hosts the first Italian edition of Hope & Fear, the latest Daggerheart expansion. It will be translated into Italian for the first time and features four new classes. The Dread Domain, more than 100 new weapons and items, and 130 enemy sheets.

MARKO DJURDJEVIC BRINGS ORKEN TO EUROPE: THIRTY YEARS OF WORLDBUILDING, ART AND GAMING

Artist and creative director Marko Djurdjevic (Marvel, Riot Games, Sony), creator of the Degenesis RPG, gives the first public European presentation of ORKEN, his new creator-owned epic-fantasy series.

TRADING CARD GAMES: AN UNPRECEDENTED EDITION

Alongside the Pokémon area at Palestra Bacchettoni, Bandai Card Games and Gametrade preview the Official NARUTO CARD GAME, due in 2027. With free demos of the One Piece, Dragon Ball Super, Gundam and Digimon card games. DNA Cards brings NARUTO Mythos TCG. Lucca is the first Italian convention to present the Cyberpunk card game, with a pre-launch tournament. Bushiroad’s Palworld OFFICIAL CARD GAME makes its debut. Horror gets its own pavilion with Spin Master’s Hellbreak. Riftbound brings League of Legends to the tabletop. Mana Trust offers a playmat inspired by the Lucca60 poster, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Magic Store presents I Magnifici Maestri.

MAGIC: THE GATHERING AND THE ART OF THE CARDS

The Magic: The Gathering celebrates the Frattura della Realtà expansion with tournaments and demos and previews Magic: The Gathering. Star Trek. Wizards of the Coast and Boose bring artists including Rebecca Guay, Scott M. Fischer and, for the first time, Evyn Fong and Alexis Ziritt. Galactus Roma SRL hosts Lucas Graciano, Ryan Pancoast and Steve Prescott.

MINALIMA AND THE WORLD PREMIERE OF DEFENDERS OF HOGWARTS

MinaLima founders Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, the designers behind the visual world of the Harry Potter films, mark 20 years by presenting Defenders of Hogwarts. The new Harry Potter board game, in Lucca ahead of its spring 2027 release.

WHAT’S NEW FROM MAJOR PUBLISHERS

The Carducci Pavilion and the entire Lucca60 Games area will offer a huge range of new releases from major board-game brands. Ravensburger previews Horrified Ravenloft and celebrates 40 years of Labyrinth with a collaboration with Carcassonne. Disney Lorcana TCG also brings new features with the Collection Quest products. The Woody – Che Aiuta un Amico promo card and the new multiplayer Format Coconut. Mattel returns to the Carducci Pavilion with major new releases including Wiped Out, Odd Logic, Liar’s UNO, UNO Show’em No Mercy, UNO One Piece and UNO KPop Demon Hunters. With weekend activities coordinated by Luca and Alessandra from Affari da Nerd. Need Games! offers a world premiere of new Fabula Ultima releases, including Fabula Ultima – Bestiary Vol. I and Yoshitaka Amano’s variant. Accompanied by an exhibition and four international illustrators.

Asmodee celebrates 25 years of Lupi Mannari di Roccascura with a limited edition and brings Toy Battle by Paolo Mori and Alessandro Zucchini. Giochi Uniti presents The Social Contract, the geopolitics game created with Factanza. Spin Master turns Tetris into a board game. Clementoni brings Star Wars – The Metamorphic Art Collection. MS Edizioni and Hidden Games present the investigative case Murder Over a Legacy, set in Lucca. And a preview of Fourth Wing – L’ascesa del Capo d’Ala, with signing sessions by Barbascura X, Enrico Macchiavello, Simone Guida of Nova Lectio and Alan D’Amico. Studio Supernova celebrates Lucca60 with collector’s editions of Onitama, The King is Dead and Yro, limited to just 150 copies of each title.

Lucca60 will also be the stage for the debut of Indiecore Distribution, a new Italian company dedicated to independent role-playing game distribution. The line-up is completed, among others, by Hollow Press. DV Games, Red Glove, Yas!Games. Wolfy & Jordy, Officina Meningi, Lisciani. RoundTwo, Aristea, Wyrd Edizioni, Nigredo Press and Raven Distribution.

THE GAMES STAGE AND THE ENTERTAINMENT STARS OF LUCCA60

Casa Abis (Gabriele Abis and Stella Falchi, with more than 2.5 million followers), Silvia Escilgioco and Marco Marzocca take turns on the Lucca60 Games Stage.

THE LUCCA GAMES AWARDS

Game of the Year finalists are Art Society, Bomb Busters, Echoes of Time, Rebirth and Thunder Road Vendetta. Role-Playing Game of the Year finalists include Daggerheart, Dreaming Kadath, Legend in the Mist and The House Doesn’t Always Win. Paolo Mori is the 2026 Board Game Designer of the Year.

ALL THE LUCCA GAMES EXPERIENCES

The Games Café returns with evening programming. The Indie Games Café and events such as the Daggerheart Multi-Table (Friday 30 October) and D&D Epic (Saturday 31 October). The Ruolimpiadi and the 38th Mastering Tournament return (registration until 30 September). RPG Old School celebrates its 20th tournament. Miniature Island hosts dioramas, the Grog Trophy and Vallejo Colors. The Citadel and Chamber LARP bring LARP sessions, including From Beyond and Chaos League. The IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca returns as scientific partner across Game Science, Comics Studies and Cultural Sciences.

COLLECTIBLES

COMMUNITY VILLAGE: LUCCA’S LARGEST-EVER COLLECTIBLES AREA

Piazza Santa Maria, Giardino degli Osservanti and Via Bacchettoni combine into a renewed Community Village, the heart of collecting at the festival. A market that grew 7% in value in the first half of 2026, according to Assogiocattoli, driven largely by trading card games.

POKÉMON’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY AT PALESTRA BACCHETTONI

For Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, Pikachu and friends take over the newly restored Palestra Bacchettoni, with a Play Lab to learn the Pokémon TCG (and an exclusive mini deck to take home). Pokémon Champions and TCG Pocket stations, LEGO Pokémon installations. The Pokémon Store and PokéStops and Gyms across the city.

LEGO: A 300-SQUARE-METRE SQUARE FOR THE FESTIVAL’S 60TH ANNIVERSARY

LEGO Italia transforms Piazza San Romano into a 300-square-meter LEGO Square. For the festival’s 60th and the 10th anniversary of Italy’s first LEGO Certified Store, it will unveil a new Legacy-themed work by LEGO Certified Professional Riccardo Zangelmi. Alongside previews of new sets, special guests and exclusive activities.

MORE BRANDS AND EXCLUSIVES ACROSS THE CITY

POP MART makes its Lucca debut, with a signing by DIMOO creator Ayan Deng on 30 October (17:00-19:00). Toys Center launches Play4Ever, its concept for kidult collectors. Sylvanian Families brings around 50 Lucca exclusives, Funko a renewed pavilion with exclusive Pop! figures, a One Piece collaboration with Ferrero, and Topps, with a focus on Marvel and NBA cards. Sanrio celebrates Kuromi’s and Hello Kitty’s birthdays and Pompompurin’s 30th anniversary. Also present are ZURU and Iron Studios, with MiniCo creator Márcio Hum. Mighty Jaxx, with Italian premieres for Sanrio and One Piece, Blokees, YuMe and Kryptonia Collectibles, is in the Church of Santa Caterina. Finally, a new Philately and Numismatics area at the Polo Fiere Pavilion sees Poste Italiane and the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato mark the anniversary with special issues and the Lucca 60 Passabollo.

MUSIC

The Music Area spreads across Giardino degli Osservanti, Piazzale Verdi, Foro Boario and the Teatro del Giglio Giacomo Puccini, with concerts, club nights, the Ledwall at the Community Village and, new this year, a pavilion of guitars from Fender and Ibanez.

THE ITALIAN RECORDING SCENE MEETS LUCCA’S FANS

For the third year, the major record labels return with some of the hottest names in Italian music.

Warner Music expands its Franceschetto space with an area for collectors, a special focus on 883, and signings with artists including Ariete and Giuse The Lizia, with more names to be announced.

Sony Music returns with its store at Via Vittorio Veneto 7. Highlights include Giorgio Vanni presenting Generazione Vanni with a signing alongside Max Longhi on Saturday 31 October, Daniel Tek’s “Alla DiscoTEKa” DJ set at Foro Boario on Friday 30 October at 22:30, and rock band Karma with the limited-edition project “Karma 1994-2023”, including the comic Ophelia (Edizioni BD).

METAL- AND IRISH-THEMED DAYS IN PIAZZALE VERDI

On Saturday, power metal takes over Piazzale Verdi with Elettra Storm, Alterium and Germany’s Grailknights, followed by the Celtic-Irish Emerald Sounds evening with Gens d’Ys, I Santi Bevitori and Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards.

THE RHYTHM OF THE COMMUNITY AT GIARDINO DEGLI OSSERVANTI

The festival’s most fandom-driven stage hosts the Anime Vocal Contest on Saturday 31 October, with five finalists, and closes the festival with the 1990s-themed Giga Party on Sunday 1 November.

A NEW PAVILION DEDICATED ENTIRELY TO MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

A new 60-square-meter pavilion brings together Fender and Ibanez. Fender will show rare Limited Edition Fender and Jackson guitars, including collaborations with Diablo, Monster Hunter and Hello Kitty, while Ibanez will unveil a special collaboration at the fair. Algam EKO will donate an EKO guitar for the charity auction that closes the festival on Sunday 1 November.

ON THE STAGE OF THE TEATRO DEL GIGLIO GIACOMO PUCCINI

Alongside the return of I Cavalieri del Re and a concert by Yoko Kanno dedicated to her soundtracks, the theatre hosts Voci di Mezzo on Sunday 1 November at 19:00. Created by Cristina Poccardi, the format celebrates the great Italian voices of dubbing, with guests including Marco Vivio, Flavio Aquilone and Barbara De Bortoli.

NIGHT-TIME AT FORO BOARIO

Foro Boario hosts the festival’s club nights, from Daniel Tek’s Alla discoTEKa to Serata Blaster on Saturday 31 October, the alternative party mixing clubbing, live shows and nerd culture.

VIDEOGAMES

Lucca Comics & Games celebrates with an edition that confirms the deep bond between the festival and the world of video games, bringing together major international publishers, legendary creators and Italian independent studios. The video-game experience spreads to every corner of the city, with dedicated spaces, pavilions and locations bringing the entire historic centre to life.

LUCCA COMICS & GAMES CELEBRATES FINAL FANTASY VII, WITH YOSHINORI KITASE AS GUEST OF HONOUR.

SQUARE ENIX celebrates the FINAL FANTASY VII Remake series at LUCCA Comics with legendary producer Yoshinori Kitase, who will be a guest at a Community Q&A dedicated to the legacy of the original game and the Remake series, as well as a Career Masterclass exploring his extraordinary journey within the franchise, at the end of which he will receive a place on the festival’s Walk of Fame.

Fans will have the opportunity to meet Kitase-san during dedicated signing sessions taking place throughout the festival. Finally, at Casa del Boia, the showcase will also feature a dedicated showcase for FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION with new information, gifts and merch to purchase.

CD PROJEKT RED REVEALS PRESENCE AT LUCCA COMICS & GAMES 2026

CD PROJEKT RED will be attending this year’s Lucca Comics & Games, bringing panels featuring The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Songs of the Past and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, among other attractions. The studio will host two dedicated panels — both conducted in English — at Lucca 2026, beginning on Friday, October 30 with “Emotional Damage: How Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Makes You Feel”, offering insights into Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 — just eight days following the anime’s premiere on Netflix.

The panel will feature two representatives from CD PROJEKT RED: series Showrunner Bartosz Stybor and Executive Producer Saya Elder, and takes place at 11 AM CEST, at Cinema Astra, Piazza del Giglio, Lucca. On Saturday, October 31, the focus turns to the world of The Witcher. From 2–2.30 PM, “Official The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Pen & Paper Session with Zoltar and Special Guests” will take place in the San Girolamo Auditorium. This session is conducted in Italian.

THE LUCCA STREETS ARE TAKEN OVER

At 4 PM, the streets of Lucca will be taken over by familiar faces from the Continent in “The Witcher Cosplay Parade in collaboration with TWGCI”. To finish the day, Songs of the Past, the upcoming third expansion to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes center stage with a dedicated panel: “Returning to the Path”. This panel will feature a presentation of the demo of Songs of the Past, followed by a panel which dives into the history of The Witcher 3 and the process of creating a third expansion for a game over a decade after launch.

This panel features Miles Tost, Level Design Lead on The Witcher 4 at CD PROJEKT RED, and Paula Mejsner, Lead Writer on Songs of the Past from Fool’s Theory. “Returning to the Path” takes place from 6–7 PM at Chiesa di San Francesco.  During the festival, attendees may also cross paths with CD PROJEKT RED’s special guests: Taryn Cosplay as Geralt of Rivia and Sweet Angel Cosplay as Talia Wang from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2.

PLAION BRINGS SEGA AND ATLUS TO LUCCA

A major presence for the gaming world at Lucca Comics & Games 2026 thanks to Plaion, bringing the SEGA and ATLUS lineup directly to the evocative Casermetta San Paolino location. Visitors will have the chance to experience national hands-on previews for three highly anticipated titles: the sci-fi survival horror Alien: Isolation 2, STRANGER THAN HEAVEN—the new adventure from RGG Studio—and the acclaimed JRPG Persona 4 Revival.

Additionally, the event program will feature extraordinary guest appearances by the developers of Alien: Isolation 2, Al Hope (Creative Director) and Ana Sopikova (Art Director), starring in a special panel at Cinema Astra and a fan meet & greet at the Paladediche at Palazzo Ducale to dive deeper into the game’s details (October 31st, exact times to be announced soon.

Free entry for all event ticket holders, subject to seat availability. Finally, in collaboration with Nintendo and also at Casermetta San Paolino, SEGA and ATLUS will offer fans an exclusive additional opportunity to try Metaphor: ReFantazio on Nintendo Switch 2.

CONTROL RESONANT LANDS IN LUCCA: REMEDY ENTERTAINMENT MEETS FANS WITH MIKAEL KASURINEN

Remedy Entertainment arrives with Mikael Kasurinen, Creative Director of CONTROL Resonant (available from today, 24 September), to meet fans and discuss the origins of the project.

WONDERFUL NEORAN VALLEY AT LUCCA COMICS & GAMES 2026 WITH A NEW TRAILER AND DEDICATED STAND

Cydonia and Nara Studio celebrate the indie phenomenon Wonderful Neoran Valley, the Italian crowdfunding record-holder on Kickstarter, with a new trailer previewed at the Teatro del Giglio, key art by LRNZ and a dedicated stand with daily meet & greets.

LUCCA COMICS & GAMES IS ALSO BANDAI NAMCO!

For the fourth year, Bandai Namco and BANDAI SPIRITS open the doors of the Bandai Namco Palace, with more than 400 square meters dedicated to preview video games, Banpresto collectibles, Gashapon, Ichiban Kuji, Model Kits and exclusive stores.

FROM DEVIL MAY CRY TO BROKEN SWORD: VIDEO-GAME MASTERS IN LUCCA

The festival also hosts some of the most influential creators in the history of the medium: Hideki Kamiya (Devil May Cry, Ōkami, Bayonetta), Stephen Bliss, former Senior Artist at Rockstar Games and an artistic face of GTA, Daniel Dociu, a legend of Guild Wars concept art, Charles Cecil, presenting Broken Sword – The Smoking Mirror: Reforged, and Noah Falstein, one of the veterans of LucasArts.

FORMER ROCKSTAR GAMES SENIOR ARTIST ARRIVES AT LUCCA COMICS & GAMES 2026

Senior Artist at Rockstar Games (2001–2016), Stephen Bliss is credited with defining the artistic style of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, starting with the iconic covers for GTA III and GTA: Vice City. His distinctive style also contributed to the visual identity of subsequent titles in the GTA series, as well as Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire.

Before consolidating his career in the world of video games, Bliss honed his graphic language in 1980s Tokyo, working for the fashion house Hysteric Glamour. In the 90s, he collaborated with Massive Attack, MTV, Nintendo, and Sega.

Today, Bliss is an internationally acclaimed artist and muralist, with solo exhibitions in London, New York, and Los Angeles, and public murals from Miami to Guam. He continues to work on commercial illustration projects, with a portfolio that includes DC Comics, The Washington Post, and Bloomberg.

His participation at Lucca Comics & Games is a unique opportunity to meet the artist behind some of the most iconic images in global gaming culture.

ITALIAN INDIES TAKE CENTRE STAGE AT LUCCA COMICS & GAMES

There is also space for Italian independent studios, with Day 4 Night Productions discussing the transition from developers to founders, and Burning Farmhouse presenting the new horror title Marmorea. The MultiBrand Videogames Pavilion will host Trinity Team with Slaps and Beans and Honkai: Star Rail, while Indie Vault at Palazzo Guinigi will give a platform to ten independent studios selected by a jury of experts.

GAMING, TECHNOLOGY AND ESPORTS: BRANDS BRING LUCCA TO LIFE

Major brand activations are also part of the programme. MediaWorld celebrates the double anniversary with the Celebration Village. Euronics presents the “Level Up Everyday” experience combining gaming and technology. And the Red Bull Wings Cup hosts the EA SPORTS FC National Final, with the winner expected in Miami for the World Final in January.

FANTASY FICTION

Fiction moves to a new venue, the Luigi Boccherini Conservatory of Music, which hosts the “Sunset Meetings”, the Premio Arcimago for unpublished Italian fantasy novels with Manlio Castagna. A concert celebrating illustrator Paolo Barbieri’s 30-year career and “Lucca60Love”, a day dedicated to romance on Sunday 1 November.

A NEW SINGLE-PUBLISHER PAVILION AND THE ARRIVAL OF TASCHEN

Piazza Antelminelli welcomes the new Gruppo Mondadori pavilion, the festival’s first dedicated to a major publishing group. TASCHEN arrives at the San Martino Pavilion for the first time.

MAJOR INTERNATIONAL AND ITALIAN NAMES

International guests include Christopher Buehlman (Mercurio Books), MinaLima founders Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima. Benjamin Lacombe and Chris Riddell. From Italy, Alberto Angela comes to the festival for the first time on 31 October. Audible presents its Dracula with the voices of Riccardo Scamarcio and Benedetta Porcaroli.

LUCCA60: SPECIAL EDITIONS AND LIMITED PRINT RUNS

Special editions include the official gamebook Cosa fare a Lucca quando sei morto (Tora Edizioni). Licia Troisi’s gamebook debut, Solum Ego. A limited Mondadori edition of Suzanne Collins’s L’alba sulla mietitura. And Giunti collector’s editions celebrating 20 years of Hyperversum and 25 years of W.I.T.C.H.

MANY EVENTS ACROSS ROMANCE, FANTASY AND OTHER LITERARY GENRES

Other guests include Alessia Gazzola, Francesca Tamburini, Eleonora Gaggero, Paola Barbato and Gud. The Associazione Italiana Studi Tolkieniani returns to Middle-earth with Paolo Nardi and Erica Martin.

COSPLAY

Sixty communities and more than 80 events. Gatherings, contests, parades, games and concerts will bring cosplay to the streets of Lucca, with Giardino degli Osservanti once again as headquarters.

GATHERINGS AND PARADES: ANNIVERSARIES AT LUCCA COMICS & GAMES

Themed gatherings and parades mark the year’s anniversaries. 20 years of Fairy Tail on Friday 30 October. Dragon Ball’s 40th, a One Piece parade, and a Final Fantasy VII Remake gathering in honor of Yoshinori Kitase on Saturday 31 October. And an Avengers Infinity parade on Sunday 1 November. At 16:30 on Friday 30 October, all Italian cosplay communities will join a procession celebrating the Diamond Anniversary.

Sergio Bonelli Editore marks 40 years of Dylan Dog with a parade of monsters and zombies on 31 October, from the Auditorium del Suffragio to PalaBonelli.

THE GIARDINO DEGLI OSSERVANTI STAGE

Hosted by Letizia Cosplay, the Giardino degli Osservanti stage features cosplay shows and meet & greets with international guests including Taryn Cosplay and Leon Chiro.

LUCCA COSPLAY ACADEMY

The Lucca Cosplay Academy returns for its fifth year. With lessons from leading Italian cosmakers in wig-making, make-up and tailoring at Palazzo Guinigi. Plus awareness panels such as “Cosplay is not consent”.

MOVIE

The Movie Area, curated by QMI, brings premieres, guests, panels and special screenings across the historic center.

Disney+ brings Percy Jackson and the Olympians stars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava’ Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri to Lucca for the first time, with Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz, previewing unseen clips from season three, which debuts on 20 November.

Sky presents a preview of Nord Sud Ovest Est – La leggendaria storia degli 883 with director Sydney Sibilia and stars Elia Nuzzolo and Matteo Oscar Giuggioli.

Lucky Red opens the programme with Shaun, Vita da pecora: Operazione Z.U.C.C.A., marking 50 years of Aardman with founder Peter Lord in attendance. And welcomes Palm D’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda with Look Back.

WARNER BROS, CRUNCHYROLL, NOTORIOUS PICTURES AND THE HORROR NIGHTS

Warner Bros. Pictures previews The Cat in the Hat with director Alessandro Carloni. HBO Max brings the world of Harry Potter to an immersive pavilion. Paramount+ presents season two of Dexter: Resurrection and a giant SpongeBob. And Netflix celebrates K-pop Demon Hunters.

Crunchyroll hosts an immersive pavilion in Piazzale Arrigoni. The world premiere of the first two episodes of Shangri-La Frontier Season 3 and the first Italian appearance of Li Haoling, creator of Link Click.

Notorious Pictures presents a fan screening of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Universal Pictures celebrates 25 years of Fast & Furious.

The Horror Nights return with It Ends by Alexander Ullom (I Wonder Pictures). The Italian premiere of Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus Zero (Plaion Pictures) and Federico Zampaglione’s The Nameless Ballad.

OTHER PREMIERES AND ANIME

Other premieres include Momo with Martin Freeman. Na Hong-jin’s Hope and Caro Mondo Crudele, presented with Zerocalcare. Frank Miller attends with director Silenn Thomas for the documentary Frank Miller: American Genius.

For anime fans, Toei Animation Europe brings One Piece and the Western premiere of Star Detective PreCure – The Movie!. Dynit presents the Italian premiere of Gintama the Movie 2026: Yoshiwara in Fiamme with director Naoya Ando.

DIGITAL

The Lucca Comics & Games Live Show broadcasts for five days on Twitch. Hosted by Cydonia, Escilgioco, Claudio Di Biagio, Martina Levato and CKibe, with MediaWorld Studios as technical partner. The fourth Lucca Comics & Games Community Awards launch live on Twitch on 7 October at 21:00, with fans voting via the app. New this year is Games Café Live, alongside the eighth RPG Night Live with Francesco Lancia. TikTok Italia returns as official entertainment partner, with six storytellers and the debut of TikTok Shop in the Carducci Pavilion.

THE PODCAST TREASURE HUNT RETURNS: THE DIAMOND PASS IS UP FOR GRABS

Conceived by Francesco Lancia and produced by OnePodcast, the Podcast Treasure Hunt returns with a unique prize: the Diamond Pass, a lifetime Level Up pass. The first episode is out today, with new episodes every Thursday until Lucca60

PARTNERS

The Kingdom, the space created by isybank – the Intesa Sanpaolo Group’s digital bank and a Main Partner for ten years – moves to Atelier Ricci, with fantasy worlds. A Cosplayer Lab, evening events, and the new Deep Lounge, an inclusive space for sensory decompression.

isybank customers benefit from fast-track access to the main pavilions, priority meet & greets and the isybank Lounge.

LIME, MICROMOBILITY PARTNER OF LUCCA COMICS & GAMES 2026

Lime joins as Micromobility Partner, offering shared vehicles to make moving around Lucca easier and more sustainable.

SMARTBOX AT LUCCA COMICS & GAMES WITH A LIMITED EDITION DESIGNED BY IL BAFFOGRAM

Smartbox presents four limited-edition gift boxes designed by cartoonist Il Baffogram (Giulio Mosca), who will meet the public at the Smartbox stand.

TICKETING & INFORMATION

Early Bird tickets and passes for Lucca Comics & Games – Community since 1966 go on sale today from 1 p.m. at a reduced price, until midnight on Friday 24 July (capped at 80,000). Regular ticketing opens on 1 September at list price.

MAIN POINTS

Joe Manganiello curates the festival’s Dungeons & Dragons programme.

Movie Area pays homage to Frank Miller.

Manga master Go Nagai in attendance.

Percy Jackson cast make their first visit and preview unseen season three clips.

Palm D’or Winner Hirokazu Kore-eda, Yoko Kanno and Godzilla Minus Zero bring arthouse cinema, soundtrack music and an Italian premiere to the festival.

Biggest Video Games section in Lucca history.

Video-game royalty: Yoshinori Kitase (Final Fantasy VII) & Hideki Kamiya in attendance.

CD Projekt Red demos the new Witcher 3 expansion more than a decade after the game’s launch

Alien: Isolation 2 gets its first hands-on play in Italy, with its creative director attending
New spellbinding artwork exhibitions

Global names in the world of comics – 80 Italian and international publishers and over 400 guests in attendance including Jonathan Hickman, Marko Djurdjevic

New Music Pavillion

LUCCA60: LEGACY-60th Anniversary Edition runs between Wednesday 28 October – Sunday 1 November 2026 in Lucca, Italy.

 

 

 

 

 

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