Game Republic

Event update on 23rd January

Nearly all the tickets have gone for the first GR event of the year which includes a forecast on key trends and predictions for 2025 from Chris Dring (ex-GamesIndustry .biz and now The Game Business), and talks an panels with Federico Szalkowicz (Google), Elaine Dowman (Barclays Games and Creative), Pamina Bou (Factortech), Andy Kelly (Devolver) and Callum Underwood (UWU Biz) and will include a fireside chat with Meg Clarke, Senior Games Scout at Team17 . The event will also include an expo showcasing some new games, projects and tech emerging from The North and will include networking with drinks.  Plus there will be a special FREE gift given to attendees that is guaranteed to give them a much needed January boost.

Special guest speakers include:

Elaine Dowman – Head of Games & Creative Industries, Barclays

Elaine leads Barclays’ Games & Creative Industries team, driving strategy and support for the UK and global games sectors. Recognised with a TechWomen 100 Award in 2024 for her contributions to the UK games industry, she is passionate about fostering growth, particularly for indie developers. Elaine champions initiatives like Demo Days, Expos, and Awards, providing mentoring, introductions, and opportunities to help studios thrive. She serves as a board member of IMIRT, the Irish Game Makers Association, and has previously been a non-executive board member for a game studio. Elaine is also an active fundraiser for SpecialEffect.

Pamina Bou – Investment Director at Factortech Finance

Pamina currently serves as Investment Director at Factortech Finance – a boutique investment fund offering short and long term financing to high growth game developers and support services. She has first hand experience of raising funds as Investor Relations Director for game development studios. Pamina brings a wealth of experience working on behalf of buy side funds across debt and equity strategies, and has been an active advisor to Family Offices across Europe. She is fluent in five languages and holds a BA from Oxford University and an MPhil from Cambridge University.

Federico Szalkowicz – New Business Sales Principal at Google

Federico Szalkowicz currently leads the EMEA Apps & Gaming New Business Sales team at Google Dublin.  With extensive experience in the gaming sector, Federico has built strong relationships with prominent European gaming advertisers, driving substantial growth across multiple platforms including Android, iOS, and desktop.

Andy Kelly – PR Manager  Devolver Digital

Former journalist (Edge, Vice, PC Gamer, BBC News, Kotaku, etc.) Andy heads up PR at Devolver Digital – purveyors of fine digital entertainment wares from independent artists worldwide.

Callum Underwood – Co-Founder of IndieBI, CEO of Uwu Biz, and advisor to NetEase Games and Kepler Interactive.

Callum manages business and things for Gang Beasts, Bippinbits, and Team Terrible. Callum sold his last company, Robot Teddy, to Thunderful, after running the company for multiple years. Robot Teddy managed business related matters for Among Us, SUPERHOT, Gang Beasts, Vampire Survivors and more. Callum has experience in acquisitions, publishing, starting games companies, long-tail title management, and self publishing. Previously, Callum worked as a Scout for Raw Fury, Kowloon Nights, and Oculus. Alongside his current businesses, he is also an occasional angel investor.

Meg Clarke, Senior Games Scout, Team17

Meg is currently a Senior Game Scout for the award-winning British games label Team17, helping indie developers secure support and funding for their games as well as providing feedback on ideas and prototypes. Meg has a background working in games, audio, and production for nearly ten years working on titles such as the Dragons Dogma 2, Demon’s Souls, Forza Horizon 5, Vermintide 2 and plenty of indie gems.

Christopher Dring – Director of The Game Business and ex-Games Industry.Biz

Chris is  a 17-year games media veteran specialising in video games business. He spent nine years at UK business weekly MCV, including five years as editor, before leading GamesIndustry.biz for eight years until 2025. He is the architect behind events including the Best Places To Work Awards, and provides market analysis for the BBC, The Guardian, CNN, Sky News and Video Games Chronicle, amongst others. He also writes for Doctor Who Magazine. Because Doctor Who is awesome.

Game Republic members should have received a free code to book tickets but only 20 tickets remain for this event. If you would like to join Game Republic click here 

 

 

 

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