Game Republic headed to Manchester over the weekend, attending MegaCon Live with over 20 members occupying the Game Republic Indie Games Showcase Zone. The event was attended by over (insert rough number) people, showing off cosplay, meeting creators, attending panels and of course, playing games. The event formed part of Game Republic’s 2026 programme, supported by official partners supported by Official Partners Red Kite Games, Xsolla, Double Eleven and Strategic Partner Steel City Interactive.
As well as the Indie Games Showcase, Game Republic’s Community and Events Officer Michela Vilinskis, hosted a number of panels across the event. Panels included insights into getting started as an indie developer and interactive sessions where audience members helped to create basic game concepts aided by developers. Speaking on the event Michela shared the following:
“This was my first time attending MegaCon Live and it certainly didn’t disappoint! The atmosphere was great, with a real buzz over the weekend. One of the best parts was getting to meet so many people that aren’t just interested in games but the wider creative industries as well. Every one of the developers that showcased in the Game Republic zone was amazing, working together when needed, helping to support not only each other but myself as well. I had a lot of fun hosting the panels and it was interesting to be able to experiment with the formats of these and something I would definitely consider in the future. I’m grateful to have been able to experience the event and look forward to next year already.”
Indie Games Showcase
Game Republic’s Showcase Zone was one of the highlights of the weekend at MegaCon Live, offering visitors the opportunity to discover and play an incredible selection of games from independent developers and established studios. Featuring more than 20 playable titles across a diverse range of genres and styles that showcased regional talent in the game developer community.
Throughout the weekend, attendees had the chance to meet the developers behind each project, gain insight into the creative process and share valuable feedback directly with the teams. It was a fantastic opportunity for developers to gather player feedback, raise the profile of their projects and make new connections, while visitors enjoyed discovering the next wave of exciting games and the talented people creating them. Enjoy a gallery that highlights the games on show over the event.
Game Republic Panels
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Game Republic panels over the course of the event focused on two main aspects: How to get started as an indie developer, and fun, in the form of interactive sessions that turned audience members into a game design team, creating unusual briefs for developers to use to create there own unique game concepts which were then subject to a live vote for the best overall concept.
Across the “So You Want to Make Games” panels, common themes stressed that the best way to start is to “just do it” and to not be put off by making smaller games when you start. Having fun was also a prominent theme, with guest developers Matthew Crossley (Iteration Games), Annie Durwood (Antivenin Games), Lewis Rafter (Ceratop Games), and Joey Faulkner (Scrumps) agreeing those that want to start making games should aim to create things they would want to play and, in doing so can ensure they have fun along the way. Other important aspects noted were the lesser considered aspects of indie development like setting up a company and what this entails, with Lewis speaking on his own experience of the process and being surprised at how easy it was, yet at the same time the costs that initially were not something that were factored in.
The interactive panels saw the audience taking the role of game design teams, tasked with creating a unique brief for three competing developers at each session, voting on aspects such as main character, setting, mechanics and even a secret twist. While developers worked at creating a concept which would then be pitched to the audience, panel host Michela Vilinskis (Game Republic) opened up questions to the audience such as “what are you playing at the moment?”, “is there a game you keep meaning to finish and never do?” and “if you had to create a game idea using the same prompts do you know what it would be?”. Finally these sessions moved to the all important pitching session which saw each developer fight to see their concept win the audience vote for the day. The sessions aimed to show the creativity behind game design, how developers work with limited details over a short period of time and more importantly, that designing games can and should always be fun.
To find out about this and future Game Republic events and webinars as well as games industry events visit the events page.
If you would like to secure a free ticket and get access to other GR in-person events for free and business support – you can apply to join Game Republic here
If you are developing or supporting games in The North, you can join GaMaYo, other Northern meet-ups and the Great Northern Games Discord for FREE here
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