Excited to reveal our first event for 2026 will be Trends and Opportunities for 2026 in Manchester on 28th January from 4pm – 7.30pm – this annual event is always a popular start to the year ahead, stacked full of predictions, tips and opportunities for the year ahead with good networking and a remedy to any January blues!
The event will include a detailed forecast on key trends and predictions for 2026 from Christopher Dring, Editor-in-Chief of The Game Business and ex-GamesIndustry .biz, talks from special guests on publishing, PR, marketing, HR investment and tech trends for the year ahead including Dr Tommy Thompson –AI and Games, Sophie Shanks from Kepler Interactive, Sarah Brewster head of Fresh Seed, Lirui Ding from the Transcend Fund, Stuart Dinsey – head of Curve Games, Callum Underwood – investor and founder of Uwu Biz and Rebecca Attard-Phillips Co-founder of Boost Communications.
There will also be some new game demos from students studying The Manchester Metropolitan University and networking and a FREE gift for attendees!
The event will be followed by networking and drinks afterwards in Manchester at a friendly local bar.
Here is some more information on the line-up coming to Manchester in January
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.
Rebecca Attard – Co-Founder of Boost With over 17 years in communications, Becky has led global campaigns across AAA, mobile, GaaS, and licensed titles including Marvel, Disney, and Games Workshop. She brings deep experience on both the developer and publisher side, with a proven ability to craft creative comms campaigns, lead international teams, and deliver on complex objectives across global markets and fast-moving projects.
Known for her strategic thinking and strong global relationships, Becky combines industry insight with a passion for games to deliver communications that truly connect.
Dr. Tommy Thompson is the founder and director of ‘AI and Games’; consulting with games studios on how to utilise AI in their projects. A former AI researcher and university lecturer in game development, Tommy has become a trusted voice in the game AI community acting as a public speaker and industry advocate. His company is largely known for the successful YouTube series ‘AI and Games’ that began in 2014, plus a weekly newsletter read by thousands of industry professionals. Having been involved in organising events on game AI for several years – including sitting on the advisory board of the Game AI Summit for the Game Developers Conference (GDC) – Tommy co-founded Game AI Events CIC in 2024. This non-profit organisation organises networking events for game AI professionals, with their flagship event, the AI and Games Conference, based in London.
Sarah Brewster is an organisational development expert and the founder of Fresh Seed, a people and culture consultancy created specifically for the creative industries. With a deep belief that happier, healthier workplaces fuel better work, Sarah’s mission is to help creative teams thrive by redesigning how organisations support their people.
Drawing on her background in organisational psychology and practical HR leadership, Sarah bridges the gap between traditional HR practices and the real needs of creative businesses. She leads a close-knit team that delivers human-centred, bespoke solutions.
Under Sarah’s guidance, Fresh Seed provides training, leadership development, and culture transformation to build resilient and values-driven organisations. She empowers creative leaders to put people at the heart of every decision.
Sarah also sits on the Board of the Good Work Review with DCMS, influencing the future of good work in the UK’s creative industries.
Lirui Ding is the Principal at leading games VC Transcend Fund. Previously, Lirui was part of the Strategy & Corporate Development team at Activision Blizzard with 15 years experience in the industry and is passionate to partner with visionary founders to bring exciting digital entertainment to a global audience.
A former ranked esports player himself, Lirui worked with the Executive Leadership team at Activision Blizzard on a range of pivotal initiatives from long range slate and game development planning to marketing and franchise reviews. He also partnered with cross-functional teams to formulate investment strategy and identify M&A and investment opportunities.
Before Activision Blizzard, Lirui was a consultant at LEK Consulting, KPMG, and Value Partners for 10 years, advising clients on operations, M&A, and investment strategy in the games industry with $10B+ in combined transaction value. He was a competitive RTS and FPS player for four years, ranking in the global Top 20 for Warcraft III FFA and clocking over 400 APM on average. Lirui holds a MSc in International Management from King’s College London and a BSc in Business & Management from Renmin University of China.
Outside of work, Lirui maintains his affection for esports, though now as a spectator rather than a player.
Sophie has been working in games for the last few years, starting out at PQube as their Lifecycle Marketing Manager, moving into Brand Management at Playtonic Games. Sophie joined the team at Kepler as a Product Marketing Manager working on a whole host of exciting titles!
Stuart Dinsey launched games trade publication MCV in 1998, after more than a decade heading up its predecessor Computer Trade Weekly.
His company Intent Media also rolled out Develop in 1999 and ToyNews in 2000, growing via acquisition and organic launches into a £10m business with 100 staff. Brands included Music Week, Mobile Entertainment, Licensing.biz, PC Retail, Audio Pro International and Musical Instrument Professional.
He left Intent Media in 2013, a year after the sale of his company to Newbay Media, immediately investing in and becoming chairman of new indie games publisher Curve, well known for hits such as Human Fall Flat, For The King and The Ascent.
Stuart is also a director of EFL League One football club Stevenage FC, a non-exec director of Steel Media (Pocket Gamer Connects) and a former chair of both games trade body UKIE and charity Gamesaid.
Callum is a Co-Founder of IndieBI, CEO of Uwu Biz, and advisor to NetEase Games and Kepler Interactive. He 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.
GR members this is a free event so use your magic ticket code – if you are not a member of Game Republic, get in touch with us or sign-up for a ticket hereÂ
If you like this post, please help us by sharing it!