Game Republic New Horizons 2025 brought over 250 developers, studio leaders and creative industries to the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough for talks including MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Supercell, Kickstarter and TV comedian and winner of Taskmaster Maisie Adam. For the 2026 conference, taking place 14-16 October, organisers are promising the conference is set to be even bigger and better thanks to insights from its new international advisory board and hit the front page of GamesIndustry.biz. The event will form part of the 2026 Game Republic events programme supported by Official Partners Red Kite Games, Xsolla and Double Eleven.
MD of Game Republic Jamie Sefton said “What we saw at the GR New Horizons conference last year was the clear potential for the event to be an international flagship games industry conference that takes place in The North. Over a third of attendees were from outside the region coming from London, the South-East and overseas, and feedback indicated 89% had secured new contacts and that 28% securing a new project or deal at the event with over 100 meetings on MeetToMatch. People were so positive about the event and wanted it to continue and grow – so we’re delighted to be working on the 2026 New Horizons!”
“The advisory board meetings have been incredible for helping us to shape this year’s now 3-day programme, ” added Sefton, “but the focus remains on the future for tech, business, funding, markets and opportunities for games and creative industry leaders.”
Advisory board members include Stefan Lampinen (Game Advisor Ltd in Sweden), Tony Byus (Rainy Frog publisher in Japan), Asher McClennahan (Kickstarter from the USA), Elaine Dowman (IMIRT – the Irish Game Makers Association) alongside experienced game event creators and business owners including David Lilley, Gina Jackson OBE, Des Gayle, Kimberley Turner, Charles Cecil, Alison Lacey, Chris Dring, Callum Underwood, Michael French MBE and indie developers including Sarah York, Luke Mills and Nareice Wint to name a few.
Game Republic New Horizons, taking place 14-16 October once again at the stunning Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, promises a legendary line-up of speakers, the best after-party in the games industry and some new exciting additions including a curated indie showcase, masterclasses and an Investor Zone in collaboration with Games London. The team also promise some brand-new experiences that will be revealed soon. Early Bird tickets at £149 are available now until the end of March 2026 via the new conference website grnewhorizons.gamerepublic.net
Game Republic New Horizons is being created with ideas from the advisory board, and from Game Republic’s extensive 20 years of contacts and experience in the games industry, which includes Development Director Dr Jackie Mulligan’s research into creativity and event design that is being used to shape a 3-day experience to inspire, generate new ideas and connect people.
GR New Horizons is also proudly supported by Tees Valley Combined Authority.
First sponsors to come on board include Kudos Games, Red Kite Games, Xsolla, Double Eleven, Steel City Interactive, Plus Accounting and Behaviour Interactive, Middlesbrough Council.
The Game Republic New Horizons Advisory Board
A reminder of Game Republic New Horizons 2025
To find out about events Game Republic events and webinars visit the events page.
If you are interested in becoming a Game Republic member, affiliate or educational partner to come to events for free, get business development support and join the network you can apply to join Game Republic here.
If you are developing or supporting games in The North, you can join the Great Northern Games Discord here.
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