Over 250 attendees from more than 150 companies are expected to attend Game Republic New Horizons on 16th October at Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough. The event which is being supported by Tees Valley Combined Authority, is set to be the new annual flagship games industry event in The North with plans already in place for 2027 and 2028. It forms part of Game Republic’s 2025 event programme supported by Xsolla, Red Kite Games and Barclays Games and Creative. Game Republic New Horizons will invite attendees to explore opportunities in the future and will look at new markets, skills, trends and cross-sectoral opportunities beyond games.
Attendees representing studio heads, publishers, creative business leaders, investors, media partners and funding bodies from across the UK and overseas will be joining together for a range of panels and presentations from global leaders in the game, TV and film sectors as well as an Expo including new unreleased games, networking powered by MeetToMatch which has already resulted in over 100 meetings being requested during the day and an After Party with two floors of arcade games, go-karts, golf, bowling, VR and more.
The event has been backed by main event sponsors Double Eleven, Behaviour Interactive, Red Kite Games, Xsolla, Kudos QA, Tees Valley Labs and Autodesk
MD of Game Republic Jamie Sefton said “Events of this scale and ambition don’t happen without industry and public sector backing. As the largest games industry network in The North, with so many years of experience in supporting games and creative businesses to succeed, we have worked hard to bring together a line-up that is attracting attendees from across the UK to come up to The North as well as journalists from the games media. The speakers and the studios have supported this event and now we can’t wait to deliver it. We are already planning next year’s event based on the response to this conference and expo!”
Highlights of the Game Republic New Horizons Event
- A BAFTA interview with Axel Torvenius, MachineGames’ Creative Director of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – with exclusive FREE Bethesda gift for attendees!
- A very special The Game Business session with Chris Dring interviewing comedian and Taskmaster contestant Maisie Adam!
- A presentation and panel on the future of funding with Kickstarter’s Head of Games, Asher McClennahan, flying in from the USA, plus other investors including games Liriu Ding -VC Transcend Fund, Chris Filip – BFI and Gina Jackson OBE from Pitchify
- A GR New Horizons Expo showcasing new games, work, events and opportunities with Tees Valley Combined Authority, the Game Academy, IGGI, Huey Games, VOBJ Management, North Breeze Entertainment, Dink, Observer Interactive, Brickmouse and Otterweave Games Studio
- A leadership panel sponsored by Supercell hosted by Elaine Dowman with Harinder Sangha – Maverick Games, Kimberley Turner – Double Eleven and Lasse Seppänen -Supercell London
- A transmedia panel sponsored by NextGen Skills Academy looking at AI, tech, robotics, comedy, TV with panelists including HaZ Dulull – Beyond The Pixels, Harvey Hayman – Hat Trick Productions, Emma Torrens – VOBJ Management, Mark Sample – Portal One hosted by Marcia Deakin – NextGen Skills Academy
- A future markets panel with Tony Byus from Japanese indie publisher Rainy Frog – who is flying in from Japan and a new markets panel with specialists on European markets, China and beyond including Stefan Lampinen – The Game Advisor, Laura Harper – Lewis Silkin and Paul Sparks – Department of Business and Trade
- Other sessions include Xbox showing off Xbox Play Anywhere and the new ROG Ally X handheld Xbox (which launches on the same day), Autodesk with a tech deep dive on Flow Production Tracking and an amazing talk by Reflex Arc on working with robots!
Speaking about the event, Behaviour Interactive’s Bob Makin said “It’s a massive boost to have the Game Republic New Horizon’s conference flying the flag for the North East game development scene, and the fact that it is in Tees Valley is incredible. Tees Valley has a long history of game development and over the past decade we’ve seen that beginning to really flourish into a tech hub, with around 1,000 people now working in games at Tees Valley based studios.”
The event will also be raising funds for SpecialEffect with a VIP reception at Double Eleven’s award-winning HQ on 15th October and a special lunchtime photo opportunity at the Player Tunnel to the Riverside Stadium with Roary the Lion, MFC’s Mascot. Safe In Our World will be presenting a deep dive into their mental health programme, running a special Lo-Fi zone and also running a raffle with a chance to win LEGO Bowser.
Speaking about the VIP reception, CFO and commercial director, Kimberley Turner, said: “With the Tees Valley recognised as one of the UK’s leading centres for digital and tech growth, driven by the games sector, we are thrilled to partner with Game Republic to host the VIP reception for its ‘New Horizons’ conference. At Double Eleven we are passionate about making great games, connecting with fellow creators and playing our role in shaping the future of gaming. This is a fantastic opportunity to bring together some of the brightest minds and exceptional talent across our industry.”
At 5.30pm attendees will be taken by coach to the After Party to enjoy two floors of arcade machines, dodgems, VR, karaoke, golf, gokarts at Level X with pizza and drinks.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Our region is now firmly established as a leading UK centre for digital and tech growth, powered by a creative and innovative games sector and rapidly growing TV and film production. Our Tees Valley Investment Zone has now been established to further expand our creative and digital industries, so events such as this are crucial in bringing industry leaders to Teesside to highlight the outstanding work and game-changing projects taking place right here.”
Agenda for Game Republic New Horizons
8.30am – Sign-in and breakfast served
From 9am – MeetToMatch scheduled meetings start and run through the day at Riverside in dedicated booths and the Red Kite Games, Xsolla, Autodesk, Kudos QA and Behaviour Interactive Suites overlooking the stadium
Expo opens with exhibitors including Observer Interactive, Huey Games, Otterweave Games Studio, IGGI, Game Academy, Tees Valley Combined Authority, Dink/VEXT Games, North Breeze Entertainment and Animex, VOBJ Management and Brickmouse.
Safe In Our World Lo-Fi Zone opens
Raffle tickets on sale for Safe In Our World
10.00am – The making of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – BAFTA supported session with Axel Torvenius, MachineGames being interviewed by Games Journalist Will Freeman
(plus a FREE limited edition gift from Bethesda Games for first 200)
11am-11.30 – Break
11.30am-12.15 – Games Leadership panel sponsored by Supercell
11.30am – 12 noon – Deep Dive Session at the Archery – Autodesk session on Flow Production Tracking
12.15 – 1.30pm – Lunch sponsored by Behaviour Interactive served at the Riverside and at the Expo
Photo opportunity at the Players Tunnel with Roary The Lion for SpecialEffect
1.30pm-2.15pm – Japan games market overview and International Markets Panel
1.30pm -2pm –Deep Dive session at The Archery – Xbox Play Anywhere and the Xbox ROG Ally
2.15-2.30pm – Break
2.30pm-3.15pm – Games and the Opportunities of Transmedia – sponsored by NextGen Skills Academy
2.30pm – 3pm – Deep Dive Session at the Archery – Robots, VR and Mixed Reality: Lessons from the Frontline from Reflex Arc
3.15pm-3.45pm – Break
3.45pm – 4.30pm – Kickstarter Presentation and The Future of Games Funding Panel
3.45pm – 4.30pm – Kickstarter Presentation and The Future of Games Funding Panel
4.00pm -4.30pm – Deep Dive Session at the Archery – Mental Health in the Workplace with Safe In Our World
4.30pm-4.45pm – Break
4.45pm – 5.30pm – Comedian and Taskmaster contestant Maisie Adam interviewed by Chris Dring of The Game Business
Lego Bowser Raffle prize winner drawn by Maisie Adam
5.30pm – 6pm – Coaches leave for After Party at Level X from Car Park outside main entrance
10pm – Coaches return attendees to Riverside Stadium from After Party Level X back to Car Park
About Game Republic
Game Republic is the largest games industry body in the North of England with over 1300 developers, educational partners and industry suppliers. It is a key partner in The Great North and One Creative North initiative. The network runs 12 events a year for game developers and works internationally on trade missions and at international events supporting games businesses across The North of England and the wider games industry.
Anyone interested in joining Game Republic can visit gamerepublic.net/join-us. If you are developing or supporting games in The North, you can join the Great Northern Games Discord here and apply for GaMaYo membership.
About Tees Valley Combined Authority
The Tees Valley Combined Authority was created in April 2016. Its purpose is to drive economic growth and job creation in the area. It is a partnership of five authorities; Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees, working closely with the business community and other partners to make local decisions to support the growth of our economy.
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