Game Republic New Horizons, the new major UK games industry conference, has announced its second speaker will be Rebecca Lautner, Chief Business Officer for Landfall, creators of the global smash co-op game PEAK as well as other titles including Stickfight, TABS, ROUNDS, Content Warning and Haste. Rebecca will be interviewed on stage by GamesIndustry.biz features editor Lewis Packwood at the spectacular Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough as part of the 3-day event. The current Early Bird rate of £149 for the conference will end on 30th April 2026.

Landfall is a small indie studio based in Stockholm, Sweden and also functions as an investor for external indie games and has supported projects such as Webbed by Sbug Games, Sulfur by Perfect Random and R.E.P.O. by Semiworks. Recently the studio introduced a publishing arm known as Evil Landfall.

Rebecca Lautner said, “I am looking forward to coming to the Game Republic New Horizons conference and sharing our games experience and thoughts on the future opportunities for the games industry in Europe and beyond.”

Jamie Sefton, Managing Director of Game Republic said, “We’re just delighted that Rebecca can join us in October for New Horizons. PEAK has been such an incredible hit globally – and the session will highlight a studio in Europe not only making fantastic games but now investing in and publishing third-party titles too.”

As Chief Business Officer at Landfall, Rebecca Lautner is responsible for everything related to brand-building, business development, external partnerships and platform relationships. Before joining Landfall, she was heading an initiative funded by the European Union that focused on building a global network for the industry to exchange knowledge and nurturing business opportunities across borders.

Last year’s inaugural GR New Horizons conference supported by the Tees Valley Combined Authority brought over 250 developers from across the UK, Europe, the US and Japan, studio leaders and senior leaders from the creative industries to the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough in the heart of the Tees Valley – the fastest growing tech hub outside London. For the 2026 conference, taking place 14 – 16 October, organisers are promising the conference is set to be even bigger and better – and will be bringing the “Father of PlayStation” Ken Kutaragi from Japan to kick off the exciting line-up that will make it a must-attend event for games companies as well as digital and creative leaders.

Game Republic New Horizons, taking place 14 – 16 October promises a legendary selection of quality speakers, the best after-party in the games industry and some new exciting additions including a curated indie showcase, masterclasses, business workshops, tech deep-dives, an expo and an Investor Zone in collaboration with Games London. The team also promise some unique experiences on the final day that will be revealed soon. Early Bird tickets at £149 are available now until the end of April 2026 via the conference website as well as discounted accommodation: grnewhorizons.gamerepublic.net

First sponsors to come on board include Kudos Games, Steel City Interactive, Plus Accounting, Escape Technology and Behaviour Interactive. Game Republic New Horizons is supported by Tees Valley Combined Authority and Middlesbrough Council and Game Republic’s Official Partners Red Kite Games, Xsolla and Double Eleven.

Announced on 31st March, the news spread to all major and global games industry media including GamesIndustry.biz, Video Games Chronicle and The Games Business

The organisers have promised more exciting announcements to come over the coming weeks on speakers, parties and experiences that will be available for attendees over the 3 day event.

The event forms part of the 2026 Game Republic event programme supported by Red Kite Games, Xsolla and Double Eleven.

Game Republic New Horizons, the major UK games industry conference, has announced its first keynote speaker will be “the Father of PlayStation” Ken Kutaragi. The former Chairman and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) will have an on-stage interview with Chris Dring from The Game Business, as well as host a meet-and-greet session.

Ken Kutaragi said, “I am absolutely delighted to be coming to the UK to take part in the Game Republic New Horizons conference. I am looking forward to sharing my experience and lifetime of innovation and my insights on future opportunities with all the attendees.”

“We’re just so excited and thrilled to be welcoming Ken Kutaragi to GR New Horizons – it’s a bit of a “pinch me” moment!” said MD Jamie Sefton. “Bringing such a legend in the industry to the UK shows the ambition we have for this conference to be a major unmissable and unique international event in the games industry calendar.”

Ken Kutaragi, born in 1950, is the former Chairman and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI), known as the “Father of PlayStation”. Kutaragi joined Sony Corp. in 1975, and established SCEI in 1993. His creation of PlayStation®, PlayStation®2, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®3 led game industry into a global mainstream industry. Kutaragi has been a director of Sony Corp. from 2000 to 2005, and served as COO from 2003 to 2005. Subsequently, Kutaragi served as an outside director for several listed companies, including Rakuten, KADOKAWA, SmartNews, and GA Technologies. More recently, he became the Dean and Professor of the Faculty of Information Science at KINDAI University. He is currently the CEO Representative Director of Ascent Robotics, and CEO and President of Cyber AI Entertainment

Last year’s inaugural GR new Horizons conference brought over 250 developers from across the UK, Europe, the US and Japan, studio leaders and senior leaders from the creative industries to the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough for talks including from 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 – and bringing Ken Kutaragi from Japan is just the first announcement of an exciting line-up that will make it a must-attend event for games companies as well as digital and creative leaders.

Game Republic New Horizons, taking place 14 – 16 October – with the main conference day on the 15th October once again at the stunning Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough – promises a legendary selection of quality speakers, the best after-party in the games industry and some new exciting additions including a curated indie showcase, masterclasses, business workshops, tech deep-dives, an expo and an Investor Zone in collaboration with Games London. The team also promise some unique experiences on the final day that will be revealed soon. Early Bird tickets at £149 are available now until the end of April 2026 via the conference website as well as discounted accommodation: grnewhorizons.gamerepublic.net

First sponsors to come on board include Kudos Games, Steel City Interactive, Plus Accounting, Escape Technology and Behaviour Interactive. Game Republic New Horizons is supported by Tees Valley Combined Authority and Middlesbrough Council and Game Republic’s Official Partners  Red Kite Games, Xsolla and Double Eleven. Media Partners include GamesIndustry.biz, Pocket Gamer, The Game Business and Mobile Gamer.biz.

About Game Republic

Game Republic is the largest games industry body in the North of England with over 2000 developers, educational partners and industry service providers. The network runs 12 events a year for game developers and works internationally on trade missions and at national and international events supporting games businesses across The North of England and the UK. www.gamerepublic.net

About Game Republic New Horizon’s International Advisory Board
The Game Republic team have brought together an advisory board reflecting the vision for creating an internationally-recognised conference. 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), David Lilley (Kudos Games), Gina Jackson OBE (Pitchify), Simon Iwaniszak (Red Kite Games) Des Gayle (Day Off Interactive), Kimberley Turner (Double Eleven), Charles Cecil (Revolution), HaZ Dulull (Beyond The Pixel), Bob Makin (Behaviour), Alison Lacy (Radical Forge), Callum Underwood (Uwu Biz), Michael French MBE (Games London), Andrew Crawshaw (Thunkd), John Sanderson (Pitstop Productions), Ron Ashtiani (Last Arrow Games), Nina Cliff (Business Development) and Chris Taylor (Eaton Smith Solicitors), Chris Dring (The Game Business), Ben Robinson (ID@Xbox), Olly Bennett (Cardboard Sword), Sarah York (Panda Cat Games), Luke Mills (Dink) and Nareice Wint (Miami Avalon) as well as local representatives Charlie Kemp (Tees Valley Combined Authority) and Michelle Shelton (Middlesbrough Council).

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 Game Republic team have brought together an advisory board reflecting the vision for creating an internationally-recognised conference. 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)  David Lilley (Kudos Games), Gina Jackson OBE (Pitchify), Simon Iwaniszak (Red Kite Games) Des Gayle (Day Off Interactive), Kimberley Turner (Double Eleven), Charles Cecil (Revolution), HaZ Dulull (Beyond The Pixel), Bob Makin (Behaviour), Alison Lacy (Radical Forge), Callum Underwood (Uwu Biz), Michael French MBE (Games London), Andrew Crawshaw (Thunkd), John Sanderson (Pitstop Productions), Ron Ashtiani (Last Arrow Games), Nina Cliff (Business Development) and Chris Taylor (Eaton Smith Solicitors), Chris Dring (The Game Business), Ben Robinson (ID@Xbox), Olly Bennett (Cardboard Sword), Sarah York (Panda Cat Games), Luke Mills (Dink) and Nareice Wint (Miami Avalon) as well as local representatives Charlie Kemp (Tees Valley Combined Authority) and Michelle Shelton (Middlesbrough Council).

Jamie adds “The meetings have been incredible for helping us to shape this year’s now 3 day programme – but the focus remains on the future for tech, business, funding, markets and opportunities for games and creative industry leaders.”

The Game Republic are promising 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 partnership with GamesLondon. The team also promise some new experiences that will be revealed soon. Early Bird tickets at £149 are available now until the end of April 2026.

Whilst content and ideas have come from the Advisory Board, Jamie said much of the influence for the event design has come from his business partner Dr Jackie Mulligan who has used her research in creativity and event design to shape a 3 day conference experience to inspire, generate new ideas and connections.

First sponsors to come on board include Kudos Games, Plus Accounting, Escape Technology and Behaviour. The event is also supported by Tees Valley Combined Authority and Middlesbrough Council. The event will form a key part of the 2026 event programme supported by Official Partners Red Kite Games, Xsolla and Double Eleven.