Ken Kutaragi has been unveiled as the inaugural keynote speaker for Game Republic New Horizons 2026

The inaugural keynote for Game Republic New Horizons 2026 will be delivered by Ken Kutaragi.

Kutaragi, widely acknowledged as the mastermind behind the PlayStation, began his career with Sony Corporation in 1975. He established Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. in 1993, where he spearheaded the creation of groundbreaking consoles including the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PSP, and PlayStation 3.

After stepping down from his roles as chairman and group CEO in 2007, Kutaragi transitioned to lead Ascent Robotics and Cyber AI Entertainment as CEO and president.

Expressing anticipation for the conference, Kutaragi stated, "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."

Jamie Sefton, managing director of GR New Horizons, commented, "We're so excited and thrilled to be welcoming Ken Kutaragi to GR New Horizons. 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."

This October, from the 14th to 16th, the conference will be hosted at Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough. Earlier in the month, the event revealed the formation of a new international advisory board designed to influence this year's proceedings. Additional details can be found here.

Tickets for the event are currently on sale, with an early purchase discount available until April 30, 2026. For more information, visit this link.

GameIndustry.biz is collaborating as a media partner for the event.