Ken Kutaragi announced as first keynote speaker at Game Republic New Horizons 2026

Ken Kutaragi has been announced as the first keynote speaker for Game Republic New Horizons 2026.

Recognised as the ‘Father of the PlayStation,’ Kutaragi joined Sony Corporation in 1975 and founded Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. in 1993. He led development of PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PSP, and PlayStation 3.

Kutaragi retired as chairman and group CEO in 2007. He now serves as representative director and CEO of Ascent Robotics and CEO and president of Cyber AI Entertainment.

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

GR New Horizons managing director Jamie Sefton added: “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.”

Earlier this month, GR New Horizons established its new international advisory board to help shape this year’s conference, which takes place October 14 to 16 at Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough.

Tickets for this year’s conference are available to purchase here. An early bird ticket offer is on now, running until April 30, 2026.

GameIndustry.biz is a media partner of GR New Horizons 2026.