TECH
Pride – Double Eleven’ s co-CEO Kimberley Turner won the Tees Tech Ambassador of the Year award.
notably co-founder and chairman of multiple award-winning games developer 4J Studios, best known for developing Minecraft for Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo games consoles.
Stampy was a full-time YouTuber for over a decade, focusing on gaming videos for a young audience. He gained 10 million subscribers and is currently working as a consultant designer to help create survival game Reforj.
Chris said:“ Joe and myself are really excited about finally being able to talk about the innovations in our game Reforj at the VIP Reception, as well as actually attending GR New Horizons, which we have heard a lot about after the event debuted last year.”
There will also be vast opportunities for studios, investors, universities and emerging talent to connect and explore new partnerships.
New Horizons provides an unparalleled platform to showcase the digital expertise already established in the region- from successful local studios and skilled developers to the universities and training providers helping create the next generation of creative talent.
Networking- the Game Republic VIP party is heading back to Teesside.
At the heart of the event’ s continued success and expanding footprint is Middlesbrough-based Double Eleven.
The games developer and publisher has played a pivotal role in ensuring the conference made its home on Teesside, championing the area as a destination capable of hosting top-tier industry gatherings.
As an official partner of the event, Double Eleven has helped establish New Horizons as a permanent fixture on the global industry calendar.
Kimberley Turner, Double Eleven’ s co- CEO who won the Tees Tech Ambassador title at the Tees Tech Awards in June, understands the pride the company takes in this local digital boom.
She said:“ We’ re incredibly proud to be supporting Game Republic’ s New Horizons conference for a second consecutive year and to once again host the VIP reception at our headquarters here at Boho X, ahead of the conference.
“ Following the success of last year’ s event it is great to see New Horizons returning to Middlesbrough and continuing to shine a spotlight on our region as the home of one of the UK’ s most important games industry events.“ We care deeply about supporting initiatives that strengthen and champion the games industry, grow our regional ecosystem and most importantly celebrate the incredibly talented people behind it.
“ Bringing together developers, publishers, investors and industry leaders from across the UK and around the world creates further opportunities for collaboration and longterm economic growth while reinforcing the North’ s position as a thriving hub for games development.”
Double Eleven’ s driving force behind New Horizons is just one facet of a much larger, remarkable success story unfolding in the heart of Middlesbrough.
Today, the firm boasts an annual turnover well in excess of £ 50m. They are not merely a local success story, but a global powerhouse, working as a trusted partner alongside industry titans like Obsidian Entertainment, Mojang, Bethesda Game Studios and Rockstar Games.
Their digital fingerprints are on huge IPs, including Fallout 76, Red Dead Redemption, Minecraft Dungeons and sequel, Minecraft Dungeons II, to be released in 2026, as well as Facepunch Studios’ smash hit Rust Console Edition. Double Eleven’ s technical prowess is enjoyed by millions of players worldwide.
Such growth and success over the last 16 years have coincided with them earning a reputation as a co-development partner of choice, highlighted recently at the annual MCV Develop Awards 2026, an annual awards ceremony recognising successes in the UK games industry, where they claimed the accolade of‘ MCV Develop Legend’.
The voice of business in the Tees region | 41