‘Father of PlayStation’ Ken Kutaragi to make rare public appearance at UK’s Game Republic event

‘Father of PlayStation’ Ken Kutaragi will make a rare public appearance in the UK later this year, it’s been announced.

The former Chairman and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment will appear as a keynote speaker at the games industry conference Game Republic New Horizons in Middlesbrough, which runs October 14-16 and is currently selling Early Bird tickets.

Kutaragi will feature in an on-stage interview with journalist Chris Dring from The Game Business and will host a meet-and-greet session with attendees, according to organizers.

Ken Kutaragi is best known as the architect of the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3. Since leaving Sony in 2007, he served as an outside director for several companies, including Rakuten, Kadokawa, SmartNews, and GA Technologies. He is currently the CEO of Ascent Robotics and Cyber AI Entertainment.

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

Game Republic New Horizons will take place at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, with its main conference day on October 15.

Last year’s inaugural GR New Horizons conference included talks from MachineGames‘ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Supercell, Kickstarter, and TV comedian and winner of Taskmaster, Maisie Adam.