February 11th 2026
In Partnership With
Sponsored By
Featuring...
Welcome to
Let's Talk Games
A Free Games Conference by Let’s Talk Games CIC
Let’s Talk Games is a free event created to inspire, inform, and include anyone interested in a career in games. It helps students and young creatives learn directly from professionals shaping the UK games industry.
Hear from artists, designers, and developers covering the entire games pipeline; from concept art, 3D modelling, lighting, game design, production, and professional skills.
We’re also thrilled to announce that we’ve partnered with Game Republic for the 2026 edition!
Game Republic is the UK’s largest games industry network outside London; renowned for building bridges between studios, developers, and educators, and supporting talent across the North of England.
Bringing their expertise and network to Let’s Talk Games means even richer insights, better industry connections, and more exciting opportunities for you, the audience.
Join us at The Spa Centre, Royal Leamington Spa, on 11 February 2026 for a day of creativity, connection, and insight into what it takes to build a career in games.
Let’s Talk Games isn’t just a conference, it’s a celebration of creativity, community, and the people behind the games we love.
Inspire. Inform. Include.
See you on there!
Mike Acosta
Founder – Let’s Talk Games
2026 Speaker Lineup:
Oliver William-Walker
I'm Oliver - a designer with electric energy, creative flair, and undying passion. Crafting unique experiences with elegant design is my life's work. I’m energised by hands-on development, in-depth feedback sessions, and solving complex problems collaboratively. ✨
Corporate Animal - How to make games when you’re a little bit different.
10AM
Jake Cooper
I personally class myself as a Realtime generalist, with a real passion for hard surface and vehicles.This tends to be anything mechanical. However, as my portfolio demonstrates, I am not limited to just vehicles or more specifically, Trains or Roller Coasters.Weapons and props, environment art, world building/ set dressing, lighting and composition, editing and post-production, have all molded me into the artist I am today.
10:30AM
11AM
Nina Klos
Building Tools and Solving Problems
I'm a technical artist who thrives on bridging the gap between art and engineering, building tools, solving problems, and supporting teams to do their best work. I’ve contributed to six projects, including two published games, and was honoured to be named in the MCV/Develop 30 Under 30 list in 2023. I also give back to the community as a mentor with Limit Break (2023–2025).
Also... I really like fish. 🐟
Eoin Loughrey
I have been animating in the games industry for 17 years now, from toony Disney characters to violent rabid dogs, and everything in between! And I am now helping steer the ship as a Director at Super Spline. My role over the last several years has become that of the mentor, hiring juniors/interns and nurturing their talent through a tailored training regime and regular feedback sessions, so they can become the amazing animators they are now. I also use my years of experience in hand key animation to set quality benchmarks across the studio.
11:30AM
Nikita Heyland
I work with The Rookies, and I’ll be walking through how to get involved with the platform and make the most of it as a student. We’ll talk about the monthly competitions, the global annual competition, and how you can use The Rookies to share your work, build visibility, and connect with the wider creative industry.
Getting the most out of The Rookies
12PM
Nick Streeter
Experienced and passionate fundraiser with 25 years experience, working with great partners to enable SpecialEffect to keep helping people with physical challenges to have a better quality of life.
12:30PM
Portfolio Feedback Sessions:
12:40 - 13:45
Portfolio reviews are informal, first-come, first-served chats during lunch.
Reviewers will work through as many people as they can in the time available.
If you do not get a review, we strongly encourage you to listen in on others and learn from the feedback being given.
Ivan Batsalov
Chris McCarthy
Oliver William
Walker
Joel Ferris
Round Table Sessions:
12:40 - 13:45
What are the round tables?
Round tables are small, informal discussions where you can ask questions, share experiences, and get honest insight from industry professionals. There is no presentation and no pressure to speak. You can just listen, or jump in when you are ready.
Sarah May-White
Producer roles and alternative routes into games
I’m a producer at Excalibur Games, and I’ll be talking about what a producer actually does day to day and how we help teams make games happen. We’ll also chat about different ways into the games industry beyond traditional development roles, and how skills from other backgrounds can still lead to a career in games.
Nikita Heyland
Getting the most out of The Rookies
I work with The Rookies, and I’ll be walking through how to get involved with the platform and make the most of it as a student. We’ll talk about the monthly competitions, the global annual competition, and how you can use The Rookies to share your work, build visibility, and connect with the wider creative industry.
Natalie Griffith
Understanding your career path in games
I’m a games & tech career coach with 35 years in the industry – join me for an informal round table session where I’ll help you navigate your path into the industry.
Drop by to get your CV reviewed, explore whether you're better suited to indie studios or AAA companies, and understand how to align your career goals with your strengths and values. Learn how to identify workplace cultures where you'll thrive, and understand how to position yourself effectively for job applications.
Beck Hemsley
We often think of art as the output of a sole creator - and at college the vast majority of work is undertaken (and graded) alone. But moving into the industry, you need to be prepared to treat games art as a collaborative, rather than solo, activity.
Beck is a recent graduate from Warwickshire College, currently working as a games artist for Well Played Games. With a background in the arts and heritage sector and a passion for visual narrative, Beck brings a unique blend of creativity and technical skill to his work, from stylised characters, to photography and photo editing, to lush realistic hand-painted illustrations.
He will be discussing ways to shift your mindset towards making art as part of a collective endeavour, focussing on a shared sense of ownership and positive feedback processes.
It Takes A Village To Make Some Art
1:50PM
James Batchelor
How to get noticed by press and publishers
James Batchelor is communications manager at Digital Bandidos, a new indie publisher whose team carries a secret behind their masks: decades of experience, hundreds of games published, and a lifelong passion for everything indie.
He previously spent 18 years as a B2B journalist in the games industry, writing for publications such as MCV and Develop before rising to become editor-in-chief of GamesIndustry.biz.
In his talk, he will draw on his experience to help you better understand how to improve the chances of gaining the attention of both the media and publishing for your game. The games market has never been more crowded, but talented new developers deserve to find their audience – and both press and publishers are poised to help them. You've just got to stop them from deleting your email…
2:20PM
Steve Stopps
Destiny: Take control of your future.
A creative industry veteran with over 20 years project management and business development experience, I have collaborated with some truly exceptional people. I now spend my time sharing what I have learned; helping developers make better games and grow a more sustainable business.
2:40PM
Sam Baker
Unskippable - A Talk On Visualizing Game Cinematics
Please don't press Y.
In this talk I will give a general overview of my career in games and how I got here, the process of making game cinematics, and what the heck a previz is.
3:10PM
Speaker: TBA
TITLE : TBA
3:40PM
Nano Borquez & Kyungbo Lee
AI is moving forward. Fast. Some say it’s going to replace us. Others say it already has. And in the middle of all that… we keep creating.
But here’s the real question: Is artificial intelligence a threat, a tool… or the beginning of the end of the world as we know it?
In this talk, we’ll dive into video games, creativity, and the role AI is starting to play in an industry where imagining the impossible is part of the job. And yes, we’ll also cover the essentials…what to pack for the bunker, and who’s not getting in.
With humor (and a bit of sanity), we’ll show you how two artists are trying to do something positive with the AI we secretly fear.
AI: Press Start to Panic
4:10PM
Our Previous Speakers...
Alice Zaharia
Peter Field
Steve Stopps
Liam Lawler
Fabio Ferreira
Chris McCarthy
Robin Greenwood
Chloe Brown
Craig Charsley
Jason Yong
Jade Law
Dom Brookes
Philip Oliver
Alex
Korakitis
Alex Harvey
Anastasia
Sharples
Jason Garlick
Grace Emery
Nano Borquez
Simon Gustaffson
Jen Flannery
Ivan Batsalov
Phil Bale
Victoria Boyce
Sam Taylor
Sol Argueso
Sam Taylor
Amber Silcock
Emily Evans
Joe Taylor
Samuel Beattie
Laurence Oldham
Owen Edwards
Leanne Reed
Catherine Sabine
The Venue
ABOUT THE ROYAL SPA CENTRE:
The Royal Spa Centre is a state-of-the-art venue that offers a unique and memorable conference experience. With its 650-seat auditorium, modern facilities, and convenient location, it is the perfect venue for Let's Talk Games Conference.
FULL ADDRESS:
The Royal Spa Centre
Newbold Terrace
Royal Leamington Spa
CV32 4HN