Animex Game
Game Talks from Industry speakers
Animex Game – Two Days of Insight, Innovation, and Industry Excellence - Thursday 20 & Friday 21 November 2025
Join us for Animex Game, a dynamic two-day event at the heart of the Animex Festival, dedicated to the art, craft, and business of game development. The event brings together leading voices from across the games industry to share their expertise, experiences, and visions for the future.
Across Thursday and Friday, attendees will gain exclusive access to talks from world-class developers, designers, producers, and creatives working at the forefront of the Games Industry. From behind-the-scenes insights into acclaimed titles to practical career advice and emerging trends, Animex Game offers a unique opportunity to learn, connect, and be inspired.
What to Expect:
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- In-depth presentations from AAA studios and indie pioneers
- Real-world advice on entering and advancing in the games industry
- Networking opportunities with professionals, educators, and peers
- A platform to explore the evolving landscape of game design and development
We’re currently working on an exciting programme for 2025, stay tuned for speaker announcements and session details.
Please note that all talks and speakers are subject to change.
20 November 25
DLB 0.01 Main Hall | TS1 3BB
9:00AM
Game Days opening and Welcome!
9:30AM
Games Talk 1 - Empyreal: An Animation Retrospective
Luke Robson | Silent Games
Luke will be going over the pipelines for animation creation on their most recent title, Empyreal. This will cover everything from rigging, animating and implementation.
There will be a focus upon the problems encountered and how they navigated through them. He is also looking to tie back the lessons He’s learnt as an Animator and how they apply to other disciplines like Art and Design to make the talk more open to non-animators.
Luke will be showing behind the scenes footage of development and trying to highlight where they succeeded and failed on the project.
10:30AM
Games Talk 2 - Panel: From Teesside to Level Design
Oliver Walker | OMG (Oliver Makes Games) / MetStudios
Jack Chapman | Auroch Digital
Matty McGrory | Observer Interactive
Matt Houghton | Observer Interactive
Dreaming of building worlds players will never forget? Join Oliver Walker, Jack Chapman, and Matt Houghton as they share their journeys from Teesside University classrooms to shaping levels for some of the industry’s most exciting games.
Hosted by former Teesside lecturer Matty McGrory, this panel is all about turning ambition into reality, discover the challenges, breakthroughs, and creative sparks that transformed their passion into careers.
If you’re ready to design the future of play, this is your moment to be inspired.
11:30AM
Lunch break
1:00PM
Games Talk 3 - Finding Your Path to Technical Art
Piotr Sidorowicz | Radical Forge
This session explores what technical art is and the diverse specializations within the role.
We’ll take a deep dive into the different pathways you can pursue and how to get started on your journey to becoming a Technical Artist.
Whether you’re transitioning from another discipline or beginning your career in the games industry, this talk will provide guidance on finding your direction.
I’ll also share insights and lessons I’ve learned throughout my career—covering topics such as following your passions, the power of community, balancing artistic creativity with technical problem-solving, and overcoming imposter syndrome as a new graduate.
1:00PM
Free Workshop - Ask me anything* Indie / Alumni Q&A panel
Oliver Walker | OMG (Oliver Makes Games) / MetStudios
Jack Chapman | Auroch Digital
Fiona Beattie | Dink
Matthew Nixon | Dink
Ryan Mountford | Dink
Join an open and interactive session with Teesside University alumni now working in the games industry. Jack Chapman, Oliver Walker, Fiona Beattie, Matthew Nixon, and Ryan Mountford will share insights from their journeys into game art and design, indie development, and studio life.
This is your chance to ask questions, get career advice, and learn what it takes to thrive in the world of games: from concept art to environment design and beyond. They'll be available to answer your questions about progression after university, tips on getting into internships, and how to prepare for your first steps into the games industry.
1:00PM
Free Workshop - How to Network Well: Building Meaningful Connections
Maret Ward | Double Eleven
Join Maret Ward for an interactive workshop designed to help you grow your network with purpose and authenticity. Discover practical strategies to make lasting professional connections, communicate with confidence, and turn conversations into opportunities.
Whether you’re just starting your career or looking to expand your professional circle, this session will give you the tools and mindset to build relationships that truly matter.
This Free Workshop will take place in the Digital Life Building room 2.23, places are limited - First come, first served basis
2:00PM
Short break
2:15PM
Games Talk 4 - ROOST - Just make it exist first…
Jack Chapman | Auroch Digital
Diving into the origins of the ROOST's development, shedding some light on the current state of the project, including the ups and downs, things Jack has learnt as a part-time indie dev, and the many failures and occasional victories over the last 12 months.
3:15PM
Games Talk 5 - The Art of the Party: How to Create Engaging Social Games
Joanna Haslam | Snap Finger Click
Amanda Harris | Snap Finger Click
Party games look simple, but successfully building a fun and inclusive experience for a group is a unique challenge.
In this talk, Snap Finger Click's Jo (Design Director) and Amanda (Senior 3D Artist) will pull back the curtain on how to create compelling social video games.
21 November 25
DLB 0.01 Main Hall | TS1 3BB
9:30AM
Games Talk 6 - Shaping worlds: Inside the Remedy Environment Art Pipeline
Miro Vesterinen | Remedy Entertainment
Environment art is the foundation of immersive worldbuilding and every stunning scene begins as a simple shape.
This presentation breaks down the Remedy environment art production pipeline, following the process from initial concept through whitebox, asset creation, world-building, and final polish.
***Strictly No filming during this talk***
10:30AM
Games Talk 7 - The Principles of Game UI/UX: Analysis and Application
Edd Coates | Game UI Database
Reference material is an indispensable resource for UI designers, serving not only as a source of inspiration but also as a guide to best practices that help us design with our audiences in mind.
However, many designers still struggle to use references effectively, often taking the wrong lessons from them or, worse, comparing themselves unfavourably and feeling like imposters.
Join Edd Coates, creator of the award-winning Game UI Database, as he explores how to analyse and learn from existing reference material by delving into the principles of game UI/UX design, and demonstrates how to apply that analysis to develop our skills and improve our own work.
11:30AM
Lunch break
12:30PM
Games Talk 8 - Practical tips for standing out to recruitment
Moses Attah | Tanglewood
Jake Simpson | Tanglewood Games
From a programmers perspective we will talk about what stands out to us when we recruit and showing how polish and planning can help with this.
We will show some practical tips around Dos and Don'ts, Optimisation, Technical designs and more from first hand experience working on games from Indie to AAA.
***No streaming available***
1:30PM
Short break
1:45PM
Games Talk 9 - Neurodivergence and Game Development: What To Look Out For
Adam Clewes-Boyne | BetaJester Ltd
Being neurodivergent brings an number of complications and benefits to game development.
This talk covers a number of key areas to look out for, and the key skills that will help you excel, whether you're neurodivergent or not!
2:45PM
Games Talk 10 - Football and Impressionism, the Art of Rematch
Morgane Perrin | Sloclap
Sabrina Tobal | Sloclap
Morgane Perrin, Lead 3D Character Artist and Sabrina Tobal, Art director of Rematch invite you to explore together how they married these two concepts, Football and Impressionism, specifically on their characters.
Their approach to the entire character creation process has been designed, planned, and revised to maximise player customisation and creative freedom.
Animex Game SPEAKERS
Joanna Haslam
Design Director
From Buzz! to Awkward, Jo creates unique social games that bring people together.
Amanda Harris
Senior 3D artist
Meet Amanda: Senior 3D Artist, BAFTA Crew member, and Game Dev Heroes finalist.
Edd Coates
Freelance UI/UX Designer
From UI art to Guinness World Records, Edd Coates redefines game interfaces.
Oliver Walker
Director/Course Leader for Game Design and Development
Game designer, educator, and advocate shaping the future of interactive worlds.
Jack Chapman
Principal Level Designer
Jack is a Principal Level Designer in the games industry, with just under a decade of experience.
Adam Clewes-Boyne
Head of Technology
From indie dev to industry advocate, Adam shapes games and supports inclusion.
Matty McGrory
cofounder and Design Director
Design Director at Observer Interactive shaping indie innovation.
Matt Houghton
Narrative Director & Level Designer
Award-winning designer shaping worlds at Observer Interactive.
Miro Vesterinen
Head of Environment Art
From Control to Alan Wake 2, Miro builds breath-taking worlds at Remedy.
Piotr Sidorowicz
Technical Artist
Technical Artist at Radical Forge, crafting shaders, VFX & rendering magic.
Fiona Beattie
Technical Designer
Meet Fiona – crafting engaging mechanics and AI as a Technical Designer at Dink
Matthew Nixon
Environment Artist
Matthew turns ideas into 3D worlds at Dink, starting from Teesside Uni.
Ryan Mountford
Technical Designer
Meet Ryan: Technical Designer at Dink, building tools for Unreal Engine games.
Morgane Perrin
Lead Character Artist
Lead 3D Character Artist crafting unforgettable heroes at Sloclap.
