Organisers of the GameHorizon 2012 conference have announced that Charles Cecil will host this year's event, inheriting the role from Ian Livingstone, who'll deliver the conference's opening keynote.

As the founder of Revolution Software and a mainstay of the British games industry for 30 years, Cecil (MBE) was a natural choice to host the UK event, which will run from 27 - 28 June in Gateshead.

He'll welcome a range of speakers to the stage, including Unity CEO David Helgason, who'll discuss cross-platform development strategies, NaturalMotion CEO Torsten Reil, and PocketGamer.biz editor Jon Jordan.

Host with the most

"I am delighted to have been invited to host this year's GameHorizon Conference," explained Cecil.

"Now in its fifth year, GameHorizon has grown to become a key conference not only for the North of England, but nationally and internationally.

"We have an exceptional lineup of speakers and fantastic sponsors this year. In these times of unprecedented change and opportunity, this really is a must-attend event."

Early Bird tickets, priced at £225 + VAT, are available until 31 May.

Once that deadline has passed, GameHorizon tickets will be priced at £350 + VAT.

For more information on the event, including a full list of speakers, visit the GameHorizon website.