NEW Thumbstar Games CEO Gareth Edmondson has taken on another big role ... this time as chairman of gaming business network GameHorizon.

Edmondson confirmed last month that he had left Newcastle-based games studio Ubisoft Reflections to accept a new challenge at Liverpool mobile games firm Thumbstar, with his brother and long-time Thumbstar investor Martin joining him as chief creative officer.

Edmondson confirmed the company’s ambitions included a Newcastle studio.

He has now also been named as the successor to Eutechnyx COO Darren Jobling, who is stepping down as GameHorizon chairman after seven years to concentrate more on Eutechnyx’s work on upcoming title Auto Club Revolution. GameHorizon is a key business network for the games industry, which works with companies as well as putting on events such as the annual GameHorizon conference at The Sage Gateshead.

Edmondson said: “The industry is going through a dramatic change with numerous small development teams starting up as well as the larger studios taking on ever more ambitious projects, and I’m very much looking forward to the opportunity to support the network and the regional games industry.”

Jobling announced his resignation in September to make more time for the expansion of Eutechnyx.

The company recently benefited from a funding round that pushed £3.8m into a new publishing arm and is hard at work on the free-to-play online racing game Auto Club Revolution.

The long-awaited title is to be officially launched in the new year.

Jobling said: “It’s been a great experience to grow GameHorizon from first principles into a global network with a highly-rated annual executive conference.

“However, it’s now time to hand the baton of responsibility on to Gareth so as to allow me to focus my energies on Eutechnyx and, specifically, the launch of Auto Club Revolution in the coming year.”

Edmondson and Jobling will be speaking at the next GameHorizon conference on June 27 and 28.

Early-bird tickets for the event are set to be released shortly.