Game Changers is back as a collaboration between Lightspeed and GamesBeat to find the best gaming, media and AI startups in a third annual “must-be-on” list.
Game Changers will find 25 startups as game changers across gaming, interactive media, generative AI, 3D technology, and extended reality.
Applications and nominations are now live. In partnership with Nasdaq and C-level industry luminaries, Lightspeed has enlisted high-level judges from the industry to go through the list and find the top 25 startups in five different categories.
Building through chaos
The Game Changers 2026 theme is “building through chaos.” From mass layoffs, budget cuts, and economic headwinds to shifting global policies, the gaming and interactive media industry is weathering continued volatility.
At the same time, generative AI, extended reality, and other emerging technologies are giving rise to unprecedented opportunities to create previously impossible experiences.
What should studios, platforms, and technology companies hold onto as their north stars—and what must be reimagined to stay relevant?
An extraordinary community
Winners of the Game Changers program will receive widespread media coverage through GamesBeat, access to an exclusive growing Game Changers community, and 1:1 mentoring and interactions with industry leaders across gaming, technology, and interactive media.
Award honorees can enjoy these benefits free of charge without giving up equity. While startup representatives are not required to attend in person, we’re looking forward to hosting this and last year’s winners, as well as our judges and mentors, for a Game Changers Reception around the GamesBeat Next conference in San Francisco on November 12-13, 2025.
Startup categories
Lightspeed and GamesBeat have partnered with Nasdaq to honor this new breed of gaming companies. We’re asking the gaming, media, AI, and venture communities to nominate the best startups across five key categories.
Focus categories for Game Changers 2026.
Supported by an unparalleled group of industry leaders, judges, and mentors
Last year, we received an immense number of quality entries, and given the recent pace of innovation, we’re hoping for even more. Lightspeed partners and GamesBeat editors narrow the list of many thousands of submissions to an even 100.
Finalist entries are then submitted to a star panel of C-level executives and senior-level operators across Activision Blizzard, Amazon, ByteDance, DeepMind, Discord, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Goldman Sachs, Google, Hasbro, Inworld, King, Krafton, McKinsey & Co., Microsoft, Netflix, Riot Games, Scopely, Take-Two Interactive, Tencent, TikTok, Twitch, Ubisoft, Unity, Unreal Engine, World Economic Forum, Xbox, YouTube, Zynga, and many others.
Judges will score finalists on a scale of 1 – 5, considering the company’s levels of innovation and potential to adapt and excel in an ever-evolving industry landscape. Each startup will then have an average score, and the top 25 scoring finalists will be announced as our 2026 Game Changers!
Game Changers judges include today’s leaders in gaming and interactive media.
The 2026 Game Changers judges and mentors
We’re excited to have many returning judges alongside exceptional new supporters, including advisors from our Lightspeed Advisory Council.
Alain Tascan, President of Games, Netflix / Fr. EVP of Game Development, Epic Games / Fr. VP, Production, Ubisoft (New)
Ben Feder, Fr. President North America, Tencent / Fr. Board Member, Epic Games / Fr. CEO, Take-Two Interactive
Chris Bell, Co-Founder & Creative Director, Gardens Interactive / Fr. Lead Game Designer, Sky (thatgamecompany)
Dean Takahashi, Editorial Director of GamesBeat
Dylan Jadeja, CEO, Riot Games (New)
Frank Gibeau, CEO, Zynga / Board Member, Hasbro / Fr. EVP Mobile, Electronic Arts (New)
Hemal Thaker, Managing Director & Global Head of Interactive Media, Goldman Sachs (New)
Humam Sakhnini, CEO, Discord / Fr. Vice Chairman & CSO at Activision / Fr. President, King (New)
John W. Thompson, Venture Partner, Lightspeed / Fr. Chairman, Microsoft / Fr. CEO, Symantec / Fr. Board Member, IBM
Kabir Ahuja, Sr. Partner & Co-Lead of Media Practice, McKinsey & Co. (New)
Kylan Gibbs, Co-Founder & CEO, Inworld AI / Fr. Product Manager, DeepMind (Google)
Laura Miele, President of Electronic Arts / Board Member, On Running (New)
Maria Park, CSO of Krafton / Fr. CSO, PUBG / Fr. Strategy Lead, Riot Games
Mark Pincus, Founder & Chairman, Zynga (New)
Matthew Ball, Industry Analyst (New)
Matt Bromberg, President & CEO, Unity / Fr. COO, Zynga / Fr. SVP, Electronic Arts / Fr. CEO, Major League Gaming (New)
Michał Nowakowski, Joint CEO, CD Projekt (New)
Moritz Baier-Lentz, Partner & Head of Gaming and Interactive Media, Lightspeed / Advisor, World Economic Forum / Fr. Vice President, Goldman Sachs
Riccardo Zacconi, Co-Founder & Fr. CEO, King
Stephen Lim, Co-Founder & CEO, Raid Base / Fr. Co-Founder and Head, Valorant (Riot Games), Fr. Senior Producer, Blizzard (New)
Steve Boom, VP of Audio, Twitch & Games, Amazon / Fr. SVP, Yahoo (New)
Sarah Bond, President, Xbox (Microsoft) / Fr. SVP, T-Mobile / Fr. Associate Partner, McKinsey & Co. (New)
V Pappas, Fr. COO of TikTok / Fr. Advisor, ByteDance / Fr. Head of Creative Insights, YouTube
Walter Driver, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Scopely (New)
Guiding principles
We want to draw attention to the companies that deserve recognition and a wider reach, so we tap the combined analytical and journalistic reach of Lightspeed and GamesBeat.
To be eligible, companies have to:
Be part of the gaming, interactive media, or 3D technology industries (see five categories above),
Be no more than five years old (founded in 2020 or later), and
Have no more than 50 full-time employees.
Our goal is to continue curating an annual list that is unique, original, and valuable for the industry. The process will always be fair and transparent. The nomination form is globally available (self-nominations are possible as well). Peers can nominate each other, and our hand-selected judges will guide the final and democratic selection of winners.
Impressions from last year
You can learn more about last year’s winners, judges, and announcements here.
Winners will receive widespread media attention, including a feature on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square.
Apply or nominate a startup today
Peer nominations and self-submissions for Game Changers 2026 are now open online.
Anyone can nominate startups or apply on behalf of their own companies. The submission deadline is 11:59 pm PT on Sunday, October 5, 2025.