GamesBeat has unveiled the judging committee for the inaugural Mobile Mogul Awards, recognizing the leaders, innovators, and creators shaping the future of mobile gaming, entertainment, and technology.
Mobile has become one of the most important forces in the global games business. In 2025, the global games market generated $201.6 billion in revenue, with mobile accounting for $113.3 billion — more than half of the total market, according to Newzoo. But mobile’s influence now extends well beyond smartphones, shaping how games are developed, distributed, monetized, and connected with broader entertainment and culture.
Mobile gaming has evolved beyond the device. Today, it sits at the intersection of games, technology, entertainment, brands, creators, commerce, and culture. The GamesBeat Mobile Mogul Awards recognize the leaders shaping this expanding ecosystem — from the pioneers who helped build the mobile games industry to those defining what comes next across gaming, technology, entertainment, sports, brands, and beyond.
Whether you built a breakthrough mobile game, transformed a brand through gamification, created a mobile-first experience, reimagined commerce, or connected audiences through gaming, Hollywood, and technology, the MobileMogulAwards recognize the people changing how the world engages through mobile and how the gaming industry intersects with all adjacent industries in the interactive economy.
The Mobile Mogul Awards, powered by GB MAX, recognize the people helping define that future — from longtime industry leaders to emerging innovators and executives building new connections between games, technology, brands and entertainment.
The committee
The Mobile Mogul Awards judging committee brings together senior leaders from across games, technology, entertainment, platforms, advertising, partnerships and business development.
The seven-person panel includes:
- Careen Yapp, Group Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer, Embracer Group
- Erika Winterholler, Head of Business Development, Digital Gaming, Mattel
- Jeff Karp, Independent Director | Former CEO & Senior Executive | Digital Entertainment, Sports & AI
- Jules Shumaker, Chief Business Officer, Discord
- Moonlit Beshimov, AI Transformation Partnerships, Google
- Scott Koenigsberg, Chief Product Officer, Zynga
- Steven Chiang, President and Founder, Fortis Games
Together, the judges bring decades of experience across mobile games, publishing, product, monetization, strategic partnerships, advertising, entertainment IP, and technology platforms.
Their combined experience reflects the breadth of the mobile ecosystem itself. From game development and operations to the platforms, brands, business models, and partnerships that help them reach billions of players, the committee represents many of the disciplines driving the next era of mobile.
Nominees were voted for by the public, but the final contenders and winners will be voted for by the judges. GamesBeat’s Dean Takahashi, Alex Lee, Rachel Kaser, and Gina Joseph will also serve as judges alongside the committee.
The Mobile Mogul Awards
The judging committee and the GamesBeat team will evaluate nominees across four inaugural categories:
- Mobile Visionary Award: Recognizes longtime mobile gaming leaders whose innovations and career achievements have had a significant impact on the industry.
- Mobile Breakthrough Award: Recognizes mobile game makers in the first five to 10 years of their careers who have already made a significant impact or attracted notable industry attention.
- Mobile Brand & Culture Award: Recognizes leaders from inside and outside mobile gaming who have created exceptional collaborations connecting mobile games with brands, creators, entertainment, IP, platforms and broader culture.
- Mobile Innovator Award: Celebrates leaders actively driving innovation across mobile gaming today and developing new ideas, technologies, games, and business models that are shaping the future of mobile gaming.
The awards recognize meaningful contributions to mobile gaming while reflecting mobile’s increasingly broad role across the interactive economy.
Winners to be recognized at GamesBeat NEXT 2026
Winners will be announced during GamesBeat NEXT 2026, taking place November 2–3 in San Francisco, where more than 500 global executives, investors, publishers, marketers, creators and senior operators will gather to explore what comes next for the $200 billion interactive economy.
The event will feature more than 40 sessions, executive roundtables and curated networking opportunities focused on the business, technology and partnerships shaping the future of games. GamesBeat NEXT is designed to bring industry decision-makers together to exchange ideas, develop new partnerships and close deals.
After selling out its original ticket release for the second consecutive year, GamesBeat has opened 100 additional spots to accommodate demand. Tickets remain limited and are expected to sell out.