GamesBeat is thrilled to share our (mostly) full agenda for GamesBeat Summit 2026, taking place from May 18-19 at the Marina del Rey Marriott in Los Angeles.
This is our 18th annual event and the second event we’re hosting as an independent media company. (This post is now updated with all of our sessions as of 5/8/26).
Join the CEOs and business decision-makers shaping the future of gaming, entertainment and tech at GamesBeat Summit, make sure to get your ticket before they sell out!
Limited BOGO offer live now, only till May 3rd. Or you can use the code GBSreg25 for 25% off
(Aron Garst co-wrote this story with me).
We’ve collected great insights from our community in our far-reaching editorial coverage, held events all over the world, and executed partnerships with dozens of influential companies throughout the game space in our first year of independence. We’ve also expanded our team, adding lead news writer Alexander Lee as well as many faces behind the scenes.
Alex, Rachel Kaser and I will be extracting more insights at the 17th annual GamesBeat Summit — and the three of us will do an AMA too. Gaming is certainly on its continuing journey from subculture to mass culture, and it’s showing great success as a foundation for movies and TV shows and YouTube shows like Fallout and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Gaming also catches kids at a young age, either on smartphones or console platforms like Nintendo, Roblox and Fortnite.
But as seer Matthew Ball pointed out, it remains in an “attention war” with other industries that are closer to addiction than fun — like fast-growing entertainment categories like prediction markets, AI companions, Only Fans, YouTube, TikTok, sports betting and online casinos. As market growth slows, game developers and publishers might be tempted to grow through over-monetization. We squarely hope to guide gaming toward fun, based on who we are highlighting at the event. And we remember to follow not only the money, but the people too. Together, we can find the path forward to winning the culture war, just like you can win in Civilization, without launching a world war.
The North American games industry remains in a challenging period, with many thousands of layoffs since the last time our community gathered in Los Angeles for GamesBeat Summit 2025. There’s been a wave of studio closures, tightening venture funding, and rising triple-A development costs that now routinely reach into the hundreds of millions. At the same time, live-service competition and retention pressures continue to intensify as studios compete for increasingly fragmented player attention. Our goal is to find the guides — including those from other regions — who can help the industry through these turbulent waters, convening leaders and creators to chart a path toward more stable and sustainable growth.
We have more than 100 speakers across dozens of panels, fireside chats, and speeches that explore the many facets of this industry, including the rise of AI in game development, the evolution of live-ops and ongoing player engagement, the growing importance of user-generated content as a core pillar of modern game ecosystems, and the ethical questions shaping how games are built and experienced. About half of our speakers come from diverse backgrounds.
GamesBeat Summit 2026 Agenda
Day One – Monday, May 18, 2026
1:00 p.m. – 1:10 p.m. Intros by Gerard “HipHop Gamer” Williams, emcee Kahlief Adams of Spawn on Me and Dean Takahashi and Gina Joseph of GamesBeat. (Bayview room, 10th floor)
1:10 – 1:50 PM – Lessons and Inspirations
At thatgamecompany’s 20-year milestone, CEO and Creative Director Jenova Chen reflects on redefining games as emotional, artistic, and deeply human experiences, and looks ahead to the future of interactive entertainment in a fireside chat with Michael Metzger of Drake Star Partners. (Bayview room, 10th floor)
Jenova Chen, CEO & Creative Director, thatgamecompany
MODERATOR: Michael Metzger, Managing Partner, Drake Star
1:50 – 2:20 PM – Game development in the AI era
Owen Mahoney, former CEO of Nexon, and Michael Pachter, managing director at Wedbush, will talk about how developers must adapt to making games more creatively. They will address evolving business models and the potential to grow markets with a larger amount of fresh content. (Bayview room, 10th floor)
Owen Mahoney, former CEO of Nexon
Michael Pachter, Managing Director, Wedbush
2:20 – 2:30 PM break to other rooms
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Building Games as Systems: Designing for Evolution, Not Just Launch
The games that dominate today — Fortnite, Roblox, and others — aren’t just successful titles; they’re adaptive platforms that evolve with their communities. This roundtable explores how studios can shift from traditional launch-and-pray models to designing systems that support long-term flexibility and growth. We’ll examine what it means to build infrastructure for adaptability, create shorter feedback loops, and foster communities that shape a game’s evolution. Whether you’re working on a live service title or contemplating your next project’s long-term potential, this discussion will challenge assumptions about what “finished” means and how to design for longevity from day one. (Promenade room)
Leanne Loombe, EVP, Head of Games, Annapurna
Ben Granados, Co-founder & CEO, PUBLSH
Nanea Reeves, Founder & CEO, TRIPP, Inc.
MODERATOR: Mark Stanley, Syndicate of Play
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Roundtable: Best use cases of AI in Game Development
According to the latest GDC Games Industry Survey, 36 percent of developers are using generative AI in their development process, and 87% use AI agents. The topic is widely debated in our industry and is still viewed negatively by many developers. This off-the-record roundtable discussion — the third one Rich Vogel has done at our events — will highlight the best use cases from those actively incorporating AI into their daily workflows. If you use AI in your development, please join this panel discussion and share your insights with other developers. The goal is to foster a lively discussion of the challenges and benefits of using AI, providing developers with insights to consider when integrating it into their game development pipelines. (Catalina room)
Rich Vogel, CEO, Fighting Dragon Entertainment
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
How 2K leveraged creator advocates to support Borderlands 4
For game makers of all sizes, creator programs have evolved from a nice-to-have into a core element of new title releases. In this session, 2K senior manager of influencer marketing Josh Maresca and Gamesight director of creator strategies Jen Zall will present a case study on the creator program behind last year’s launch of Borderlands 4, going into the numbers and the strategic details to show how the program made a concrete impact on the game’s successful release. (Malibu/Santa Monica)
Jennifer Zall, Director of Creator Strategies, Gamesight
Joshua Maresca, Sr. Manager of Influencer & Creator Marketing, 2K
Moderator: Alexander Lee, Lead News Writer, GamesBeat
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
The influence and impact of UGC: Platform power and the fight for player engagement
Is Roblox a phase for today’s youth, or are user-generated ecosystems a permanent structural component of gaming going forward? To answer this question — and get to the bottom of how gamers are or are not moving between UGC ecosystems and traditional gaming platforms — Open World tapped into PlayDX, its proprietary behavioral dataset of 2.8+ million gamers. In this session, Open World executive vice president of research and analytics Kerry Norton will provide a first-time, in-depth look into the numbers, exploring whether players are truly “graduating” from UGC environments into triple-A games — and the emotional and motivational needs Roblox fulfills that traditional publishers may under-serve. (Venice/Peninsula room)
Kerry Norton, executive vice president of research and analytics, Open World
Moderator: Kahlief Adams, founder of Spawn on Me
3:00 – 3:30 PM
Blurring the Lines of Games and Entertainment
From The Super Mario Galaxy Movie to Fallout, video games have seized the IP landscape in Hollywood. Yet gaming’s relationship with the film and TV landscape has never been limited to what starts with a controller. In this session, the role of game shows, browser games and more across entertainment mediums is discussed. (Promenade room)
Eric Berman, CEO, Lil Snack
John Jelley, SVP of Product & UX, Peacock and Global Streaming, NBCU / Peacock
Sally Umsted, SVP, Game Shows Brand Partnerships, Licensing, & Experiences, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Moderator: Kaare Eriksen, Media Analyst, Luminate Intelligence
3:00 – 3:30 PM
How UGC creators and developers can learn from the traditional creator world
The rise of gaming platforms like Fortnite and Roblox has led to the evolution of a new type of creator: user-generated content creators, who leverage gaming content to develop a following and sign brand deals much like more traditional digital platforms have monetized video or livestreamed content. In this panel, expert operators from across the traditional creator space and the nascent world of user-generated content will compare notes on how to connect brands with a gaming audience, with a focus on the ways both sides of the equation can learn from each other. (Palisades room)
Speakers include Christopher Mann, the senior vice president of REVXP at rEvolution, Kevin Marciano, the chief executive officer of Future Trash, and Sam DiMascio, the head of brand partnerships at Mana Talent Group. Moderator: Alexander Lee, lead news writer for GamesBeat.
3:00 – 3:30 PM
The opportunity for games and entertainment on Connected TVs
Connected TVs have a chance to become an gaming and entertainment platform. Connected TVs can tap cloud gaming services, such as Phynd’s upcoming ad-supported cloud gaming, and they can allow players to play games on the cloud via the TV without a console. That’s important at a time when prices are soaring for components for consoles and gaming PCs. On top of that, these platforms can blend in AI-enabled entertainment like what Escape.ai is doing with other content like games. In the future, you may just have a universal store with games and short films and more interactive blends of cinema and games. Our panel will talk about this opportunity. (Venice/Peninsula room)
John Gaeta, CEO, Escape.ai
Andre Swanston, CEO, Phynd
Isaac Sunsted, Director of Gaming Strategy & Business Development, Samsung
Moderator: Jamil Moledina, Principal, XP Consulting
3:00 – 3:30 PM
From Playtest to Launch: Turning Players into Your Best Marketing Channel
Most studios treat playtesting as a checkbox before launch. But the best teams use it to build a community of invested players who drive wishlists, reviews, and word of mouth long before day one. In this solo talk from Eden Chen (CEO, FirstLook), he will walk through a proven framework for running playtests that go beyond bug reports: how to recruit the right players, capture real time sentiment, build lasting relationships, and turn early feedback loops into launch momentum. Whether you’re indie or double-A, you’ll leave with a playbook you can run. (Malibu/Santa Monica room)
Eden Chen, CEO of First Look
3:30 – 4:00 PM
Steam Wishlisting and New Rewarded Discovery Strategies
As competition for player attention intensifies, game marketers are looking beyond traditional channels to drive meaningful outcomes like sales, wishlisting and installs. This panel explores how, with the right audience, rewarded engagement can drive game discovery and meaningful action. Join Webtoon, Liquid Advertising, and Hasbro to learn about the latest in reward-based mechanics such as Offerwalls and how Steam wishlisting campaigns have become critical for game launches. Together, the panel will unpack what’s working, what’s evolving, and how brands can rethink their approach to turning attention into tangible player actions. (Promenade room)
Hugh Kim, Director, US Brand Partnerships, Webtoon
Nikki DePaola, VP of Global Media, Liquid Advertising
Bonnka Lim, Vice President of Marketing, Digital Games, Hasbro
Moderator: Alex Lee, Lead News Writer, GamesBeat
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Ethical Games: How to actively make the game industry a force for good
Video games have significant reach in society: supporting employment in the creative industries, engaging audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the globe, and as pieces of interactive art. But as video games have moved to the mainstream of entertainment and popular culture, they also have given rise to new media fears, from online toxicity to “addiction” claims. To sort evidence-based concerns from unwarranted moral panics, the Ethical Games initiative aims to build bridges between the game industry and academic research to identify the impacts, both positive and negative, that games have on players and that the game industry has on game developers. This panel discusses the feasibility of a voluntary code of ethics and guidelines for studios and publishers to make games better for players and the industry better for developers.
Celia Hodent, Founder, Game UX Summit & the Ethical Games initiative
Jessica Murrey, Co-founder & CEO, Wicked Saints Studio
Jenova Chen, CEO & Creative Director, thatgamecompany
MODERATOR: Dean Takahashi, Editorial Director, GamesBeat
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
AI Law: What Every Creator Using AI Should Know
Generative AI is now embedded across game development—from art and Generative AI is rapidly reshaping game development—from art and dialogue to code and marketing—while the legal frameworks governing ownership and use are still taking shape. This session offers developers, artists, and creative leads a practical lens on how those boundaries are evolving, where risk is beginning to concentrate, and how to approach AI-assisted workflows with greater clarity and control. Anchored around two essential questions—how to work with AI responsibly and how to safeguard what you create—Dan Lee Rogers focuses on real-world decision-making, not abstract theory. Attendees will walk away with a clearer understanding of authorship, ownership, and the tradeoffs that matter when integrating AI into production. Dan Lee Rogers of Premack Rogers will moderate this off-the-record session. (Malibu/Santa Monica room)
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Women in Games: The Spill on Community
The power of community. It’s often overlooked. Everyone talks about community—but most organizations still don’t start with it. They treat it as an output, not a foundation. The reality: real community—built around people, not just products—is one of the strongest drivers of business ROI. And the professionals who understand how to build and leverage that? They’re the ones who level up fastest. This interactive discussion is about how to turn your ability to understand and build community into influence, impact, and career acceleration. (Bayview room on 10th floor)
Christina Drake, Head of Global Talent Acquisition, Side
Marie Ablaza, Talent Acquisition, Recruiter, Netflix Games Studio
Jay-ann Lopez, Founder & CEO, Black Girl Gamers
Sarah Parvini, Communications Lead – Central Tech, Call of Duty, Activision
Martina Santoro, New Media Executive Producer, Annapurna
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
The Battle for Attention: How Games Stay Culturally Relevant
While gaming continues to grow year over year, it’s competing in a much bigger battle for attention. Players now divide their time across social media, creator platforms, streaming, online gambling, and emerging experiences. At the same time, gaming continues to shape culture in powerful ways. New players enter through platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, while game worlds increasingly expand beyond the console through social media, merchandise, film, and community storytelling. This conversation explores how gaming continues to capture attention and how talent, technology, and cultural collaboration are shaping the industry’s next phase. (Palisades room)
Eli Harris – Award Winning Actor & Voice Actor | Co-Founder & CCO – The Mode 7 Group
Gae-Charles (Guy) Constantini, Co-Founder & CEO, Chaos Manufacturing
Cara LaForge, Director, Business Operations, Frost Giant
Mia Ginaé Watkins, Program Manager, Riot Games
Moderator: Tanesha Graham, PR Strategist
4:00 – 4:30 PM
From Competition to Connection: How Riot views Publishing and Esports as its global fandom engine
In this fireside chat, Riot Games President of Publishing & Esports John Needham will discuss the evolution of Riot’s esports and publishing verticals into a more unified, player-centric model—one designed to meet players wherever they are and deepen their connection to the Riot ecosystem.
As Riot has grown over the last 20 years, it has doubled down on what’s always mattered most: staying close to players and meeting their needs and wants wherever they are. From in-game experiences to community and live events, Riot has long delivered unique value by activating its ecosystem across game, sport, community, and culture—and in 2025 intentionally brought these teams together under a single organization, led by John, to better optimize the player/fan experience.
The conversation will explore what it means to be a great publisher today, not just shipping games and putting on global events, but connecting and sustaining player’s experiences over time. John will share how Riot reoriented its structure around the player journey, aligning esports, publishing, and adjacent functions to better serve and grow its global audience. (Promenade room)
John Needham, president of publishing & esports at Riot Games
Moderator: Alexander Lee, lead news writer at GamesBeat
4:00-4:30 PM
New and Emergent Financing for Games and Start-ups
With the maturation of the games business and the sharp reduction in investment capital from the 2020-2022 peak, alternative financing options are now increasingly available, including crowdfunding, UA, debt, and completion financing, separately or blended with traditional equity and publishing. A panel of experts across different sectors of the new game financing landscape will describe key funding paths available to game startups plus practical insights on the right mix for your studio’s goals and stage. (Palisades room)
Dara Willoughby, Managing Director, The Raine Group
Justin Yuan, Partner, TIRTA Ventures
Justin Berenbaum, SVP Global Industry Relations, Funding GM, Xsolla
MODERATOR: Eric Goldberg, Co-founder, Playable Worlds
4:00-4:30 PM —
Crimson Desert: Launching a Triple-A Game Like an Indie Publisher
With five million games sold in 26 days, Crimson Desert has monopolized conversations in 2026 with their first self-published game, becoming the most successful Korean game launch of all time. How did this AAA game become such a success? By acting like an Indie publisher. Join the publisher-side launch retrospective and Q&A with the year’s breakout new IP.(Malibu/Santa Monica room)
Will Powers, PR & Marketing Director, Pearl Abyss
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM roundtable
Mind the Gap: Building and Leading Teams in Ways That Resonate With a New Generation
In this off-the-record roundtable, we’ll talk about the leadership lessons we’ve learned throughout our careers don’t necessarily apply to a new generation that’s entering the workforce and the communications field. How can we be more effective leaders for new generations, inspiring and developing Gen Z and Millennial members of our teams in ways that serve and enable them and our organizations? How can we learn from them and reap the benefits of reciprocal leadership? What are the watchouts? What are the success stories?
We often focus on upskilling our teams, but it’s critical we apply that lens to our own capabilities, too, modernizing our approach to cultivating and leading teams. Moving beyond stereotypes, this session will encourage inspirational stories and actionable advice from leaders who are getting it right with multigenerational, multifunctional teams and represent a range of generations themselves – helping to define, and even disrupt, what effective leadership looks like today and for the future of work. (Catalina room)
Perrin Kaplan, cofounder of Zebra Partners and special guest
4:30 – 5:00 PM
At the crossroads of culture: How brands can leverage gaming to build cohesive advertising campaigns
Gaming is no longer a niche form of culture. It’s the glue between other popular media channels, sitting at the center of film, TV, music, sports and streaming culture. In this panel, experts from across the gaming and advertising space will break down how brands are showing up across the full gaming ecosystem, from in-game integrations to creator collaborations, live events, and cross-platform storytelling — and how developers and publishers can secure their rightful piece of the pie. The discussion will highlight how developers can plug into this broader cultural landscape by working with agencies to design holistic campaigns — not just for increased monetization, but to build lasting fandom and loyalty. (Promenade room)
Max Bass, Gale,
Samantha Lim, Publicis Media
Justin Miclat, CEO, The Kinetic Group
Moderator: Alexander Lee, Lead News Writer, GamesBeat
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Measuring Impact in the New Creator Economy
The rise of platforms like Fortnite and Roblox has caused the evolution of a new creator economy that combines traditional influencer marketing best practices with the nascent medium of user-generated gaming content. In this panel, Creators Corp director of gaming strategy Henry Coxall, Loaded evp of talent Yoni Ginsberg, and EA global head of influencer strategy Mitchel Inkrott will go deep on the creator marketing strategy behind the release of Battlefield 6, sharing strategic insights and data points to show how they built a custom map inside the game for the creator TheBurntPeanut — and how the stakeholders in this campaign measured its concrete impact, including takeaways applied to future creator advocate campaigns. (Venice/Peninsula room)
Mitchell Inkrott, Global Director of Influencer Strategy & Relations – Battlefield, EA
Yoni Ginsberg, executive vice president of talent at Loaded
Henry Coxall, Director, Gaming Strategy & Marketing, Creators Corp
MODERATOR: Kaare Eriksen, media analyst, Luminate Intelligence
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Discovery is the Product: Why Audience Acquisition Must Be Built From Day One.
This session explores how studios and creators can integrate distribution strategy and audience intelligence into development from day one—aligning creative decisions with discoverability to drive stronger audience acquisition and engagement. (Palisades room)
Ryan Ward, Games Industry Veteran & Founder, Pixel Dynamics / “Building Forever Games”
Vicki Dobbs Beck, Veteran Entertainment Industry Executive / Transmedia Architect
Aaron Sisto, Co-founder & CEO, Chronicle Studios
Moderator: Josh English, VP of Engineering, Chronicle Studios
5:00 – 5:30 PM
What Tencent thinks of the future of gaming
Tian Xiao of Tencent sits down with Dean Takahashi to discuss Tencent’s view of the gaming world and where it’s going. Their talk will touch on the state of the gaming economy, reasons for optimism, AI’s role, new business opportunities and UGC and insights on China’s game market.
Tian Xiao, Head of North America Partnerships, Tencent Games
MODERATOR: Dean Takahashi, Editorial Director, GamesBeat
5:00 – 5:30 PM
Innovation in Console Gaming for Youth, Families, and Active Play for Global Markets
Lisa Cosmas Hanson, president of Niko Partners, and Tom Kang, president of Nex, will discuss the opportunity to build a new category to grow the gaming market and the challenges of scaling a modern console platform worldwide. (Palisades room)
5:30 – 6:00 PM
BOSS Mode Awards
Our first-ever Boss Mode Awards will honor three different women from a stellar group of nominees for three different awards. We went through a community-led nomination process and then a diverse group of judges selected our winners who will be revealed live at the awards session. (California ballroom)
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Pixels and Pours Reception, sponsored by Scopely (Bayview room on 10th floor)
Day Two – Tuesday, May 19, 2026
8:30 – 9:20 AM
BOSS Mode: Women in Gaming, Entertainment, and Tech Breakfast, Sponsored by Xsolla
Leadership isn’t just about a title—it’s about the impact you create when you have influence and responsibility. In GamesBeat Summit’s breakfast session, women leaders will share the business insights and strategies they’ve used to drive meaningful outcomes for their companies and the broader games industry. From achieving key goals to navigating industry challenges, they’ll discuss how they translate leadership into measurable results within their own organizations and impact across the industry. (California ballroom)
9:20 – 9:30 AM
Emcee announcements by the one and only Gerard “HipHop Gamer” Williams; Welcome Remarks by Alex Lee (California room)
9:30 – 10:00 AM
State of Play: A Global and UAE Perspective
A global read on where the industry actually stands. Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Xsolla shares a global State of Play—examining key trends, shifts, and developments from around the world to reveal what’s actually happening versus what’s being rumored or misrepresented in the market.
Faisal Kazim, Games Commissioner for the Dubai Films and Games Commission then brings it local, sharing what’s really happening on the ground in Dubai and the UAE. Together, these two lenses — global and local— form a myth-busting deep dive designed to leave attendees with a clearer, more accurate picture of the landscape and what it means for them. Dean Takahashi will moderate the session. (California room)
Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer, Xsolla
Faisal Kazim, Games Commissioner, Dubai Films and Games Commission
MODERATOR: Dean Takahashi; Editorial Director, GamesBeat
10:00 – 10:30 AM
A Brave New World of Game Publishing
Game industry veteran, Dan Bunting of the Call of Duty: Black Ops series, sits down with Adam Boyes, former VP Third-Party at Playstation and current Founder & CEO of Vivrato, to discuss the state of play in the industry for the independent gaming ecosystem and why the industry needs new publishers more than ever. This will be an in-depth look at the myriad reasons the industry is in a content slump, what we should do about it and the view of the future from here. Join us for an invigorating and thought-provoking session. (California room)
Dan Bunting, Venture Partner, 1AM Gaming
MODERATOR: Adam Boyes, Founder & CEO, Vivrato
From server slam to streaming sensation: How Embark Studios used Twitch to amplify the launch of Arc Raiders
In 2026, game launches don’t succeed on trailers alone — they’re built through creators, communities and smart platform partnerships. In this panel, Twitch chief product officer Mike Minton, Embark marketing director Ashley St. Germain and Sandbox senior influencer strategy manager Joe Rasinger walk through how the partners co-designed a campaign that blended a “server slam” test, TwitchCon San Diego presence and targeted creator collaborations to make ARC Raiders into a success. The talk will cover how Embark and Twitch aligned publisher, platform and creator strategies, getting into the numbers and key metrics behind the game’s outsized debut. (Promenade room)
Mike Minton, Chief Product Officer, Twitch
Ashley St. Germain, Marketing Director, Embark
Joe Raysinger, Sr Influencer Strategy Manager, Sandbox
MODERATOR: Alexander Lee, Lead News Writer, GamesBeat
10:30 – 11:00 AM
The Intersection of Game Street and Hollywood Blvd
The relationship between games, film, and television has never been more important than it is today. With videogame adaptations driving awareness and sales, it’s becoming an increasingly important driver of franchise growth. This panel will discuss the creative collaboration process and how to produce adaptations that delight core fans while capturing the interest of new ones. (California room)
Dmitri Johnson, Co-founder & Producer, Story Kitchen
Jason Altman, former head of transmedia at Netflix
Moderator: Courtney LaBarge Bell, Executive Director, BAFTA North America
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Winning the Cultural Zeitgeist: A Fireside Chat with Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of SYBO
As Gen Z internet culture increasingly becomes more “unhinged” and the mobile market becomes more competitive than ever, games are finding new waves of success by leaning in. Fourteen years post-launch, Subway Surfers continues to find new relevance in the cultural zeitgeist by taking a co-creation-powered approach with the game’s social media community. Join Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of SYBO, in conversation with GamesBeat lead news writer Alexander Lee, as he discusses how the studio leverages user-generated content and embraces its community’s IP interpretations to win over both new and existing audiences, and how these learnings have informed the launch of Subway Surfers City as the next chapter of the franchise. (Promenade room)
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Roundtable: How to Use AI in Games Without Losing the Plot
On-device AI changes what a game can be. Small models running locally open up gameplay that was impossible a few years ago: characters that react to anything a player says, worlds that generate around the player with mechanics that adapt in real time to how someone actually plays.
As the industry grapples with whether generative AI lowers the creative bar or expands what games can be, Studio Atelico’s approach is to use AI to raise the artistic ceiling and unlock new forms of play while keeping human creativity in the driver’s seat.
In this talk, Studio Atelico co-founder and CEO Piero Molino will share what the studio has learned building this way: game design choices that only make sense once the model lives on the device, engineering tradeoffs still being explored, and the systems they’ve built to ensure artists remain authors, not inputs. Drawing on the development of Bobium Brawlers and the Atelico AI Engine, he will show how a human-first approach makes the impossible playable while prioritizing consent, collaboration, and creative ownership. (Malibu/Santa Monica)
Piero Molino, CEO, Studio Atelico
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Game Legends: From Coin-op to Google AI: What a multi-decade games career has taught me about the constants and where headed
In a career starting in coin-op and pioneering the home computer with the Amiga to generations of consoles, including the Atari Lynx, 3DO system, and PlayStation 3 and 4; to helming Google Games and delving into AI with Google Research, RJ Mical has had a front row seat to both the hardware and marketplace evolution. In this fireside chat, we’ll discuss some of the highlights, challenges, and constants in his career. And, with more than a decade in AI, he’ll discuss what he believes AI means for games and the industry at large.(Venice/Peninsula room)
RJ Mical, director of games at Google
Elizabeth Olson, Consultant and Dir. of Marketing & Communications, Telltale
11:00 – 11:30 AM
Creating the Operating System for Community‑Driven Games
UGC is now foundational to a game’s longevity and becoming one of the most reliable drivers of retention and revenue. But building for UGC is more than just modding integration, it also involves the infrastructure for discovery, monetization, safety, and scale.
With $800M paid out to creators to date, 113M monthly active gamers, and partnerships spanning Warner Bros., Krafton, Hypixel Studio and Studio Wildcard, Overwolf has become the infrastructure layer powering gaming’s growing creator economy.
In this fireside chat, Overwolf CEO Uri Marchand joins Dean Takahashi to discuss how Overwolf built the operating system for UGC, what it actually takes to operationalize UGC, and why the studios doing it well are pulling ahead.
From Hytale, where day-one modding led to 20M downloads in weeks, to Hogwarts Legacy, where official mod support has already driven 30M+ downloads across 800+ mods, keeping the game feeling fresh, to ARK: Survival Ascended, where cross-platform modding unlocked 1.1B downloads, with 60% coming from console players, the data shows that when studios invest in creators, players stick around and growth accelerates. As the industry shifts toward embedding UGC into existing games, this conversation will break down why “UGC-as-a-service” is emerging as the dominant model and what it takes to build a game that players don’t just play, but help create and sustain. (California ballroom)
11:00 – 11:30 AM
Building Connected Play at Scale: How Electronic Arts Is Redefining Player Networks
As entertainment becomes more interactive and participatory, connection is playing a central role in how players engage with games and with each other. At Electronic Arts, this shift is driving a deliberately different approach: building shared, portfolio-wide systems that enable players to connect and play together seamlessly across franchises.
Join Joe Traverso, VP of Product Development, EA Experiences, as he shares how this model is enabling a new way to build, scaling connected play across a global network and delivering measurable impact. Drawing on insights from more than 200 million connections made, he’ll explore what EA has learned about how players connect, why certain types of connections drive stronger engagement, and how it shapes the future of play.
From cross-platform connection to ongoing engagement beyond play sessions, Joe will highlight how EA is building the infrastructure for participation and creating the conditions for players to come together and contribute to the evolution of EA’s worlds over time. (Promenade room)
11:30 – 12:00 PM
Gaming for Good
Jude Ower (PlanetPlay CSO and Good Game Club Host), Mathias Norvig (CEO SYBO Games and Host of Good Game Club) and Faisal Kazim (Dubai Film and Games Commission) will take to the stage to talk about shifting the narrative on gaming from a misunderstood pastime to a force for learning, connection, and positive impact. Currently, there are more negative stories about games than positive ones, and this is shifting perspectives for the mainstream media, policy makers, parents and other decision makers. We exist to bring out the good stories and show how games can be a positive force for good on people and the planet.
Our session is to highlight these stories as we do in the podcast and talk about what is to come, and encourage games to be part of the conversation while being the best they can be, as ‘architects of culture’, games play an enormous role in how the real world can play out. (California room)
Jude Ower, PlanetPlay CSO and Good Game Club host
Mathias Norvig, CEO SYBO Games and host of Good Game Club
Faisal Kazim, commissioner of the Dubai Film and Games Commission
Moderator: Susanna Pollack, president of Games for Change
11:30 AM – 12 PM
The New Face of Publishing
As games, media, technology, and audience behavior keep changing, the old publishing playbook is no longer enough. This conversation focuses on how Midwest Games is approaching publishing differently through flexible models, sharper specialization, closer developer partnership, and a more modern view of what teams need to bring games to market and grow them. The session offers a candid look at where traditional approaches fall short, what new models are emerging, and how companies can adapt to a more fluid and demanding industry. (Promenade room)
Adam Orth, COO, Midwest Games
John Davison, moderator, former publisher at IGN
11:30 AM – 12 PM
Building World-Class Game Teams Across Borders: Scaling Culture, Quality, and Execution. Along side Why F2P Still Wins over Web3 Ownership
A practical look at building and scaling high-performing game teams across diverse geographies and cultures while working on the same product. This session will cover what actually works in aligning creative, product, and technical teams globally without compromising quality or speed. It will also touch on the realities of Web3 in gaming, why only select elements will endure, and why free-to-play continues to dominate through proven player-centric design and monetization. (Venice/Peninsula room)
Ammar Zaeem, CEO, Revolving Games
12:00 – 12:30 PM
One Year Post-Acquisition: Driving Growth Through Community and Real-World Play
It’s been one year since Scopely acquired the Niantic games business. In that time, the team has focused on delivering on its ambitious roadmap for players, continuing to evolve a portfolio of globally beloved experiences by investing in real-world connection, always-evolving live operations, and further supporting its global communities. This session will explore how a dynamic portfolio—including Pokémon GO, Monster Hunter Now, and Pikmin Bloom—continues to evolve and delight players as part of Scopely. The conversation will highlight how teams worldwide are unifying post-acquisition, sharing resources and learnings, and expanding community platforms like Campfire and Wayfarer to bring players together.
Using Pokémon GO as an example as it approaches its 10th anniversary, the speakers will examine how the game continues to evolve for both new and long-time players while staying true to its core identity. With hundreds of millions of players worldwide, the game remains a leading example of how live service games can grow and endure through a strong mission focused on community and exploration. (California room)
Jessica Zestar-Postrk, SVP, Operations, Scopely
Michael Steranka, VP, Product, Pokémon GO, Scopely
Moderator: Rachel Kaser, GamesBeat writer
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
Small Team, Big Impact: The Next Wave of Game Development
As budgets balloon and industry consolidation continues, a more resilient model is emerging. The era of massive teams spending years on a single boxed release is being eclipsed by small, agile squads building social, live experiences that evolve in real-time. Roblox Senior Director Jim Greer will be joined by several game developers to break down the small team, big impact blueprint — the exact strategies teams of fewer than 10 use to capture 25M+ concurrent users. This session explores how to bypass the traditional $10M+ user acquisition hurdle by building distribution into the social fabric of the game itself. From rapid prototyping and behavioral data iteration to engaging design loops, learn how to ship bold, novel titles that prioritize community over static content. Walk away with a roadmap for building high-retention, top-charting experiences in an era where agility is the ultimate competitive advantage. (Promenade)
Moderator: Jim Greer, Sr. Director of Engineering, Roblox
Colin Dunatov, CEO & President, CDDevelopment
Greg Hayes, Head of Business Development, Baobab
Andrew Bereza, Director of Business Development, Twin Atlas
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
Persistent Companions: How Player Interaction Shapes Evolving Digital Characters
What happens when characters don’t reset, but evolve into persistent digital companions shaped by how players interact with them over time?
This talk shares a practical exploration of building systems where behavior accumulates instead of restarting, using AI as a tool to bring continuity and life to these characters. It covers what failed, what worked, and how a small group of early players began shaping these emerging digital companions through real interaction. In some cases, this extended beyond the screen, with community members independently creating high-effort physical artifacts inspired by the characters. (Malibu/Santa Monica room)
Lars-Erik Ravn, founder of Tiny Vikings
12:30 – 1:00 PM
Lunch, brought to you by Global Step’s Sanjiv Ahluwalia (California room)
1:00 – 1:30 PM
The Next Generation of Play: The New Voices Shaping the Future of Games
What does the future of the video game industry look like—and who gets to define it? Sue Madden, executive director of the Entertainment Software Association Foundation, is joined by emerging talent from across the industry to explore how their experiences and perspectives are fueling the next wave of innovation in video games. Join this panel for a forward-looking conversation about how this new generation of creators is navigating challenges and opportunities in redefining the world’s relationship with play and connection. (California room)
Julien Camaraza, Game Designer, Riot Games
Desiree Bragg, ESA Foundation Scholar
Anne Shoemaker, Founder & CEO, Fullflower Studio
Moderator: Sue Madden, Executive Director, Entertainment Software Association Foundation
1:30 – 2:00 PM
The State of FPS Games: Past, Present, and Future
Industry veterans first hand look at how the games industry has evolved from its early days to today’s global ecosystem, and where it’s headed next—from technology and business models to player expectations and emerging trends. They will cover topics from the evolving shooter market to the use of AI. (California room) NOTE ON ADDITIONAL Q&A: Chris and Glen will also take questions in the Sinder Outdoor Lounge (courtyard) outside the California ballroom from 2-230 pm.
Chris Stone, Studio General Manager, VOID Interactive
Glen Schofield, former head of Striking Distance Studios
MODERATOR: Dean Takahashi, Editorial Director, GamesBeat
1:30 – 2:00 PM
The M&A Boom in Gaming and the Strategies of the Future
The gaming ecosystem is going through some of its biggest changes ever with the capital pouring in gaming acquisitions from around the world.
What are the strategies in this global M&A chess game? We’re seeing the emergence of new sports and entertainment empires where games are an integral part of the business.
What’s on the minds of financial thinkers, and how do fun games fit into the picture? Our seasoned veterans from different parts of investment banking, investment advisory and strategic investing will talk about how they see the state of gaming. (Promenade room)
Hemal Thaker, Managing Director, Global Head of Interactive Entertainment Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs
Rob Ricca, SVP, Corporate Development, Scopely
Greg Richardson, Managing Director, Juno Capital Partners
Moderator: Edward Williams, Managing Partner, Silsbee Partners
1:30 – 2:00 PM
Adapting UGC content to other platforms
User-generated content creators are the game makers of the future — but platforms like Roblox and Fortnite largely remain walled gardens. This roundtable will discuss the challenges UGC game makers are facing as they look to expand beyond their platforms, both to other platforms and to traditional marketplaces like Steam, as well as the technical and cultural challenges that must be surmounted in order to encourage this type of UGC cross-pollination. (Malibu/Santa Monica room)
Marcus Holmström, CEO of The Gang
Moderator: Montana Sommese, a general manager and executive producer at Creators Corp.
Brendan Stock, CEO of Chartis.
1:30 – 2:00 PM
Storytelling Through Sound: How Audio Is Shaping the Future of Games
Before a player understands mechanics, systems, or story, they feel something…and that feeling often begins with sound. From the subtle tension of a distant enemy footstep to the sonic identity of entirely realized worlds, sound shapes how players perceive space, danger, heroism, and reward. (Venice/Peninsula)
Moderator: Rachel Kaser, News Writer, GamesBeat
Chris Battaglia, Sound Designer
Eric Marks, head of Pacific Standard Creative
Daniel Birczynski
2:00 – 2:30 PM
From Clips to Communities: Driving Discovery and Growth in an Era of Maturation
Last year, 18,000 games launched on Steam. In an era rife with content, discovery is less about storefront algorithms and more about what small groups of friends are sharing and talking about. This session with Ken Colton, CEO of Medal, and Alexandra Takei, VP of Gaming and Revenue at Medal and host of the Naavik Gaming Podcast, will explore how everyday gaming moments made by regular players, not polished creator or influencer highlight reels, are becoming the real engine of game discovery, retention, and revenue. Using Medal’s perspective as the infrastructure for millions of weekly PC gaming clips, we’ll unpack how short-form clips (30 seconds or less) can surface your game’s best emergent gameplay moments and unlock the friend group dynamic that helps launch a game and retain engagement post launch. We’ll also discuss why this strategy applies to everyone, not just friend-slop, co-op, or simulator games, but to every genre of every budget class in games from micro indie to triple-A. (California room)
Ken Colton, CEO of Medal
Alexandra Takei, VP of Gaming and Revenue at Medal and host of the Naavik Gaming Podcast
Moderator: Alex Lee, lead news writer at GamesBeat
2:00 – 2:30 PM
From Signing to Filming
What does it take to turn your game into a series or feature? The path from a game to the screen is longer, weirder, and more political than most people realize!
From Signing to Filming is a candid conversation about what really happens at every stage of an adaptation — how to position your IP before you take it to market, what producers and buyers are actually looking for, how the rights conversation unfolds, and what changes the day after you sign: packaging, TV studio, network, streamer, and/or film studio setups, as well as development with the road to a greenlight.
Moderated by entertainment attorney Briana Hill (Pryor Cashman), with WME TV lit agent Austin Vaziri, WME Motion Picture Executive Alden Dalia, and former games agent turned producer Mike Goldberg sharing the playbook, the pitfalls, and what game makers should actually expect at every step. (Promenade Room)
Mike Goldberg, Story Kitchen
Alden Dalia and Austin Vaziri, at WME
Moderator: Briana Hill, entertainment attorney at Pryor Cashman
2:00 – 2:30 PM
How External Development is Becoming a Big Part of Triple-A Game Production
As triple-A games grow in scale, balancing heightened quality expectations on one hand and implementing cost-cutting measures on the other, external development has become essential. This session covers how studios use co-dev and outsourcing to deliver at scale, plus the key benefits and challenges of working with external partners. (Venice/Peninsula room)
Kay Arutyunyan, Co-founder & GM, Counterpunch Studios
Anna Siaredzich, Founder & Creative Visionary, Swame Art
Mihai Pohontu, CEO, Amber
Moderator: Yoshio Osaki, President, IDG Intelligence
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
From Discovery to Loyalty: How Player Relationships Are Rewriting Growth and Monetization
Game growth and monetization is no longer a funnel. It’s a continuous relationship loop that must be constantly updated and reframed based on the signals developers and publishers collect from their communities, and the ways player behavior is shifting when it comes to spending.
The studios winning today understand that player relationships are the foundation of resilient economies. Every purchase represents a dual investment of money and time, and ten $20 interactions built on trust are infinitely more valuable than one extractive transaction that burns the relationship. But beyond trust, owning those relationships means owning the data, and in an era where personalization is now table stakes, that data is what allows studios to understand what players want to play, what they want to spend on, and how to apply those insights directly to growth and monetization strategy.
In this panel, Tebex General Manager Liam Wiltshire joins Gamebeast Founder and CEO, Zander Brumbaugh; SYBO CEO, Mathias Gredal Nørvig; and GamesBeat’s Alex Lee to discuss why successful studios understand that strong player relationships are necessary to build resilient economies, how game makers are leveraging data to better understand players’ preferences, and how the direct impact of their efforts to on user engagement and play time. (California room)
Liam Wiltshire, General Manager, Tebex
Zander Brumbaugh, CEO, Gamebeast
Mathias Gredal Norvig, CEO, Sybo
Moderator: Alex Lee, lead news writer at GamesBeat
2:30 – 3:00 PM
The Future of Game Dev Talent: A Prequel
The games industry stands at an inflection point. After significant workforce disruption and organizational restructuring across triple-A studios, indies, platforms, and publishers, forward-thinking leaders are reimagining how teams are built, retained, and empowered to tell exceptional stories and experiences through games. This session examines the structural shifts reshaping game development teams and offers actionable insights for building organizations that attract and retain top talent in this new landscape. (Promenade room)
Jen MacLean, Co-Founder & CEO, Dragon Snacks
Amir Satvat, Business Development Director, Tencent & Founder, Amir Satvat Games Community
Ninel Anderson, Founder & CEO, Devoted Studios
Moderator: Andrea Rene, Executive Producer, Vivrato
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Roundtable: The Emotional Equity Audit: Golden Rules for IP Longevity
This roundtable session will focus on moving beyond the “Game Loop” to the “Emotional Loop.” How do leaders identify the core DNA of an IP that will survive a genre shift, a TV series, or a live concert? The leaders will talk about the “Recipe for Resonance.” They can talk about how to audit on intellectual property to find its most magnetic elements. How do you drive emotional bonds to lifetime value in gaming? And how to you keep the core DNA of IP as it moves into transmedia. (Malibu/Santa Monica room)
Oleksa Lozowchuk – Moderator (Co-founder, Creative Director, Principal Composer of Interleave)
Joe Zanetti (SVP Scopely / Film Producer)
Mike Jones – Franchise Strategy (ex-Marvel, EA, Capcom Executive Producer)
Jesse Alexander, Transmedia Storyteller/Exec Producer (Riot Games, Lucas Arts, Amazon)
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
SESSION CANCELED Living the live ops dream
Live operations are more critical than ever. They’re table stakes. But how do the best do it? We’ll have some basics and some lessons from a live ops veteran. (Venice/Peninsula room)
SESSION CANCELED Sheloman Byrd, CEO of Open Ocean Games
3:00 – 3:30 PM
Dungeons & Dragons, Beyond the Table
Dungeons & Dragons has grown far beyond its origins as a tabletop roleplaying game, evolving over the years into an entertainment brand backed by a passionate community. In this fireside chat, Senior Vice President and Head of the Dungeons & Dragons Franchise, Dan Ayoub, will explore how Wizards of the Coast has expanded the classic TTRPG into new entertainment spaces – from its expansive Licensed Consumer Products ecosystem, to collaborations with major entertainment partners on film and television adaptations, and continued investment in video games, including the newly announced Warlock action-adventure title. Ayoub will also discuss the recent launch of the new actual play show Dungeon Masters, which brings together beloved performers and rich worldbuilding to create an unforgettable viewing experience for fans.
Overall, the conversation will provide deep insight into the vision behind expanding D&D into these sectors, redefining what it means to be a tabletop brand in today’s entertainment world.
Fireside chat with Daniel Ayoub, senior vice president for D&D at Wizards of the Coast
Moderator: Anjali Bhimani, award-winning actress
3:00 – 3:30 PM
The New Media Infrastructure: Navigating the Intersection of Global Entertainment | Video Games + Music
We explore the evolution of gaming as the ultimate media infrastructure. Earworm melodies of Tetris and Sonic the Hedgehog paved the way for its development. We hit the “Golden Era” of licensed soundtracks with titles like NBA Street Vol. 2, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and Grand Theft Auto, which functioned as the primary discovery engine for urban and alternative culture. Guitar hero is the “TikTok before TikTok,” reviving legacy catalogs. And now we are living the future with Virtual Artist and the Interactive Stage, featuring acts like K/DA and live-service performances in Fortnite. Join us for a conversation on how these two industries have merged into a singular powerhouse of global entertainment. (Promenade room)
Gerard “HipHop Gamer” Williams
Juan Munoz, CEO of Night Stone Records
Jayo, indie singer/songwriter
B. Howard, multi-platinum producer, Billboard charting artist
3:30 – 4:00 PM
Beyond the Hype: ML, GenAI, and What Actually Works in Games
This session cuts through AI hype to explore how traditional machine learning and emerging GenAI coexist in game development. From proven ML pipelines for retention and monetization to the realities of AI agents and code generation, we’ll examine what works, what doesn’t, and what’s promising but risky. Expect a practical look at where classic ML still delivers value, where GenAI is gaining ground, and how both are likely to evolve over the next 1–2 years. (California room)
Luke Dicken, formerly Take Two Interactive
Jon Radoff, Chief Product Officer, Beamable
Veronica Orvalho, CEO & Founder, Didimo
MODERATOR: Leo Olebe, Chairman, Games for Change
3:30 – 4:00 PM
Why Replayability Is Key to Long-Term Success of Modern Games
One of the big fears about making online games right now is how hard it is for them to survive. It’s no longer only about getting players in the door…it’s getting them to stay. Mike Booth and Andrea Rene will discuss the realities of online game making, and Mike will share why he believes replayability, alongside building and growing a strong community, is key to long-term success. (Promenade room)
Mike Booth, CCO, Bad Robot Games
Moderator: Andrea Rene, Executive Producer, Vivrato
4:00 – 4:30 PM
Compliance While You Code: Agentic Workflows to Launch Global on Day One
Shipping a game across 200+ jurisdictions used to mean months of legal review and a six-figure compliance bill. New AI agent workflows are collapsing that to hours so indie studios can launch global. k-ID Head of Product Mike Mongeau demos how game devs and PMs can use them right now — live demos, real scenarios, and tools you can put to work the next day.
Mike Mongeau, Head of Product, k-ID
Maggie Zheng, head of brand marketing at Manus AI
4:30 – 5:00 PM
Visionary Awards Presentation
For the ninth time since 2018, our panel of industry judges voted on the candidates for the Visionary Awards. We also selected the winner of our Up-and-Comer Award. I’m pleased to note our judging panel included a number of former winners.
Our criteria for the Visionary Award goes to someone who has shown vision in their career in gaming. And the Up-and-Comer Award is for someone whose accomplishments are ahead of them. (California room)
Emcee: Larry Hryb, Major Nelson
Visionary Award presenter: Leo Olebe, chairman of Games for Change
Visionary Award winner: Susanna Pollack, president of Games for Change
Up-and-Comer Award present: Richard Browne
Up-and-Comer Award winner: Amir Satvat, founder of Always Supporting the Games Community
Closing: Dean Takahashi, editorial director of GamesBeat