GamesBeat is pleased to announce that its breakfast event is returning for 2026: The Women in Gaming and Tech Executive Breakfast is now the The BOSS Mode Women in Gaming, Entertainment and Tech Breakfast, and it will be held on the morning of May 19, the second day of GamesBeat Summit 2026.
BOSS Mode is GamesBeat’s series focused on women leaders in both gaming and its adjacent industries. We put the spotlight on the women who are actively transforming the business of games, as well as tech, entertainment and every other industry that touches games. Our female-centric breakfast now reflects that focus, as well as our efforts to bring attention to all of the spheres that intersect with gaming in our new independent era.
As attendees enjoy a complimentary breakfast, they’ll get to watch women in the gaming, tech and entertainment industries speak on a panel. Xsolla returns as the sponsor for this breakfast, the 12th that GamesBeat has held. All ticket holders are invited to the event, and there will be time for networking both before and after the panel.
At this year’s Summit Breakfast, the topic is about leadership strategies. Leadership is about impact, responsibility, and meeting challenges, going beyond one’s title. The female panelists will discuss their business insights, including how they’ve driven meaningful outcomes and returns on investments for their companies and the broader industry. How do leaders leverage their position to create results that can be measured in numbers and reports?
Our panelists for this event are:
- Amanda Kruse, VP of business development at Blumhouse Games
- Zoe Bell, executive producer at NYT Games
- Leanne Loombe, executive vice president, head of games at Annapurna Interactive
- Sophia Lisaius, VP of People & Culture at Xsolla
And I’ll be joining as moderator, as I’ve had the pleasure to do since I joined GamesBeat five years ago (wow, time really does fly)!
Women leaders at GamesBeat Summit
In addition to the BOSS Mode breakfast, GamesBeat is also holding another special event: The inaugural BOSS Mode Awards, where we honor women who’ve had a major impact on the games industry in the last year. Here are the three awards we’re giving away for the event:
- The Boss Mode Woman of the Year Award: With this award, GamesBeat honors a woman who has significantly influenced the industry over the past year.
- The Future Boss Rising Star Award: This award honors an up-and-coming woman in the industry who has managed to make a splash in a short time.
- The Final Boss Award for Lifetime Achievement: This award is for the legends who have been in the games industry for years and have made a lasting positive impact on the space.
GamesBeat will announce the winners on May 18 at the conclusion of Day One of the event.
If you’re interested in attending GamesBeat Summit 2026, please get your tickets for the event now at the link below! At the time of this publication, we have a BOGO offer on tickets, but I have a special code for my readers: GBS26BossMode!
I look forward to seeing you in Los Angeles!
