GamesBeat

GamesBeat Follow GamesBeat for breaking news, reviews, features, and more.

09/23/2026

GamesBeat brought its first-ever New York event, Insider Series: Brands & Games presented by Overwolf, to life with an intimate gathering of leaders shaping the future of gaming, advertising, and technology.

Take-Two's CEO, Nintendo's former U.S. chief and top ad executives shared one room in Manhattan.

The event gathered 100 invite-only executives at NeueHouse Madison Square on Sept. 16.
Speakers included:
Strauss Zelnick, CEO, Take-Two Interactive
Reggie Fils-Aime, Former President & COO, Nintendo®︎ of America
Carol Reed, Global Chief Innovation Officer, Ogilvy, part of WPP
Alia Jones-Harvey, Associate Commissioner of Education and Workforce Development, NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment
Sami Barnett, Senior Director of Gaming, TMA, the Omnicom agency
Bryce Showalter, Head of Games, JBL Professional
Andrew Martinson, Sr. Marketing Manager, H&R Block
Shahar Sorek, Chief Marketing Officer, Overwolf
Nathan Lindberg, VP of Global Brand Partnerships, Overwolf
Alexander Lee, Lead News Writer, GamesBeat

Want the full conversation?

GB MAX Insider and Premium members can now stream GamesBeat Insider Series: Brands & Games Presented by Overwolf here: https://go.gamesbeat.com/gb-max/

Lock in your GamesBeat NEXT ticket — every VIP ticket includes 12 months of GB MAX Premium → https://events.gamesbeat.com/next26/

NEW SESSION ANNOUNCED — EXCLUSIVELY AT GAMESBEAT NEXT 2026Evidence of Us: Games, Culture and Games are more than entert...
09/23/2026

NEW SESSION ANNOUNCED — EXCLUSIVELY AT GAMESBEAT NEXT 2026

Evidence of Us: Games, Culture and

Games are more than entertainment, or even art — they are cultural artifacts, reflecting the values, assumptions, experiences, and creativity of the people who make them. But what happens when some of that creation is no longer human?

As generative AI becomes embedded in game development, it challenges our ideas about authorship, creative intent, and cultural authenticity.

Kate Edwards, CEO of Geogrify, explores what AI means for games as cultural artifacts — and asks: what do we want the games we leave behind to say about us?

We do things differently at GamesBeat.

November 2–3, San Francisco

Every GamesBeat VIP ticket includes 12 months of Membership. Secure your spot here before tickets sell out: https://events.gamesbeat.com/next26/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=gbnext2026_launch&utm_content=organic_post

NEW SESSION ANNOUNCED — EXCLUSIVELY AT GAMESBEAT NEXT 2026Designing games around daily casual playThe heads of games at ...
09/22/2026

NEW SESSION ANNOUNCED — EXCLUSIVELY AT GAMESBEAT NEXT 2026

Designing games around daily casual play

The heads of games at three of the biggest platforms in the daily casual space, together on one stage.
Jonathan Knight, Head of Games at The New York Times, joins Helen Smith, Head of Games at LinkedIn, and Andrew Pedersen, Head of Games at Yahoo — exclusively at GamesBeat NEXT — moderated by Alexander Lee, Lead News Writer at GamesBeat.

Together, they'll discuss their platforms' unique approaches to building games designed for daily play — and what it takes to keep millions of players coming back.
This is one conversation you'll want to be in the room for.

November 2–3, San Francisco

Every GamesBeat VIP ticket includes 12 months of Membership. Register here before tickets sell out: https://events.gamesbeat.com/next26/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=gbnext2026_launch&utm_content=organic_post

EXCLUSIVE: Discord relaunches age verification, this time leaning on privacy over biometricsSeven months after a mandato...
09/22/2026

EXCLUSIVE: Discord relaunches age verification, this time leaning on privacy over biometrics

Seven months after a mandatory ID-check rollout sparked user backlash, Discord is trying again — sorting users into teen, adult, and unconfirmed tiers using mostly behavioral signals instead of face scans.

Starting today, Discord places users into one of three buckets, each with different levels of profile visibility, friend-request friction, and access to sensitive content.

Most people won't notice: over 90% of users won't be asked to confirm their age at all, and any facial age-estimation now happens on-device rather than being sent to Discord or its vendors. Co-founder and CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy said the goal is for teens to keep using the platform largely as-is: "You never have to provide Discord any extra information, and that is our goal."

The rollout also retires age-gated comment tags in favor of dedicated spoiler channels, and will roll out globally over the coming week with some regional variation.

Get the inside look on GB MAX Market Intelligence, from Alexander Lee: https://gamesbeat.com/discord-announces-updated-age-assurance-system-built-around-account-level-signals-exclusive/

09/22/2026

5 DAYS LEFT to nominate a leader for the GamesBeat Mobile Mogul Awards.

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 Mobile Mogul Awards recognize the people changing how the world engages through mobile and how gaming industry intersects with all adjacent industries in the interactive economy.

The MMA will recognize those leaders across four categories:

Visionary, Breakthrough, Brand & Culture, and Innovator.

Nominate a Mobile Innovator by Friday, September 25th: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCuO31BLmyuLqzeYJ1jFwQlLK0sKjxkMxD3-4PdVaRrqHKMQ/viewform

Winners will be honored live at GamesBeat NEXT in San Francisco. Register for GB NEXT VIP Ticket in San Francisco, Nov. 2–3 and get 12 months of GB MAX Membership: https://events.gamesbeat.com/next26/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=gbnext2026_launch&utm_content=organic_post

NEW SESSION ANNOUNCED — EXCLUSIVELY AT GAMESBEAT NEXT 2026What’s Next for the Games Business? Amazon Games GM Jeff Gatti...
09/22/2026

NEW SESSION ANNOUNCED — EXCLUSIVELY AT GAMESBEAT NEXT 2026

What’s Next for the Games Business? Amazon Games GM Jeff Gattis to Join GamesBeat NEXT

Join Jeff Gattis, Head of Gaming at Amazon, for a candid fireside chat on how games are becoming part of the platform's cohesive entertainment ecosystem.

Nearly one year after Amazon unified its games organization and reimagined its approach to gaming, the conversation will explore the company's move to bring games to Prime Video — and why the next era of growth may come from creating lower-friction access for entirely new audiences.

Gattis will be joined in conversation by Alexander Lee, Lead News Writer at GamesBeat.

November 2–3, San Francisco

Every GamesBeat VIP ticket includes 12 months of Membership. Secure your spot here before tickets sell out → https://events.gamesbeat.com/next26/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=gbnext2026_launch&utm_content=organic_post

09/21/2026

When Reggie Fils-Aimé interviewed at Nintendo in 2003, the company’s GameCube was in third place — and he didn’t even own one.

He had a PS2 and an Xbox.

That outsider perspective shaped the pitch he brought to Nintendo: a different way of thinking about how the company marketed to players and retailers.

Fils-Aimé shared the story with GamesBeat’s Alex Lee at GamesBeat Insider: Brands & Games presented by Overwolf in New York, along with insights from his career building one of gaming’s most recognizable brands.

Now, the full conversation is available exclusively on demand for GB MAX Premium and Insider members.

Watch the complete Reggie Fils-Aimé conversation — plus exclusive talks with Strauss Zelnick and more — on GB MAX.

Become a GB MAX member for exclusive access →
https://go.gamesbeat.com/gb-max/

Early Bird pricing ends TODAY. Your GamesBeat NEXT VIP ticket includes 12 months of GB MAX Premium, giving you access to exclusive conversations, insights and more throughout the year.

Join us at GamesBeat NEXT in San Francisco, Nov. 2–3 →
https://events.gamesbeat.com/next26/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=gbnext2026_launch&utm_content=organic_post

09/21/2026

Everyone has heard of Grand Theft Auto. But Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick says that’s no reason to ease up on marketing.

So why market a game everyone already knows?

Zelnick turned to the Barbie movie to explain why during a fireside chat with GamesBeat’s Alex Lee at GamesBeat Insider: Brands & Games presented by Overwolf in New York, weeks before GTA VI’s Nov. 19 launch.

He also shared his perspective on turning awareness into enthusiasm, building trust with creators, and marketing one of the biggest entertainment launches in history.

Now, the full conversation is available exclusively on demand for GB MAX Premium and Insider members.

Watch the complete Strauss Zelnick conversation — along with exclusive conversations with Reggie Fils-Aimé and more — on GB MAX.

Become a GB MAX member for exclusive access →
https://go.gamesbeat.com/gb-max/

Early Bird pricing ends TODAY. Your GamesBeat NEXT VIP ticket includes 12 months of GB MAX Premium, giving you access to exclusive conversations and insights throughout the year.

Join us at GamesBeat NEXT in San Francisco, Nov. 2–3 →
https://events.gamesbeat.com/next26/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=gbnext2026_launch&utm_content=organic_post

EXCLUSIVE: Nex Playground just landed $150M to take its family motion-gaming console global — and it's adding serious co...
09/19/2026

EXCLUSIVE: Nex Playground just landed $150M to take its family motion-gaming console global — and it's adding serious console and mobile pedigree to lead the charge.

A new GamesBeat report digs into the funding, a Series E plus debt led by Baillie Gifford and BAI Capital, with NBA Investments, Logitech, the Raine Group and a new JPMorgan credit facility also in the mix. Former Niantic CFO Jeff Shouger joins Nex as CFO, with longtime EA and Kleiner Perkins exec Bing Gordon joining the board.

CEO David Lee frames it as fuel for a "100-year company," pointing to 1 million+ units sold and sevenfold subscriber growth in 18 months. Analysts are split on what to call it — a genuine fourth console category, or a niche product facing a real test as hardware costs climb.

Read the full story on GamesBeat, from Dean Takahashi: https://gamesbeat.com/nex-raises-150m-in-debt-and-equity-to-take-nex-playground-to-global-market-exclusive-interviews/

09/18/2026

3 DAYS LEFT until Early Bird Pricing ends for GamesBeat NEXT 2026.

The next era of business starts here — and this is your last few days to lock in your GamesBeat NEXT VIP pass.

On November 2–3, GamesBeat NEXT brings together the leaders shaping what’s next — including gaming legends Doug Bowser, Shawn Layden and Peter Moore, uniting onstage for a historic conversation about the future of the industry.

Your VIP pass also includes 12 months of GB MAX membership, extending the value of GamesBeat NEXT far beyond the event. VIP tickets are limited, and GamesBeat NEXT is expected to sell out.

Lock in Early-Bird pricing for GamesBeat NEXT — your VIP ticket includes 12 months of GB MAX Premium. Register before it sells out → https://events.gamesbeat.com/next26/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=gbnext2026_launch&utm_content=organic_post

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when GamesBeat posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category