To this growing community of industry leaders,
The last few days reminded us what this industry is truly about. So many of you shared that this event felt different — more intimate, more authentic, more real.
Thank you for being part of it.
— GamesBeat
EXCLUSIVE: GTA VI is reshaping the playbook for gaming retail and marketing, from the shift toward digital game sales to new ways of reaching players beyond the screen.
With @RockstarGames ’ November 19 launch approaching, retailers and marketers are preparing for a release that could accelerate industry trends. GTA VI is expected to drive demand for digital storefronts and gift cards, while its $79.99 base price is already prompting some players to look for cheaper ways to buy.
Sports games may face the most direct competition for players’ time and spending, while Rockstar’s high-profile Miami campaign is highlighting the potential of out-of-home marketing.
Alexander Lee spoke with retail and marketing leaders about how GTA VI could reshape game sales, consumer spending and promotional strategies across the industry.
“Rockstar isn’t necessarily the one closing the lid on the box, but they’re definitely the ones making sure you’ll never have to pick one up again,” said Cormac Moylan, chief marketing officer at digital game storefront Loaded.
Read the full story at @GamesBeat:
https://t.co/VGHDry7pOH
#Gaming #Marketing #GTA6 #GameIndustry
EXCLUSIVE: The fear of competing with GTA VI is overblown, says Circana’s Mat Piscatella, arguing that publishers are overlooking audiences who want to play something else.
With studios shifting releases away from @RockstarGames’ blockbuster, Piscatella says there is still room for games targeting different tastes and platforms. Cozy games, life sims and first-person shooters can all find audiences, while Nintendo Switch players represent another market GTA VI won’t serve.
Circana’s September sales data showed a broad mix of games performing well, reinforcing that gaming audiences don’t all want the same thing.
@rachelkaser spoke with Piscatella, Circana’s director of video games, about the GTA VI release window, consumer spending and why publishers shouldn’t be so afraid to compete.
“The fear of many teams to put their game in the same window as GTA is completely overblown,” Piscatella said.
Read the full interview at @GamesBeat:
https://t.co/eDrw3KL0sy
#Gaming #GameIndustry #GTA6 #VideoGames
EXCLUSIVE: With GTA VI set to become one of gaming’s biggest cultural moments, advertisers are building strategies to capture the hype without official access to the game itself.
@RockstarGames' reluctance to include real-world brands in GTA VI is pushing marketers toward alternatives, including sponsored streamer content, interactive livestream overlays and campaigns across gaming media expected to benefit from the launch.
For brands, the challenge is balancing the enormous audience opportunity with the game’s mature themes and the risk of compromising creators’ content.
@alexleewastaken spoke with industry leaders at inStreamly, LiveWire and rEvolution about how advertisers can connect with audiences around the November 19 release.
“If you want to reach people who are 18 and over, or 25 and over, you cannot expect them to play PG-13 games; they’re going to be playing GTA,” said Wiktoria Wójcik, co-founder and chief marketing officer of InStreamly.
Read the full story at @GamesBeat:
https://t.co/drNyLNxN1r
#Gaming #Advertising #GTA6 #Marketing
GamesBeat has announced its advisors for GamesBeat events and is bringing together a distinguished group of leaders from across the games, technology, and interactive entertainment industry to serve on its Events Advisory Board.
Read Dean Takahashi’s announcement on the GamesBeat Events Advisory Board:
https://t.co/KqX46s4HMY
GamesBeat NEXT is next week. Few tickets remain.
Meet the advisors, join the conversation and register for GamesBeat NEXT:
https://t.co/9Lv3HUUg3K
New session announced — Exclusively at GamesBeat NEXT 2026
Speaker Lineup
Daniel Usedom @ThinkingAI_io
Glenn Fiedler, Network Next
Andy Tsen, @RamenVROfficial
Moderator: Yoshio Osaki, IDG Intelligence
Where the biggest deals close for 2027.
Sign up for GB MAX → https://t.co/9pHvPrtZGT
Be in the room → https://t.co/NdgoAXNhfB
EXCLUSIVE: Gaming veteran Bing Gordon has spent more than four decades exploring what makes games compelling. His new book, Everybody Wins, distills those lessons into a framework for building products that keep people engaged, from video games to everyday apps and businesses.
Co-written with his daughter Chloe Gordon, the book draws on Gordon’s career at @EA and as a venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins, connecting lessons from franchises such as The Sims and Need for Speed with products including @amazon, @duolingo, and @Spotify.
Its central argument is that lasting engagement comes from meaningful rewards, self-expression, social connection and a sense of progress, offering lessons for game developers and businesses well beyond gaming.
@deantak spoke with Bing and Chloe Gordon about the book, the evolution of the games industry and how game design principles can help shape other products and technologies.
“We’re very missionary about the social good and positive outcomes of gaming, how amazing it is that you can construct virtual worlds,” Chloe Gordon said.
Read the full interview at @GamesBeat:
https://t.co/wtzYJoXTNH
#Gaming #GameDesign #Gamification #GameIndustry
New session announced — Exclusively at GamesBeat NEXT 2026
Speaker Lineup
@PhilipHolt@undeadlabs@xbox
Moderator: Tim Morten @Frost_Giant@PlayStormgate
Sign up for GB MAX → https://t.co/x3txKQCxs1
11 days remain with less than 50 tickets left → https://t.co/jLHbNunzV4
Women building the future of AI, gaming & tech — let’s get in the room.
For years, GamesBeat has brought women leaders together twice a year for its Women in Gaming Breakfast. Now, we’re gearing up for the 18th edition as BOSS Mode returns to GamesBeat NEXT 2026 — and we’re just getting started in GamesBeat’s bold new era.
Join more than 100 women executives for a morning of networking, fresh perspectives, and conversations about the ideas and strategies shaping what comes next across the $200 billion interactive economy.
AI. Mobile. Gaming. Tech. From emerging technologies to business strategy for 2027, the future is being shaped now — and we want you in the conversation.
Let’s kick off GamesBeat NEXT together with the women driving innovation, business impact, and the next wave of change across our industries.
18 breakfasts in, and we're just getting started. Let's go.
GB MAX members get access to all GamesBeat NEXT session insights and exclusive business intelligence. Sign up for GB MAX → https://t.co/9pHvPrtZGT
11 days remain with less than 50 tickets left for GB NEXT 2026. Be in the room → https://t.co/NdgoAXNhfB
Read the full announcement here: https://t.co/blZP5MN2IX
Call of Duty is back. In his full review of @CallofDuty: Modern Warfare 4, GamesBeat’s @deantak says the franchise has returned to what made it great, delivering a stronger campaign, a revamped DMZ extraction mode and more grounded multiplayer combat.
The campaign takes players into a North Korean invasion of South Korea, balancing frontline combat with covert operations and political intrigue. The new DMZ mode adds a dynamic extraction experience built around rival squads, shifting threats and high-stakes decisions, while multiplayer returns to more precise gunplay and accessible movement.
For @Activision and @XBOX, the release is an opportunity to restore momentum after last year’s disappointing Black Ops 7.
Read the full review at @GamesBeat:
https://t.co/xBmcRrGbAG
#CallOfDuty #Gaming #Xbox #GameReviews
EXCLUSIVE: Warhound has raised $200 million to strengthen America’s supply of military working dogs, combining advanced genetics and defense technology to improve their health, training and performance.
Founded by @colossal CEO Ben Lamm and @anduriltech founder Palmer Luckey, the startup aims to reduce U.S. reliance on European breeders, where more than 80% of American military working dogs currently originate.
@deantak spoke with Lamm about Warhound’s plans and the role of biotechnology in military working dogs.
“If you just think of Captain America dogs, that sounds kind of scary, but if you understand the issues, this is an animal welfare play as much as it is a supply chain play,” Lamm said.
Read the full interview at @GamesBeat:
https://t.co/YCRS8pE8oa
#DefenseTech #Biotechnology #Technology
New session announced — Exclusively at GamesBeat NEXT 2026
Speaker Lineup
Lachlan “Lachyz” McCurdy @YapMapsFNC
Noah “ZyroMC” Woodfine, @chartisgames
Anne “TheMyzta” Shoemaker, @FullflowerGames
Moderated by @alexleewastaken
Sign up for GB MAX → https://t.co/9pHvPrtZGT
10 days remain with less than 50 tickets left → https://t.co/NdgoAXNhfB
New session announced — Exclusively at GamesBeat NEXT 2026
Patrick Sweeney, @IELawGroup@mihaipohontu, @Amber_Studio@starveup, Streamline Media Group
@ryan_wiancko, @ironbellystudio
Moderator: Tammy McDonald, Games Industry Executive
Sign up for GB MAX → https://t.co/9pHvPrtZGT
10 days remain with less than 50 tickets left → https://t.co/NdgoAXNhfB
Some of the most dedicated players I've worked with over the years have been in Germany. It means a lot to see that community playing the Shadowstone demo together this Next Fest. Vielen Dank to the creators who brought it to their audiences.
@trueOGC@AMDGaming@TaKeTV@secretdoor_dh
At our very first TGA, Bioware took home Game of the Year for Dragon Age: Inquisition. Mark Darrah and Aaryn Flynn accepted the award LIVE on-stage in Las Vegas.
🕰️ Clock in
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👋🏼 SLAP anyone breaking the rules
⏏️ CHUCK 'EM OUT if they don't behave
THANK YOU BUS DRIVER is now available on PC!
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