At this time marks the launch of the Games Growth Guild, a new international community and neighborhood for advertising and publishing professionals within the video games trade.
The guild goals to be a hub for information, alternatives, and connections, with members sharing concepts and steering on topics like advertising methods and dwell occasions. The guild will host month-to-month talks in addition to in-person occasions, together with a partnership with GameDiscoverCo at GDC Pageant of Gaming in March 2026.
Membership of the Games Growth Guild is free, and it is open to video games trade marketers, neighborhood leaders, and development professionals.
“Recreation builders have solved unimaginable technical challenges, however advertising and distribution stay the toughest issues,” mentioned Eden Chen, founding advisory board member for the Games Growth Guild and CEO of FirstLook and Pragma. “The Games Growth Guild brings collectively the trade’s greatest to share practices and assets to assist nice video games discover their gamers.”
The guild contains consultants from a vary of backgrounds and firms, together with indie studios (similar to Mind Jar and Ruckus Games), cellular firms (similar to Scopely and Second Dinner), AAA publishers (similar to Riot Games, Epic Games, and Krafton), and platforms (similar to FirstLook, GameDiscoverCo, and IndieBI). The record of Games Growth Guild advisory board members contains:
- Eric Wooden (SVP of publishing, Scopely)
- Krystal Herring (head of world occasions, Twitch)
- Nikki Lewis (working companion, advertising and publishing, Haveli Investments)
- Leo Olebe (CEO, Olebe Media Group)
- Connor Bridgeman (director of promoting, Lyrical Games)
- Jeff Legaspi (director of promoting, Fictions)
- Eden Chen (CEO, Pragma and FirstLook)
- Victoria Tran (director of communications, Innersloth)
- Thomas Ko (VP, Krafton)
Under, in an unique interview with GamesIndustry.biz, founding advisory board member Eden Chen gives extra particulars on how the Games Growth Guild will work, and the way it got here to be.
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How did the thought for the Games Growth Guild come about, and why is it wanted?
The Guild got here out of a easy concept: the folks driving advertising and publishing in video games do not actually have a residence base for concept trade and intercompany collaboration. We wished to create a place the place these folks may truly be taught from each other. The place they might share what’s working, what’s not, and collaborate as an alternative of working in silos. And on the highest degree, discovery, development and go-to-market are extra vital than ever in our trade at present. The Games Growth Guild exists to alter that and create a community the place everybody can degree up collectively.
How did you assemble the advisory board, and what standards are there for deciding on board members? Do they serve for fastened phrases?
We regarded for individuals who’ve seen the trade from completely different angles – indie, cellular, AAA and throughout sub-disciplines, with a mixture of leaders who perceive the artistic and analytical sides of promoting. The advisory board needed to really feel consultant of the complete ecosystem.
Everybody on it is there as a result of they’ve constructed one thing significant, but additionally as a result of they’re the type of people that give again. The Guild’s tradition is about generosity. It is “give and get.” The concept is to maintain recent views coming in because the Guild evolves, with no fastened phrases.
Are you able to give some examples of how the guild will work? For instance, will there be a Discord discussion board for discussions?
Precisely, our Discord is one of many two main boards for connection and discourse. It is the always-on area the place members share insights, case research, knowledge factors and simply chat.
Past Discord, we’re additionally internet hosting real-world meetups round trade moments like GDC, Gamescom, and many others. We wish the Guild to dwell each on-line and offline. We hope that each one conversations throughout the varied boards can flip into collaborations, panels, and finally progress for video games’ development and our trade at massive.
Are you able to present extra particulars on what the GDC occasion will entail?
Our inaugural occasion shall be “Espresso & Conversations.” It is a morning occasion on the Hathora Hub throughout GDC week, introduced in partnership with FirstLook and GameDiscoverCo. We’ll be that includes a few panels with trade leaders, and about 150 folks connecting over espresso.
It is the primary of many occasions we plan to host. When there’s a chance to carry the neighborhood collectively, we’ll make it occur.
Membership is free, however are there any standards for becoming a member of?
We’re holding it easy. In the event you work in advertising or publishing for video games, you possibly can apply. We’ll confirm each applicant, to not gatekeep, however to verify the neighborhood stays related and beneficial.
What do you hope to realize with the Games Growth Guild?
The purpose is to construct a tradition of shared development. Advertising and marketing and publishing in video games are arduous. The panorama is altering continuously, and it is simple to really feel such as you’re reinventing the wheel each time.
If the Guild can save studios from repeating the identical errors, assist groups uncover new methods earlier, and create friendships throughout firms, I would name that success. Long run, I need this to be the place the place the very best concepts in recreation advertising are born, examined, and shared.