Celebrating the 2026 Game Changers—Building Through Chaos

For more than half a century, gaming has been a cultural and technological force, driving advancements that ripple far beyond entertainment.

The industry is currently in the midst of a renaissance–one defined by bold ideas, new technologies, and a remarkable generation of founders reshaping how the world plays, works, and connects. Today’s most visionary entrepreneurs are building the future of interactive entertainment through innovations like generative AI, 3D technology, and extended reality. Game Changers honors and celebrates these exceptional startups that demonstrate how transformative breakthroughs come from relentless creativity and execution.

As immersive virtual worlds become an ever-greater part of our daily lives, gaming continues to define what’s next in consumer engagement and digital interaction. And like every great industry, it’s propelled by outliers–the few who push the limits of what’s possible.

This year’s theme: Building Through Chaos

This year’s theme, “Building Through Chaos,” captures the paradox shaping today’s gaming and interactive media landscape. The industry is navigating turbulence: from mass layoffs and budget constraints to shifting global policies and market uncertainty. Yet in the midst of this volatility, a powerful creative resurgence is underway. Generative AI, extended reality, and new technological frontiers are unlocking possibilities that once belonged to science fiction, enabling creators to design worlds, stories, and experiences previously unimaginable.

This renaissance is about both reflection and reinvention. It challenges studios, platforms, and technology companies to return to the north stars that have always defined gaming–creativity, community, and play–while daring to reimagine how those values come to life in a new era. The question is no longer whether the industry will evolve, but how boldly it will seize this moment to build the future of interactive entertainment.

In August, we asked the gaming and venture communities to nominate standout startups across five key categories:

• 3D technology & infrastructure
• Generative AI
• Game studios & UGC
• Interactive media platforms
• Extended reality (AR & VR)

To qualify, entrants must have been in business for no more than five years and employ no more than 50 full-time team members. The program highlights startups with unique, original visions and a strong focus on execution.

The process is designed to be fair, transparent, and globally accessible, drawing attention to companies that deserve recognition and a wider reach by leveraging the combined analytical and journalistic strengths of Lightspeed and GamesBeat. The nomination form was open worldwide, allowing both self- and peer nominations.

A panel of hand-selected judges oversaw the final selection of winners. Each year, the aim remains the same: to curate a list that is original, meaningful, and valuable to the industry.

Introducing the Top 25

After receiving an overwhelming amount of entries, Lightspeed investors and GamesBeat editors narrowed the list of entrants to 75.

From there, a star panel of judges–including C-level gaming executives and senior operators across companies that included Netflix, Riot Games, Zynga, Discord, and Electronic Arts–scored each candidate (with ~10 votes per startup). We then took the average scores across all judges for each company, sorted the list, and arrived at our final 25.

Here are our five best-in-category winners.

Best 3D Technology & Infrastructure: Appcharge

The judges were impressed by Appcharge’s mission to reshape how the world’s top mobile game studios engage with players and scale revenue. Built by veterans from studios like Moon Active, Playstudios, and Huuuge Games, Appcharge helps leading developers establish direct-to-consumer monetization strategies, giving them more control, better margins, and stronger player relationships.

With $80M+ raised from top investors, Appcharge is redefining what’s possible in gaming payments. By building the platform they wished they’d had as studio operators, the team is tackling one of the industry’s most urgent challenges: helping developers reclaim ownership of their audiences and build sustainable businesses for the long term.

Best Generative AI: Higgsfield

Higgsfield is revolutionizing video production through AI-powered tools that give creators true cinematic control. Its platform enables professionals–from music video directors to social media storytellers–to produce high-quality, stylized videos using advanced generative technology.

What sets Higgsfield apart is its innovation in camera motion control, allowing creators to craft complex shots–crash zooms, dolly moves, overheads, and even boltcam angles–in minutes. This breakthrough brings professional-grade motion precision and visual quality to AI-generated video, democratizing access to cinematic storytelling and redefining what’s possible for creators everywhere.

Best Game Studios & UGC: Seeker Games

Seeker Games stands out for its mission to create games that forge real human connections. Built around the belief that the best games challenge minds, warm hearts, and build lifelong friendships, Seeker focuses on experiences that bring players together through joy and collaboration.

The judges recognized Seeker’s deep commitment to its craft and its people. In an industry often defined by competition and scale, Seeker’s approach is refreshingly human: building worlds that inspire connection and teams that reflect the same values they champion in their games.

Best Interactive Media Platforms: Giant

Giant is rethinking how kids engage with stories–turning each adventure into a world where children don’t just watch, they become the hero. With a platform built to personalize every journey, Giant empowers little ones to explore, create, and grow in safe, magical spaces.

What impressed the judges is Giant’s blend of imagination and integrity: every story is designed with child-psychology experts, protected by SOC 2 encryption and COPPA certification, and crafted to treat screen time as a springboard for curiosity and connection. Built by parents, storytellers, and technologists alike, Giant helps families reclaim the power of meaningful media.

In a landscape of passive entertainment, Giant is elevating what interactive media can be–making each device a stage for wonder, each moment a memory, and every child the star of their own story.

Best Extended Reality (AR & VR): Mira

Mira (formerly Halo Nova) is building the future of wearable intelligence with technology that feels like a superpower. Its flagship product, Mira, is an AI-powered pair of glasses that listens, learns, and assists in real time, acting as a proactive copilot for your day.

The judges were struck by Mira’s bold vision and engineering precision. Designed by a team of inventors and builders and featured in The New York Times, TechCrunch, and Wired, Mira delivers instant, high-quality answers across domains like math, economics, and science. Mira is pioneering the next frontier of human-computer interaction–one that feels as natural as thought itself.

The 2025 Game Changers

Gaming moves fast, and these companies are on the front lines of innovation. We’re thrilled to announce the additional 20 winners and honor them on stage at GamesBeat NEXT Summit tonight followed by a reception at our San Francisco office with our judges and some previous winners:

• Ahead
• Animal Company
• Artificial Agency
• Astrobeam
• Brainjar Games
• Cypher Games
• Delphi Interactive
• Distinct Possibility Studios
• Diversion
• Edurino
• Gamefam
• Little Umbrella
• Midsummer Studios
• Neon
• Nunu
• Odyssey
• Playerunknown Productions
• Portola
• Vinci Games
• Wide Worlds

You can learn more about our winners here.

A special thank you to our judges, leaders, and mentors

Thank you to all of the companies that submitted entries, as well as our panel of judges, who were inspired to give back to the community and brought their expertise and passion when evaluating these companies.

We’re excited to have many returning judges alongside exceptional new supporters, including advisors from our Lightspeed Advisory Council.

• Alain Tascan, President of Games, Netflix Development, Epic Games / Fr. VP, Production, Ubisoft
• Ben Feder, Fr. President North America, Tencent / Fr. Board Member, Epic Games / Fr. CEO, Take-Two Interactive
• Chris Bell, Co-Founder & Creative Director, Gardens Interactive / Fr. Lead Game Designer, Sky (thatgamecompany)
• Dean Takahashi, Editorial Director of GamesBeat
• Dylan Jadeja, CEO, Riot Games
• Frank Gibeau, CEO, Zynga / Board Member, Hasbro / Fr. EVP Mobile, Electronic Arts
• Hemal Thaker, Managing Director & Global Head of Interactive Media, Goldman Sachs
• Humam Sakhnini, CEO, Discord / Fr. Vice Chairman & CSO at Activision / Fr. President, King
• John W. Thompson, Venture Partner, Lightspeed / Fr. Chairman, Microsoft / Fr. CEO, Symantec / Fr. Board Member, IBM
• Kabir Ahuja, Sr. Partner & Co-Lead of Media Practice, McKinsey & Co.
• Kylan Gibbs, Co-Founder & CEO, Inworld AI / Fr. Product Manager, DeepMind (Google)
• Laura Miele, President of Electronic Arts / Board Member, On Running
• Maria Park, CSO of Krafton / Fr. CSO, PUBG / Fr. Strategy Lead, Riot Games
• Mark Pincus, Founder & Chairman, Zynga
• Matthew Ball, Industry Analyst
• Matt Bromberg, President & CEO, Unity / Fr. COO, Zynga / Fr. SVP, Electronic Arts / Fr. CEO, Major League Gaming
• Michał Nowakowski, Joint CEO, CD Projekt
• Moritz Baier-Lentz, Partner & Head of Gaming and Interactive Media, Lightspeed / Advisor, World Economic Forum / Fr. Vice President, Goldman Sachs
• Riccardo Zacconi, Co-Founder & Fr. CEO, King
• Stephen Lim, Co-Founder & CEO, Raid Base / Fr. Co-Founder and Head, Valorant (Riot Games), Fr. Senior Producer, Blizzard
• Steve Boom, VP of Audio, Twitch & Games, Amazon / Fr. SVP, Yahoo
• Sarah Bond, President, Xbox (Microsoft) / Fr. SVP, T-Mobile / Fr. Associate Partner, McKinsey & Co.
• V Pappas, Fr. COO of TikTok / Fr. Advisor, ByteDance / Fr. Head of Creative Insights, YouTube
• Walter Driver, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Scopely

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