At the moment we’re saying our eighth annual GamesBeat Visionary Awards and the workforce of judges we’ve chosen to assist decide the winners of this 12 months’s awards. (You’ll be able to join our GamesBeat Summit 2025 occasion, the place the awards can be celebrated, with 25% off utilizing this code: gbs25dean25).
I began the GamesBeat Visionary Awards in 2018 to acknowledge {industry} leaders who took a daring, visionary method to shaping the way forward for gaming, forging new paths which have mesmerized audiences and redefined the very nature of video video games. We give out two awards yearly: the Visionary Award and the Up-and-Comer award. This 12 months’s ceremony can be hosted by Andrea Rene, president of Shortie Media and former govt producer of What’s Good Video games.
Andrea Rene is founding father of Shortie Media.
Judging for the Visionary Awards for GamesBeat Summit 2024 (Might 19-20 in Marina del Rey, California; see the agenda right here) is now full and we’ll have new winners to announce at our occasion. We’ve chosen a panel of 12 judges for this 12 months’s contest. Leah Hardy, a advertising and marketing veteran at TikTok and Meta, can be our host for the session.
Judges for 2025
Sarah Bond is president of Xbox at Microsoft.
Beforehand, Bond served as company vp of recreation creator expertise and ecosystem, the place she led the division devoted to constructing and commercializing services for recreation creators and companions. She was foundational to the success of Xbox Sport Go and has been instrumental within the progress of Xbox, enjoying a key position within the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, the biggest deal ever for a US tech firm. She led the event of strategic accomplice relationships that superior the enlargement of Xbox Sport Studios and was core to establishing the product portfolio in help of cloud gaming.
Sarah is vice chair of the board of administrators on the Leisure Software program Affiliation (ESA) and sits on the board of councilors on the USC College of Cinematic Arts. She received our Visionary Award again in 2022.
Wealthy Vogel
Wealthy Vogel, CEO of T-Minus Zero Leisure
Wealthy Vogel, a distinguished govt producer, has been a driving drive within the gaming {industry} for over 25 years. Because the founder and studio head of T-Minus Zero, Vogel’s management was instrumental within the success of three distinguished studios: Sony On-line Leisure Austin, BioWare Austin, and Bethesda Video games Studio’s Battlecry, which collectively generated a outstanding $ 3 billion in income. Vogel’s operational experience was additionally evident in his oversight of LiveOps for 4 critically acclaimed MMORPGs: Meridia 59, Ultima On-line, Star Wars Galaxies, and Star Wars: The Previous Republic. Wealthy’s contributions had been acknowledged with the Up-and-Comer Award at GamesBeat Summit 2023.
Don Daglow is a longtime marketing consultant within the recreation {industry}.
Don Daglow, recreation developer and writer
Don Daglow is an writer, adviser and recreation narrative designer. He’s an adviser to The Sturdy Nationwide Museum of Play, volunteer president of the AIAS Basis, and member of the AIAS board of administrators. He’s an adviser at Founders House, Devcom, and GamesBeat Summit. He has served as an adviser at Bit Fry Sport Studios. Daglow was the founding father of Stormfront Studios and served in roles at Broderbund Software program, Digital Arts, and Mattel. He has written books together with Indie Video games: From Dream to Supply, The Final One on the Run, and The Fog Vendor.
Jessica Rovello and Perrin Kaplan at GamesBeat 2015.
Perrin Kaplan, co-founder of Zebra Companions
Perrin Kaplan is a worldwide strategic advertising and marketing and communications C-level govt identified for her award-winning work in tech, leisure, shopper merchandise, gaming, blended actuality, AI and extra. Famous in a number of books, documentaries, and publications, she co-founded female-owned Zebra Companions, a worldwide communications and built-in advertising and marketing agency following her position as vp, advertising and marketing, communications, and spokesperson for Nintendo.
Zebra Companions’ proficient workforce advises companions from revolutionary startups to Fortune100s. She has directed a whole lot of brand name efforts, 1000’s of product launches together with the industry-shifting international phenomena Wii, Pokémon, DS, and the ambassador motion.
Previous to Nintendo, Kaplan’s profession targeted on environmental public affairs and disaster for regional and nationwide firms, together with Washington D.C. and state. Her profession started as a reporter for Seattle’s NBC affiliate. She’s an advisor, board member, investor and speaker and has been honored for her continued feminine mentorship. In 2007 she opened doorways of Saving Nice Animals, a big lively non-profit rescuing the abused, uncared for, deserted. The group has homed greater than 9000 canines.
Elizabeth Olson, PR, and advertising and marketing marketing consultant for video games.
Elizabeth Olson, PR and enterprise improvement marketing consultant
Elizabeth Olson is the founding father of Strategic Advertising. She has been doing public relations and enterprise improvement consulting for many years in video games. She is head of technique & media at Indie Angels Advertising Companies, and has held advertising and marketing/PR roles at Telltale Video games, Inca Video games, Double Forte, Pinnacle Techniques, Adobe Techniques, Roxio, 3DO, Panasonic Interactive, Sound Supply Interactive, Cyberdreams, Virgin Interactive Leisure and Funco, the place she was the founding govt editor of Sport Informer journal.
Dinga Bakaba is studio director and co-creative director at Arkane Lyon and inventive director on Deathloop.
Dinga Bakaba received our Up and Comer award again in 2022. He’s a veteran of Arkane, the place he has spent years engaged on video games similar to Deathloop, which he co-directed with good friend Harvey Smith.
He began within the {industry} as a QA tester for cellular video games earlier than smartphones had been a factor. He joined Wizarbox in Paris as a recreation designer, working amongst different issues on Jane Jensen’s Grey Matter. He then moved to the Netherlands, working at Playlogic on unannounced tasks till the corporate closed.
That took him to Arkane, the studio the place was one among two recreation designer/producers on Dishonored and its DLCs. He was lead designer on Dishonored 2 and Demise of the Outsider. He additionally labored on Wolfenstein Youngblood and Cyberpilot, after which co-directed Deathloop. He’s presently Studio Director of Arkane Lyon and co-creative director.
Tara Bruno is founding father of Tara Bruno PR.
Tara Bruno has practically 30 years of PR expertise inside the online game {industry}. Tara’s profession started at GT Interactive Software program the place she minimize her enamel selling classics like Duke Nukem, Unreal, and Oddworld. After GT, Tara moved over to the NYC company facet, the place she remained till she resigned her place as VP of the HighWater Group PR company to pursue alternatives as a freelancer.
At that time, Tara grew to become an unbiased contractor and was instrumental in supporting campaigns for triple-A and indie video games, expertise platforms, and gaming {hardware}. In 2017, she started Tara Bruno PR. A few of the better-known video games that Tara has labored on over time embrace Marvel Rivals, Alan Wake 2, Warframe, League of Legends, Hitman 3, The Outer Worlds, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, Rock Band 4, Metal Hunters Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Disney Infinity 3.0, and Enter The Matrix.
Charmaine Duff is founding father of Ladies-Led Video games.
Charmaine Duff is the founding father of Ladies-Led Video games founder and director of the Ladies-Led Video games Showcase. She brings recognition to the exhausting working ladies within the video games {industry} and goals to help extra ladies in positions of management within the {industry} and their studios. Euff has a number of years expertise in neighborhood and social media administration, advertising and marketing, manufacturing, and influencer outreach.
Mark Chandler is founding father of TIGS.CA.
Mark Chandler is a seasoned skilled with a wealth of expertise spanning over three many years within the gaming and expertise industries. His latest roles and accomplishments spotlight his experience in psychological well being advocacy and strategic management.
At present, Chandler serves because the founding father of The Worldwide Video games Summit on Psychological Well being (TIGS.CA), a platform addressing crucial psychological well being points amongst recreation communities and professionals. Since October 2016, he has led TIGS.GG in figuring out key psychological well being challenges inside video games, avid gamers, and the gaming {industry}. Partnering with organizations like TakeThis.org, Safeinourworld.org, YouAreRad.org and different stakeholders, Chandler focuses on lowering stigma and growing help for psychological well being inside the recreation {industry}.
As a board member on The IGDA Psychological Well being SIG Steering Committee since February 2020, Chandler has continued his advocacy work by contributing to essential conversations and initiatives aimed toward selling psychological well being consciousness and help inside the gaming neighborhood.
Meggan Scavio accepts the Visionary Award on the GamesBeat Summit 2023 occasion.
Meggan Scavio is president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Scavio was appointed to the place in August 2017 and serves because the consultant of the 35,000+ Academy members. Because the AIAS president, Scavio promotes, advances and acknowledges the excellent achievements within the interactive leisure {industry} worldwide.
She oversees the AIAS’ many initiatives benefiting the video video games {industry}: the D.I.C.E. Summit – the {industry}’s premier gathering of inventive and enterprise leaders, the AIAS member voted D.I.C.E. Awards present, the European-centric D.I.C.E. Europe convention and the AIAS Basis. She received our Visionary Award in 2023.
Scavio spent 18 years at UBM, the place she most lately held the place of common supervisor of the Sport Builders Convention (GDC) for eight years. Throughout her tenure as common supervisor at GDC, she was liable for overseeing all of GDC’s home and worldwide conferences, together with: GDC Europe, GDC China, GDC On-line, & VRDC. Scavio began off her profession at UBM as an Operations Supervisor when GDC was held on the San Jose Conference Middle.
Kat Jones is founding father of Motiv.
Kat Jones established the award-winning company Motiv with the aim of making a communications accomplice that blends outcomes pushed methods with invaluable collaboration. With 20 years of worldwide communications and advertising and marketing expertise, Kat has constantly delivered high quality PR outcomes tied to individuals, manufacturers and corporations.
Kat was named one of many prime PR execs by Enterprise Insider three years in a row (2020, 2021 and 2022) and was profiled by ThinkLA in 2019, VoyageLA in 2020, ShoutOutLA in 2021, and Authority Journal, Canvas Insurgent and Daring Journey in 2023, and was featured on The PR Podcast in 2024. Lastly, she is an official Juror for The Webby Awards, the W3 Awards, the Communicator Awards, and the PRWeek Awards. She additionally labored at Defy Media, Azubu, Machinima and Marvel Leisure.
Shelley Andagan works on recreation partnerships at Qualcomm.
Shelley Andagan presently serves because the director of worldwide recreation studio partnerships and govt producer inside Qualcomm Gaming Applied sciences and Snapdragon Studios.
As a frontrunner within the international dealing with Partnerships Group, Shelley bridges triple-A recreation builders, publishers, and repair suppliers with next-in-class applied sciences, advancing and supporting the gaming ecosystem on Snapdragon powered units. She additionally works carefully with double-A and indie recreation studios, ushering them into a brand new period of applied sciences like AI throughout PC, Cellular, Handheld, XR, and Automotive Gaming.
John Smedley is an internet gaming pioneer.
Smedley, former studio head at Amazon Sport Studios San Diego, acquired our third-annual Visionary Award, which honors individuals within the recreation {industry} who’ve been a visionary (seeing forward and doing nice issues) all through their careers. That’s an apt description for Smedley’s position in creating massively multiplayer on-line role-playing video games similar to Everquest. Our prior award winners embrace Ted Value of Insomniac Video games and Rand Miller of Cyan.
Smedley ran Sony On-line Leisure (SOE) for 15 years, and he helped develop that enterprise into a frontrunner within the on-line video games area, publishing hit similar to Evequest in 1999. Throughout his tenure at SOE, Smedley labored on 12 MMOs, similar to Star Wars: Galaxies, PlanetSide, Free Realms, DC Universe On-line, and H1Z1.
He helped spin out SOE from Sony in 2015 to an unbiased investor and renamed it Dawn Sport Firm. Smedley obtained in a dispute with hackers, and he stepped down from Dawn in mid-2015. He went on to create a brand new recreation firm, Pixelmage, and labored on a recreation known as Hero’s Tune. That firm shut down in 2017. Then he moved on to turn into common supervisor of Amazon’s new studio in San Diego. He left there and labored on a brand new startup.
Dean Takahashi is editorial director of GamesBeat.
Dean Takahashi, GamesBeat lead author
Not pictured: Tammy McDonald.
Previous winners
The multicolored Kahlief Adams.
Final 12 months, the Visionary Award went to Sam Lake, inventive director at Treatment Leisure, maker of video games like Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2. This award is bestowed upon a person who has demonstrated a outstanding means to ascertain the way forward for the online game {industry}. It’s reserved for a real chief who possesses a uncommon mixture of foresight, creativity, and innovation, and whose trailblazing efforts have propelled the {industry} into uncharted territory.
Different previous Visionary winners embrace Rand Miller, cofounder of Cyan and co-creator of Myst; Ted Value, founding father of Insomniac Video games; John Smedley, studio head at Amazon Sport Studios San Diego; Laura Miele, the highest gaming govt at Digital Arts; Sarah Bond, vp for recreation creator expertise and ecosystem at Microsoft; Meggan Scavio, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
Sam Lake, inventive director at Treatment Leisure.
The 2024 Up and Comer winner was Kahlief Adams, founding father of Spawn On Me. This award honors somebody who’s an up-and-comer with regards to achievements within the recreation {industry}. It isn’t primarily based on age or expertise within the recreation {industry}. Reasonably, it acknowledges that the most important potential of the honoree lies forward of them.
Previous recipients of the Up and Comer award embrace Eve Crevoshay (Kre-vo-shay), govt director of Take This; creator Natasha “ZombaeKills” Zinda; and Dinga Bakaba, studio head and co-director at Arkane Lyon, a Bethesda studio; and Wealthy Vogel, studio head of T-Minus Zero.
