.png?disable=upscale&width=1200&height=630&fit=crop&ssl=1 "AAA execs fund marketing network Games Growth Guild")
Executives known for their work at companies such as Riot Games, EA, Annapurna Interactive and many others founded the Game Development Guild, billed as a global network of marketing professionals.
The network launches today, bringing together “experts in all disciplines of marketing and publishing,” according to a press release. The goal is to offer members monthly conversations, idea sharing, free resources, tactical exchanges, and peer support. As such, the guild will explore what works and what doesn't through launches, growth campaigns, live events and go-to-market strategies.
“Game developers have solved incredible technical challenges, but marketing and distribution remain the biggest challenges,” advisory board member and FirstLook CEO Eden Chen said in a press release. “The Game Development Guild brings together the industry's best to share best practices and resources to help great games find their players.”
The advisory board, which represents the interests of AAA, mobile and independent companies, includes the following members: Eric Wood, Senior Vice President of Publishing at Scopely, Crystal Herring, Head of Global Events at Twitch, Nikki Lewis, Managing Partner of Marketing and Publishing at Haveli, Leo Olebe, CEO of Olebe Media Group, Connor Bridgeman, Director of Marketing at Lyrical Games, Jeff Legaspi, Director of Marketing at Fictions, Eden Chen, General Manager at Pragma-FirstLook, Victoria Tran, director of public relations at Innersloth, and Thomas Ko, vice president of Krafton.
“The gaming industry is interesting, complex and constantly changing”
Membership in the Game Development Guild is now open and free to “all game industry marketers, community leaders and development professionals.” Members will be vetted to ensure a “safe and welcoming space” that promotes meaningful collaboration and what the guild calls a “give and receive” culture. The Guild will also host in-person events, including a partnership with GameDiscoverCo during the GDC gaming festival in March 2026.
“The gaming industry is exciting, complex and constantly changing,” Eden Chen said in the announcement. “To help navigate this incredible market and best prepare marketers for the future, it is important to bring people together to share knowledge and build community.”
The failure of one particular (hugely successful) campaign will remain one of the highlights of 2025. Balatro publisher Playstack spent months creating the Wheel of Attention to give the project the best chance of success by focusing on small streamers to promote the game and methodically expand, as well as developing digital word of mouth, which was an “extremely powerful tool.”
Game Developer and GDC are subsidiaries of Informa Festivals.
