Collabsco

✨🎮✨The energy in Austin made one thing clear: the future of live service and mobile games is being rewritten in real time, and Collabsco was proud to help drive the conversation.

✨🤠✨ Austin showed up ready for honest conversation, from how live service models are evolving to how teams and communities shape games together.

✨🎤✨ Featured speakers included
• Warren Spector, Co founder and CCO, OtherSide Entertainment
• Jack Emmert, CEO, Cryptic Studios
• Shmuel Ben-Meleh, SVP, Data and Analytics, SciPlay
• Andrew Ice, SVP Games, Zynga
• Paul Sams, COO, Certain Affinity
• Anthony Mendoza, PMP, Business Development Executive, Xsolla
• Moderated by Alexander Lee, Lead News Writer, GamesBeat
• Hosted by Valerie Vacante, Global Innovator, Collabsco

Each session delivered sharp perspectives on what is working, what is breaking and what needs to evolve.

✨🗞️✨ Headline themes from the room
🎮 Has the live service model made games better or just longer
🫶🏽 Community as co authors of the experience
🧩 How large and small studios operate live games across different scales
🔥 Protecting developers from business pressures
🛠️ What comes after the seasonal content treadmill

✨💬✨ These conversations matter. Some of the most valuable insights in gaming happen in curated rooms like this one, where leaders can be open, honest and genuinely curious together.

✨🙏🏽✨ Thank you to the GamesBeat and Xsolla teams for bringing this community together and to everyone who joined us for an evening of high signal insights.

✨🔮✨ Next stops for GamesBeat Engage LA and Chicago in June, NYC in October: https://events.gamesbeat.com/engage/

🎙️🌟 Big moment for Collabsco. Valerie Vacante joined the What Bubbles Up podcast with Barry Fiske and Phillip Golub to unpack the technologies, creators, and experiences shaping what is next after CES.

🔍 A more practical CES
This year’s floor was filled with innovation built for real life — from NOSH cooking robots to Kolibree AR toothbrushes to LEGO Smart Bricks with Star Wars.

🎮 Connected play and a retro revival
Tamagotchi‑style companions, robotic learning creatures, and emotionally intelligent play experiences from teams like Takway.AI, Tombot, Robopoet, and Mirumi showed how nostalgia and modern intelligence are reshaping how people learn, self‑soothe, and express themselves.

🛍️ Experience‑Driven Retail
We shared insights from the official CES retail stage on what turns shopping into something memorable.
• $780 billion is lost when brands fail to deliver simple experiences
• Customers spend up to 140% more with emotionally connected experiences

🧪 Personalization and connected concierges
From Yuka’s ingredient scanning to Ralph Lauren’s Ask Ralph to multimodal assistants like the Glenfiddich Guide and Cheetos’ Chat with Chester, personalization is shifting from recommendations to real guidance.

💫 Community and fandom as cultural gathering spaces
Brands like Crunchyroll are transforming stores into hubs for belonging and creativity — from manga artists in UNIQLO to Jujutsu Kaisen voice actors at the Funko shop.

♿ Accessibility and the creator economy
The expanded accessibility pavilion and a growing Creator Stage highlighted how technology, creators, and early pioneers are shaping a more inclusive future.

🔊 Listen to the full episode: https://lnkd.in/gJ5jW6yG
A huge thanks to Barry and Phil for having us. See you at SXSW.