Global Games Show 2025: Where Crypto Innovation Meets Gaming’s $200B Revolution

🗓️ December 10-11, 2025
📍 Abu Dhabi, UAE
🎟️ Register here

The lines between gaming and blockchain are dissolving faster than most anticipated. What started as experimental play-to-earn mechanics has evolved into a fundamental shift in how we think about digital ownership, virtual economies, and interactive entertainment. For crypto project founders, this convergence represents one of the most significant opportunities of the decade—and Global Games Show 2025 in Abu Dhabi is where this future gets written.

As ICODA’s proud media partner for this groundbreaking event, we’re witnessing firsthand the assembly of what may be the most influential gathering of Web3 gaming visionaries ever brought together under one roof. From December 10-11, 2025, at Abu Dhabi’s cutting-edge Space42 Arena, over 25,000 gaming futurists, blockchain innovators, and industry titans will converge to shape the next chapter of interactive entertainment.

Why Abu Dhabi, Why Now?

Abu Dhabi’s emergence as a global technology hub isn’t accidental—it’s strategic. The emirate has positioned itself at the intersection of East and West, becoming a bridge between traditional gaming markets and emerging blockchain economies. With the UAE’s progressive regulatory framework for digital assets and its ambitious vision for technological leadership, Abu Dhabi offers crypto founders something unique: access to both cutting-edge innovation and traditional capital markets.

The Global Games Show 2025 capitalizes on this positioning, creating an environment where crypto projects can connect with established gaming companies, institutional investors, and sovereign wealth funds. For founders looking to scale their blockchain gaming projects or integrate gaming elements into their crypto platforms, this geographical and strategic convergence is unprecedented.

The Speaker Lineup That Matters for Crypto Founders

The caliber of speakers at Global Games Show 2025 reads like a who’s who of Web3 gaming leadership, each representing pathways that crypto founders should be exploring:

Yat Siu, Co-Founder and Chairman of Animoca Brands, brings unparalleled expertise in scaling blockchain gaming ventures. Under his leadership, Animoca Brands has built one of the world’s largest blockchain gaming portfolios, investing in over 540 blockchain-related companies. For crypto founders, Siu represents the blueprint for building sustainable Web3 gaming ecosystems that generate real economic value.

Sébastien Borget, Co-Founder of The Sandbox, demonstrates how virtual worlds can create entirely new economic models. As President of the Blockchain Game Alliance, Borget has been instrumental in establishing industry standards that crypto projects now build upon. His insights into user-generated content economies and NFT integration offer invaluable lessons for founders developing gaming-adjacent blockchain applications.

Jens Hilgers, Founding General Partner of Bitkraft Ventures, controls over $900 million in gaming and interactive entertainment investments. For crypto founders seeking capital or looking to understand investor perspectives on blockchain gaming, Hilgers represents direct access to the funding ecosystem that’s driving industry growth.

Dirk Lueth, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Uplandme, brings practical experience in building successful blockchain gaming platforms that attract mainstream audiences. His work with the Open Metaverse Alliance for Web3 (OMA3) provides crucial insights for founders working on interoperability and cross-platform blockchain solutions.

Beyond Networking: Strategic Partnership Opportunities

The attendee profile at Global Games Show 2025 reveals why this event is particularly valuable for crypto founders. With 40% of participants holding C-level positions and founder roles, the concentration of decision-makers is extraordinary. These aren’t just networking opportunities—they’re potential partnerships that could transform a crypto project’s trajectory.

The presence of UAE Royal Family Offices and Sovereign Wealth Funds adds another dimension entirely. For crypto founders, this represents access to institutional capital that traditionally hasn’t been available at blockchain-focused events. These investors are increasingly interested in the gaming sector’s growth potential and the unique value propositions that blockchain technology brings to interactive entertainment.

The geographic diversity of attendees—spanning established gaming markets in Asia, emerging opportunities in the Middle East, and innovation centers in Europe and North America—creates opportunities for crypto founders to explore global expansion strategies with partners who understand local markets.

Content That Drives Innovation Forward

The 70+ hours of programming at Global Games Show 2025 aren’t just educational—they’re strategic intelligence for crypto founders. Key sessions particularly relevant to blockchain projects include:

“Beyond the Tokens: How Blockchain is Shaping Game Development” explores practical implementation strategies that crypto founders can apply across various gaming verticals. This isn’t theoretical discussion—it’s actionable insight from teams who’ve successfully integrated blockchain technology into engaging gaming experiences.

“AI-Generated Game Design: Can Machines Replace Human Creativity?” addresses a question that’s particularly relevant for crypto founders working with limited design resources. Understanding how AI can augment creative processes while maintaining the human elements that drive player engagement offers significant competitive advantages.

“The Next Frontier of AR Glasses: Developing Experiences for Spectacles” provides early insight into hardware trends that will create new opportunities for blockchain gaming applications. For crypto founders, being ahead of these technological curves can mean the difference between leading and following market trends.

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The Startup Zone: Where Innovation Gets Discovered

Global Games Show 2025’s dedicated Startup Zone deserves special attention from crypto founders. This isn’t a side exhibition—it’s a curated showcase designed to connect emerging projects with the investors, partners, and platforms they need to scale.

With 5,000 attendees including CEOs and innovators specifically focused on discovering new opportunities, the Startup Zone offers crypto projects unprecedented visibility within the gaming ecosystem. The concentrated format allows for meaningful conversations rather than superficial interactions, creating opportunities for the kind of strategic discussions that lead to transformative partnerships.

For crypto founders who’ve developed gaming-related blockchain solutions, this represents a direct pathway to the gaming industry’s most influential decision-makers. The proximity to established gaming companies means potential partnerships that could accelerate adoption and provide the user bases that many crypto gaming projects struggle to achieve independently.

Investment Climate and Market Timing

The timing of Global Games Show 2025 aligns with several market dynamics that favor crypto founders entering the gaming space. The gaming industry’s $200+ billion market cap continues growing, while traditional gaming companies increasingly recognize blockchain technology’s potential to create new revenue streams and enhance player experiences.

Institutional investors are showing renewed interest in the intersection of gaming and blockchain, particularly projects that demonstrate sustainable tokenomics and genuine utility beyond speculative trading. The presence of established investment firms like Bitkraft Ventures alongside sovereign wealth funds creates a diverse funding landscape that can support crypto projects at various stages of development.

The regulatory clarity emerging in the UAE provides crypto founders with a stable environment for testing and scaling blockchain gaming solutions. This regulatory framework, combined with the strategic location connecting multiple markets, offers advantages that purely domestic events cannot match.

Building the Future of Interactive Entertainment

Global Games Show 2025 represents more than an industry gathering—it’s a collaborative effort to define how interactive entertainment evolves in an increasingly digital world. For crypto founders, participation isn’t just about immediate business opportunities, although those are substantial. It’s about contributing to and benefiting from the collective intelligence that’s shaping gaming’s future.

The integration of blockchain technology into gaming isn’t inevitable—it’s being actively constructed by the decisions and partnerships formed at events like this. Crypto founders who engage with this community position themselves not just as technology providers but as co-creators of the entertainment experiences that will define the next decade.

Your Gateway to Gaming’s Blockchain Future

As ICODA’s media partnership with Global Games Show 2025 demonstrates, the boundaries between traditional marketing, blockchain innovation, and gaming entertainment continue to blur. The most successful crypto projects of the next cycle will be those that understand and capitalize on these convergences.

For crypto founders ready to explore the intersection of blockchain technology and interactive entertainment, Global Games Show 2025 offers unparalleled access to the leaders, capital, and strategic insights needed to succeed in this evolving landscape.

The future of gaming is being written in Abu Dhabi this December. The question for crypto founders isn’t whether they can afford to attend—it’s whether they can afford not to be part of the conversation that’s defining their industry’s next chapter.

📅 December 10–11, 2025
📍 Abu Dhabi, UAE
🔗 Learn more and register: globalgamesshow.com

Global Games Show 2025 takes place December 10-11 at Space42 Arena, Abu Dhabi. Early bird registration is now open for this premier convergence of gaming innovation and blockchain technology.