We are delighted to announce the shortlist of nominees for the special‑category awards that form part of the 2026 GamesIndustry.biz Best Places to Work Awards in the United Kingdom. These special recognitions celebrate outstanding performance in particular aspects of workplace excellence and sit alongside the broader Best Places to Work categories that honour small, medium‑sized and large studios overall. Leading the field once again is NaturalMotion Games, a studio owned by Zynga, which has secured the highest number of nominations across the special awards – a total of five distinct categories.
Following closely is Rocksteady Studios, based in London, with four nominations, while Jagex, Playground Games and Rare each appear as finalists in three categories. The 2026 ceremony also marks the return of the HR Hero Award, a prize that highlights an individual who consistently goes above and beyond to support colleagues and nurture a positive organisational culture.
This year’s shortlist features representatives from Frontier Developments, IO Interactive, HundredStar Games, Jagex, Playground Games and Playstack, each of whom has demonstrated exceptional commitment to people‑first practices. Key sponsors for the awards programme include IO Interactive, Games London and Special Effect. The HR Summit and the GamesIndustry.biz Award are backed by Amiqus Recruitment, whose Business Manager Liz Prince MBE commented, "The Best Places to Work Awards shine a spotlight on the studios and businesses that are turning those ideas into action. Bringing the industry together to both learn from each other and celebrate success helps raise standards for everyone, and we're proud to play a part in that." All winners – both the special‑category honorees and the overall Best Places to Work champions – will be revealed at a gala ceremony held at The Royal Institution in London on 1 October 2026.
The awards ceremony will follow the GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit, also sponsored by Amiqus, which takes place earlier that day at the same venue. The HR Summit will feature a keynote address from Sasi Venables, founder of the HR Confidence Club, who will discuss the evolving role of people leadership in a landscape where employee expectations are rapidly shifting. In addition, Niki Head, People and Development Director at Stellar Entertainment, will lead a practical workshop titled “Challenge without conflict: how HR becomes a ‘critical friend’ to leadership,” offering actionable strategies for building collaborative relationships between HR and senior management. Other sessions on the summit agenda include: - Best practices for engaging constructively with trade unions; - Guidance on supporting and managing neurodivergent employees; - Developing workforce, leadership and capability strategies to address the growing influence of artificial intelligence in the workplace; - Practical tips for handling AI‑generated casework within employee‑relations processes.
Further details about the HR Summit, including a full list of speakers and session descriptions, will be published soon. Tickets for the summit – which also grant entry to the Best Places to Work Awards ceremony – are currently available for purchase. Below is the complete roster of special‑award finalists for the 2026 GamesIndustry.biz Best Places to Work Awards UK, grouped by award category: - Jagex: The RuneScape Company - NaturalMotion Games - Playground Games - Rocksteady Studios - Wushu Studios - Maverick Games - NaturalMotion Games - Rare - Snap Finger Click - Dink - Electric Square - Jagex: The RuneScape Company - Rocksteady Studios - Two Point Studios - NaturalMotion Games - Playground Games - Rare - Rocksteady Studios - Behaviour Interactive UK - Hangar 13 - NaturalMotion Games - Rare - Rocksteady Studios - Behaviour Interactive UK - Jagex: The RuneScape Company - NaturalMotion Games - Playground Games - Yvonne Dawes (Frontier Developments) - Tuoya Joe (HundredStar Games) - Gary Martin (Jagex: The RuneScape Company) - Carmen Martino (Playstack) - Anna Stone (Playground Games) - Leah Wilson (IO Interactive) These nominees represent a diverse cross‑section of the UK games industry, showcasing studios of varying sizes and specialisations that have all demonstrated a strong commitment to fostering supportive, inclusive and forward‑thinking workplaces.
The upcoming awards ceremony will not only celebrate their achievements but also provide a platform for sharing best practices that can inspire other organisations across the sector. We look forward to gathering industry leaders, HR professionals and game‑development talent at The Royal Institution on 1 October to honour the finalists, announce the winners and continue the conversation about what makes a truly great place to work in the ever‑evolving world of video games.