First finalists for the 2026 GamesIndustry.biz Best Places To Work Awards UK revealed

NaturalMotion Games, owned by Zynga, leads the nominations for special awards with five entries. Rocksteady Studios follows closely with four nominations, while Jagex, Playground Games, and Rare have each secured three nods.

The HR Hero Award returns this year, honoring individuals who go above and beyond to support their teams and improve workplace culture. The finalists for this category include representatives from Frontier Developments, IO Interactive, HundredStar Games, Jagex, Playground Games, and Playstack.

The winners will be announced on October 1, 2026, at a ceremony held at The Royal Institution in London. The event will take place following the GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit, which will address topics such as managing neurodivergent staff, working with trade unions, and the impact of AI on workforce leadership and employee relations.

The full list of special award finalists is as follows:

• Corporate Social Responsibility Award: Jagex, NaturalMotion Games, Playground Games, Rocksteady Studios, Wushu Studios.
• Diversity Award: Maverick Games, NaturalMotion Games, Rare, Snap Finger Click.
• Education Award: Dink, Electric Square, Jagex, Rocksteady Studios, Two Point Studios.
• Environmental Award: NaturalMotion Games, Playground Games, Rare, Rocksteady Studios.
• Health and Wellbeing Award: Behaviour Interactive UK, Hangar 13, NaturalMotion Games, Rare, Rocksteady Studios.
• Training and Development Award: Behaviour Interactive UK, Jagex, NaturalMotion Games, Playground Games.
• HR Hero Award: Yvonne Dawes (Frontier Developments), Tuoya Joe (HundredStar Games), Gary Martin (Jagex), Carmen Martino (Playstack), Anna Stone (Playground Games), Leah Wilson (IO Interactive).