Cannes Lions 2026 has released the shortlist for the Entertainment Lions for Gaming category, one of the Festival’s key competitions for recognising ideas that connect brands, audiences and communities through the power of gaming, interactive entertainment and gaming platforms.
The Entertainment Lions for Gaming celebrate creative work that connects people to brands through gameplay, recognising campaigns, experiences, integrations, content and collaborations that add real value to the gaming experience while driving conversation, engagement and business results.
The 2026 Jury President for Entertainment Lions for Gaming is Lolly Thomson, Joint Global Chief Creative Officer at M+C Saatchi Group, Global. Her leadership brings one of the industry’s most influential creative voices to a category shaped by culture, participation, technology and the evolving role of gaming in brand communication.
The Entertainment Lions for Gaming 2026 shortlist includes 20 shortlisted entries, distributed across subcategories including Audio-Visual Content, Mobile Games, Brand Integration for Games, Use of Gaming/Streaming Platforms, Community Management/Social Engagement, Influencer & Co-Creation, Brand Partnerships, Diversity & Inclusion in Gaming, Challenger Brand, Social Behaviour, Use of Humour and Breakthrough on a Budget.
The selection confirms that gaming has become a strategic territory for brand creativity, moving far beyond traditional sponsorship or superficial in-game visibility. This year’s finalists show how brands are entering gaming communities with stronger cultural understanding, utility, entertainment and contextual value.
In Audio-Visual Content, shortlisted entries include “Resident Evil Requiem Launch” by Capcom and “Die Ballons!” by Clash Royale. This section highlights how gaming-related audiovisual content can operate as entertainment, narrative expansion and anticipation-building for highly participatory communities.
Clash Royale is one of the most represented brands in the shortlist, with work including “Die Ballons!”, “Copycats Welcome”, “Cracked Royale” and “Pocket-Sized Halftime Show”. Its presence across multiple sections confirms the strength of gaming platforms when they combine community, humour, digital culture, mobile play and brand collaboration.
In Mobile Games, “Copycats Welcome” by Clash Royale, created by DAVID New York, has been shortlisted. The campaign also appears in Social Behaviour, showing its ability to turn specific behaviours from the gaming community into a brand idea with broader cultural reach.
In Brand Integration for Games, the shortlist features “Virtual Donors” by Re-Born to Be Alive; “Silent Cleaning” by Kao Corporation; and “Road Test Royale” by The General Auto Insurance. These entries show how brands can integrate into games or gaming platforms without interrupting the experience, adding utility, narrative or entertainment.
“Virtual Donors” by Re-Born to Be Alive stands out as one of the shortlist’s most relevant ideas because of its connection between gaming and organ donation. Its presence in Brand Integration for Games shows how gaming can become a space for awareness, participation and social action.
In Use of Gaming/Streaming Platforms, “R2R←” by Brahma, created by Africa Creative in São Paulo, has been selected. The campaign reinforces the potential of gaming and streaming platforms to connect brands with communities through native formats, cultural codes and experiences designed for active audiences.
Community Management/Social Engagement includes “Cracked Royale” by Clash Royale and “Expected Jinx” by Xbox. Both entries show that working with gaming communities requires listening, timing, native language and a deep understanding of how conversation is built inside digital fandoms.
In Influencer & Co-Creation, “Firecatchers” by Sapeurs Pompiers de France, created by Havas Play Paris, has been shortlisted. The entry confirms the growing role of creators, streamers and influencers in the gaming ecosystem, where credibility and community participation are essential to amplifying an idea.
Brand Partnerships, Sponsorships & Collaborations includes “Pocket-Sized Halftime Show” by Clash Royale and “Delivered by Tetris” by La Poste. These campaigns show how partnerships between brands and gaming properties can create entertainment experiences that travel beyond the game itself.
In Diversity & Inclusion in Gaming, “Missing Managers” by Xbox for the launch of Football Manager 2026 has been selected. Its inclusion underlines the importance of using gaming as a platform to make gaps visible, open conversations around representation and build more inclusive spaces within the industry.
In Challenger Brand, “Battlefield 6: Destruction Receipts” by Electronic Arts & Battlefield Studios, created by Sid Lee Toronto, has been shortlisted. The campaign reflects how a brand can challenge category codes through a sharp idea connected to the product’s identity and player expectations.
Social Behaviour includes “The Club Is Yours” by EA Sports; “Copycats Welcome” by Clash Royale; and “Drönjöns & Dragan – The Swedish Manual of Names That Sound Good” by IKEA Italia. This section shows how brands can detect specific behaviours in digital communities and turn them into mechanisms for engagement, identity or entertainment.
In Use of Humour, shortlisted work includes “Gaming Flute” by Skittles and “Capybarapy” by Hoegaarden. Their presence confirms humour’s value within gaming, particularly when brands understand the absurd, viral and participatory codes that define many digital communities.
Breakthrough on a Budget includes “Cracked Royale” by Clash Royale, a campaign that demonstrates how a culturally precise idea can create strong impact without depending entirely on large budgets or oversized production.
The shortlist brings together work from markets including the United States, Sweden, Belgium, Japan, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Italy and Mainland China. This geographic range confirms gaming’s global role as a creative language for brands, agencies, platforms, developers, communities and organisations.
Among the agencies and creative companies represented are NOMADIC, Uncommon Creative Studio Stockholm, DAVID New York, AKQA Brussels, Whatever Tokyo, BBDO Chicago, Africa Creative São Paulo, Edelman London, Havas Play Paris, BETC Paris, McCann London, Sid Lee Toronto, Ogilvy Milan, TBWAChicago and McCann Shanghai. The range of companies confirms that gaming is attracting creative agencies, entertainment specialists, technology partners, PR teams, production companies and cultural strategists.
Entertainment Lions for Gaming 2026 arrives at a decisive moment for the industry, as brands seek to connect with audiences that do not consume advertising passively, but expect interactive experiences, participation, authenticity and real value in the spaces where they play, stream and gather.
With this shortlist, Cannes Lions 2026 confirms that gaming is no longer a secondary channel within branded entertainment. It is a cultural, social, technological and commercial platform where ideas must respect communities, understand behaviours and contribute meaningfully to the gaming experience.
The 2026 Entertainment Lions for Gaming shortlist shows that the strongest gaming ideas do not simply appear inside a game: they become part of its culture. In this category, the most powerful creativity is the kind that plays by the community’s rules, adds value and turns interaction into a memorable brand experience.
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