adminMichael French MBE is among the games industry figures recognised in the 2026 New Year Honours List. The award acknowledges his work across games, inclusion and charity, including his leadership of Games London and contributions to initiatives that support the industry.
Why Michael French received an MBE
French was recognised for services to the games industry, inclusion and charity. His work includes launching the Game Changer initiative, helping to devise the Ensemble exhibition and supporting the video games charity GamesAid.
He also developed and runs the GamesAid Gala Night, which has raised more than £50,000 to date. For readers interested in the charitable side of the games sector, the gala is an example of how industry events can help raise funds for a good cause.
Michael French MBE and his career in games
French entered the games industry in 2002 at publisher Intent Media. He began as an editorial assistant at the trade paper MCV and became its deputy editor the following year.
After a short period at Future Publishing, he returned to Intent Media. He went on to edit Develop and, in 2008, became editor-in-chief of both MCV and Develop. In 2013, he was promoted to publisher of the two games brands.
French left the publisher in 2015 to lead Games London. In 2016, he launched the London Games Festival. The event supports more than 1,000 companies and has been credited with creating close to 900 jobs and generating £90 million in business.
The 2025 edition attracted 102,000 attendees. Among them were 5,000 people from the games industries of 31 countries, reflecting the festival’s reach beyond the UK. For companies and professionals planning to attend, the figures offer a sense of the event’s scale and international audience.
French’s response to the honour
French described receiving the MBE as a major personal honour and recognition for an industry he cares deeply about. He also noted that the award followed 10 years of Games London and the London Games Festival, as well as three years of the Game Changer programme.
He credited the colleagues and collaborators who worked with him on the projects connected to the honour, emphasising that these milestones were achieved through shared effort.
Other games industry honours
Several other people from the video games industry have received honours in recent years. MBE recipients include Game Dev Heroes co-founder Alex Boucher, Wales Interactive co-founder David Banner, Blippar co-founder Jessica Butcher, PlayMob’s Jude Ower, SpecialEffect chief Dr Mick Donegan and Team17 co-founder Debbie Beswick.
Former Ukie CEO Dr Jo Twist received an OBE in 2016, as did Ubisoft’s Giselle Elizabeth Stewart. TIGA CEO Richard Wilson received an OBE in 2017. Sir Ian Livingstone was knighted in 2022 after previously receiving an OBE and CBE. In 2024, Jason and Chris Kingsley received CBEs, having been awarded OBEs 12 years earlier.
What Michael French’s MBE recognises
The Michael French MBE award recognises work that spans publishing, industry development, inclusion and charitable fundraising. His career also illustrates how festivals and collaborative programmes can create opportunities, connect international communities and support the wider games sector.
