IAB PlayFronts brings the industry's biggest media buyers to New York to figure out where gaming fits into next year's plan, and this year, one number is impossible to ignore: only 2.4% of media spend reaches gaming, despite 67% of Americans playing every week.

Overwolf is bringing that gap to the stage. CMO Shahar Sorek and VP of Brand Partnerships Nathan Lindberg are presenting together on new proprietary research into why advertising lost its grip on gaming, and what closes it.

📆 Date: September 17, 2026

⏰ Time: 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM

📍 Location: New York

Speakers:

• Shahar Sorek, CMO, Overwolf
• Nathan Lindberg, VP of Brand Partnerships, Overwolf

Optimal Grip: Why Advertising Lost Its Grip on Gaming, and How to Get It Back

For most buyers, gaming is either too complicated to plan around or written off with "we already reach gamers on Meta." Neither holds up against the numbers. Shahar and Nathan walk through what happens when a brand holds gaming to the same standard it holds every other channel it buys.

This session focuses on:

• Why media dollars still follow legibility faster than they follow attention, and what that costs a brand in gaming specifically
• The Optimal Grip framework: four moves built from 100+ campaigns pressure-tested across two quarters of research with holdcos, independents, brands and decision-makers
• A first look at a new way for brands to find and understand their audience inside the games they play

Find out more and register here: IAB PlayFronts 2026.

About Overwolf Ads Overwolf is a world-leading gaming platform empowering brands and advertisers to reach over 113 million monthly gamers across hundreds of the world's biggest titles and premium gaming websites.

Ranked by Comscore as the #2 Biggest US Gaming Property, winner of ADWEEK's Top Ad Tech Company, Digiday's Best Gaming Ad Tech and The Drum's Best Platform/Tech Partner of the Year, Overwolf is trusted by global brands and agencies such as Universal Pictures, H&R Block, Netflix, Dodge, Nissan, KFC, WPP, Dentsu, Havas, The Trade Desk and more. 

For more information on Overwolf, visit www.overwolf.com/ads.