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Galaxies Showcase stands out by treating a games showcase as a viewing product rather than an open-ended conference: a polished studio presentation, a tightly selected mix of indie and double-A games, and a main program capped at about one hour. Founder Chris Thomas built it around a simple rule—viewers should not wait long for the next game they might care about—while a mix of paid and free placements is intended to finance exposure for smaller developers.
The format has produced encouraging reported results, including a second-year spring audience that more than doubled and an average gain of 17,731 wishlists for featured games, according to data cited by a 2026 GamesIndustry.biz profile. Those figures show traction, not proof that Galaxies alone caused every increase.
What is the Galaxies Showcase?
A twice-yearly, one-hour presentation
Galaxies runs twice a year, following an April/October rhythm. The fourth showcase was scheduled to debut on 15 October 2026. Its main program is limited to one hour or less and moves from trailer to trailer without developer interviews or separate discussion segments.
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A middle position in the market
Thomas places Galaxies between low-budget collaborative indie showcases and the much larger, more expensive events mounted by platforms or top-tier publishers. The lineup is intended to include indie and double-A projects while retaining a premium presentation standard.
Why Galaxies is different from a long conference
Runtime is a design constraint
Thomas says he wanted to make “the show that I would need to watch,” one “which is one that’s respectful of your time.” His practical rule is that if a viewer does not care about a particular game, they should wait no more than 59 seconds before another title appears.
That constraint changes how the program is edited. There are no long stretches of stage conversation, launch-window filler or genre-specific blocks that require viewers to sit through material they did not choose. The value proposition is fast discovery: many distinct games, each given a short chance to make an impression.
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Curation instead of an open submissions reel
Ari Raad curates the games and balances the genres. Free editorial inclusions sit alongside paid placements, but the number of paying clients affects how much room remains for unpaid selections. Thomas says the priority is a balanced show rather than one overloaded with a single category.
Premium production without platform scale
Galaxies aims for the visual and audio finish of a major broadcast while keeping the scope narrower than a platform conference. That lets it present smaller studios in a setting that feels substantial without requiring every featured game to come from a major publisher.
How the discovery and payment model works
Paid and free slots share one program
Galaxies mixes commercial placements with curated, non-paid appearances. The public descriptions do not publish a fixed rate card, a self-serve submission form or standard package terms, so developers should treat participation, pricing and eligibility as questions for the organizers.
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Thomas’s cross-subsidy goal
Thomas describes the model as a way for better-funded partners to underwrite access for studios that cannot afford a showcase placement: “We want the people who have budgets and money, the people who are succeeding and doing well, to pay for the indies and the solo devs who are never going to afford to be in a show.”
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That is a stated business objective, not an independently audited allocation formula. The available profile does not disclose how many slots are paid, how many are free, or how fees are calculated.
Co-streaming extends reach
The first event streamed exclusively on Twitch, where Thomas already knew the platform and had no established YouTube relationship. IGN co-streamed the debut. A signup form eventually produced 120 Twitch co-streamers by the end of that first show. Thomas says Asmongold later co-streamed it, helping the event reach about 23,000 concurrent viewers and prompting follow-up interest from publishers and a YouTube representative.
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What the reported numbers show—and what they do not
| Measure | Reported result | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Spring showcase audience | More than doubled in the second year | Reported by a 2026 GamesIndustry.biz profile; social clips were excluded. |
| Average wishlist gain for featured games | +17,731 | GameDiscoverCo data cited by the profile; the article does not provide methodology, sample definition, confidence interval or an independent audit. |
| Debut concurrent viewers | About 23,000 | Chris Thomas’s account, as reported in the profile, after an Asmongold co-stream. |
| Debut co-streamers | 120 | Chris Thomas’s account of the signup total by the end of the first show. |
| New games arriving on Steam each year | Roughly 15,000 | Approximation cited in a 2025 Galaxies press release to describe the discoverability problem. |
The 17,731 figure is best read as an industry data point associated with games shown on Galaxies. Without a counterfactual group or a published methodology, it cannot establish that Galaxies caused every wishlist increase; launches, festivals, advertising, creator coverage and other factors may also contribute.
How the showcase began
Experience in sales and streaming
Thomas founded Galaxies after a decade leading game sales at Twitch, following earlier sales roles at GameSpot UK and Videogamer. He drew on former-colleague relationships, including Jane Douglas and DoubleJump producer Seb Ford, while Raad handled game curation.
A bootstrapped first event
Thomas says he had just enough money left to record the first show in a small Croydon studio. CohhCarnage was the only paid co-streamer; other creators joined because they supported the idea. He has described the launch as “a big gamble.”
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The early distribution strategy demonstrates why creator co-streaming matters to this format: a compact central broadcast can be multiplied across many channels without turning the main program into a longer event.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is Galaxies worth considering for a developer or publisher?
Potential advantages for a publisher with a marketing budget
- A short, professionally produced appearance can deliver a clear trailer moment without competing with hours of conference programming.
- A curated genre mix may put a game beside projects with a compatible audience rather than in an undifferentiated submissions reel.
- Co-streaming can add creator-led distribution beyond the primary broadcast.
Questions a smaller studio should ask first
- Is the slot paid, free or editorially selected, and what determines that classification?
- What audience, regional reach and co-streaming commitments are included?
- What trailer format, footage deadline, ratings information and store links are required?
- How will performance be reported after the show, and will wishlist data be separated from other campaigns?
No public source in the profile verifies an affiliate, referral, commission, cookie or self-serve submission program. Any proposal involving those terms should be confirmed directly with Galaxies before a contract or payment.
What viewers can expect from the fourth showcase
The fourth event was scheduled for 15 October 2026, consistent with the April/October cadence described in the profile. The durable expectation is a main program of approximately one hour, trailer-led pacing, no developer-interview segments and a blend of paid and curated games. Specific participating titles and any commercial terms are time-sensitive and should be checked against the organizer’s current announcement.
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| Format | Runtime approach | Curation | Production position | Commercial model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxies Showcase | Main program capped at about one hour | Controlled mix of paid and free selections | Premium studio presentation for indie and double-A games | Paid placements intended to help support free exposure |
| Long platform or publisher conference | Often longer, with stage segments and multiple blocks | Usually centered on one platform or publisher’s priorities | Large-scale event production | Typically funded by the platform or publisher |
| Low-budget digital collaboration | Varies; may run longer as more submissions are added | Can be broad or community-led | Lower-cost presentation | Often volunteer, sponsorship or participation based |
Galaxies’ distinct proposition is the combination of all four choices: a fixed viewing time, active editorial filtering, broadcast-level presentation and a transparent acknowledgement that paid participation helps finance the program.
Quick Recap
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