Backseat Gaming attends SBC Summit 2026 with expanded commercial team

The slot studio, which completed a two-year in-house remote gaming server (RGS) build earlier this month, will use the Lisbon show to introduce three new senior hires to the market.

Independent slot studios building their own RGS infrastructure — rather than licensing third-party technology — represent a growing segment of the B2B supply chain, giving studios direct control over their release cadence and product roadmap. Backseat Gaming’s arrival at SBC Summit 2026 comes less than three weeks after it publicly confirmed that transition, making the Lisbon show its commercial debut as a fully self-sufficient developer.

Debut outing as an independent supplier

Backseat Gaming will attend SBC Summit 2026 in Lisbon as a fully independent developer for the first time, with the studio’s commercial team set to meet operators and distribution partners across the three-day show. The appearance follows the studio’s formal independence announcement on 9 September 2026 — just six days before this release — when it confirmed that its proprietary remote gaming server (RGS) had completed a two-year in-house development and testing programme and is now live.

Founded in 2023, Backseat Gaming operates a weekly release schedule and already has content live across a range of operator platforms, including through a distribution arrangement with aggregator Hub88. Titles currently in the portfolio include Born in Hell, Toad Town, and Totem Tower Bonanza.

New hires to represent the studio in Lisbon

The delegation attending SBC Summit 2026, which runs from 29 September to 1 October at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and the MEO Arena, will be led by Debbie Cooper, Head of Commercial Operations. She will be joined by three recent additions to the business: Kristina Hambardzumyan, Head of Business Development; Graeme Savill, Head of Business Development — Emerging Markets; and Kristeena Haidon, Senior Account Manager.

Debbie Cooper, Head of Commercial Operations, Backseat Gaming, commented on the news:

‘This strategy allows us to respond quickly to partner needs and deliver the kind of games players genuinely want to engage with. It also gives us the flexibility to tailor our release schedule and portfolio strategy to support long-term partner success.’

Cooper added that the studio has welcomed several experienced individuals in recent months and that SBC Summit Lisbon will provide an opportunity to introduce them to existing and prospective partners in person.

Studio strategy and market context

Backseat Gaming’s move to full technological independence — removing reliance on any third-party RGS provider — places it among a cohort of boutique slot studios that have chosen to own their core infrastructure rather than lease it. Operating a proprietary RGS gives the studio direct control over certification timelines, feature development, and game-engine performance, factors that can affect both release cadence and operator integrations.

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