Convention Coverage

GDC Festival of Gaming 2026

GDC Festival of Gaming (rebranded for the first time from "Game Developers Conference") took place in San Francisco, CA, on March 9–13, 2026, at the Moscone Center.

Unlike many other conventions that Neopets attends, GDC is more of an "industry" conference, meaning most attendees are there on professional business. As such, Neopets did not publicly announce its attendance in advance.

Neopets Presentation

Neopets hosted a speaking session on Wednesday, March 11, from 11:50am to 12:20pm. The session was run by Dominic Law a.k.a. TNT Dom, the current CEO of Neopets.

The title of the session was "'Neopets': From Web-Browser to Everywhere". GDC categorizes their talks into high-level thematic "tracks." The Neopets talk was listed under the Business Strategy and Discovery and Marketing tracks. The official listing included a description, takeaway, and intended audience:

Dominic Law, CEO of Neopets, shares the transformation of one of the internet's longest-running virtual worlds into a modern, multi-platform gaming and entertainment ecosystem. For over 26 years, Neopets has captured the imagination of multiple generations – but aging technology and limited platform reach threatened its survival. Dominic details how the team rebuilt the game's core infrastructure, coordinated physical and digital product launches, and reignited fan engagement with "The Void Within," Neopets' first major plotline in over a decade. He also explores the forward-looking strategy behind expanding onto new platforms beyond the browser, designed to meet players where they are and attract new audiences. This session offers a rare look at revitalizing a nostalgic brand while preserving its heart – showcasing lessons in infrastructure modernization, transmedia storytelling, and community-driven design.

Takeaway
Attendees gain a practical blueprint for modernizing a legacy IP, integrating community feedback into product evolution, and creating synergy between digital and physical worlds. Dominic demonstrates how strategic platform diversification and coordinated brand storytelling can transform nostalgia into sustainable, multi-platform relevance.

Intended Audience
This session is for game developers, producers, brand managers, and transmedia storytellers interested in revitalizing legacy IPs or building cross-platform ecosystems. Prerequisite knowledge is not necessary.

TNT Dom also had a biographical blurb in GDC's listing of speakers:

Dominic Law, Neopets CEO, is a serial entrepreneur with a track record for creating successful and long-lasting digital experiences. His passion for Neopets began in childhood after moving to Hong Kong from Canada where the platform, as an early form of social media, offered him ways to stay connected with friends and fond memories of whimsical gameplay. Dominic focuses on the revitalization of Neopets' IP – from gameplay to real-world interactive brand experiences as well as licensing partnerships and retail merchandising strategy. As a firm believer in the need to infuse modernity into Neopets without sacrificing core tenets of the brand. He aspires to revive the game to its 2000s cultural phenomenon status.

Presentation Recording

A recording of the presentation may become available on the GDC Vault within a few weeks. If it is available, it may be behind a paywall. We'll update this section if a recording becomes widely available, as well as provide a summary recap.

Merch Preview

After his talk, TNT Dom handed out freebies of some Neopets keychains that will soon be released as official merch! These images were provided to Jellyneo by an attendee of the session.

These keychains have Rare Item Codes which can be redeemed at Grundo Warehouse for the following item:

This page was written by Kenny and last updated on March 15, 2026.