Hendrik Lesser has once again been chosen to lead the European Games Developer Federation (EGDF), confirming his second term as president as the association reveals its new board for the 2026‑2028 period. The announcement also noted the departure of two prominent figures in the European gaming community: David Rabineau, chief executive officer of Homo Ludens, and Gediminas Tarasevicius, studio director at No Brakes Games, who have both stepped down from their board positions.
The refreshed EGDF board now comprises a diverse group of industry veterans and representatives from a range of national and regional gaming bodies: - **Martine Spaans** – Chief Operating Officer at Fourth Moon Games and General Manager of the Dutch Games Association, bringing a blend of studio leadership and national industry advocacy. - **KooPee Hiltunen** – Director of the Neogames Finland Association, tasked with championing Finnish developers on the European stage. - **Per Strömbäck** – Board member of the Gaming Culture Foundation and participant in the Stockholm Region Business Council, offering insight into cultural policy and regional business development. - **Hrvoje Mitic** – Head of Business Development at GamesCo., Secretary‑General of the Croatian Game Development Alliance, and founder of Splitscreen Croatia, providing a strategic perspective on Central and Eastern European markets.
- **Jakub Marszalkowski** – Head of the Games Industry Conference, co‑founder and board member of the Indie Games Poland Foundation, adding expertise in event organization and indie ecosystem support. - **Vanessa Kaplan** – Director General of the Syndicat National du Jeu Vidéo, representing the French video‑game sector and its regulatory environment. These six individuals, together with President Lesser, form a board that reflects the geographic and functional breadth of Europe’s gaming sector, from indie studios and national associations to larger commercial enterprises and cultural institutions.
**Strategic Priorities for 2026‑2028** The EGDF has laid out a clear agenda for the next two years, centred on three core pillars: enhancing developers’ access to financing, expanding the talent pool, and strengthening skill development pathways. The federation describes its mission as creating "a route to the top of the value chain" for European game creators, meaning that studios of all sizes should be able to move from concept to market with greater ease and support. 1. **Funding Access** – The EGDF plans to negotiate with European Union bodies, national governments, and private investors to secure dedicated funds for game development projects.
This includes establishing grant programmes, co‑investment schemes, and matchmaking events that connect developers with potential financiers. 2.
**Talent Acquisition and Retention** – Recognising the shortage of specialised skills in areas such as programming, art, narrative design, and audio, the federation will work with educational institutions, vocational schools, and apprenticeship networks to create pipelines that feed talent directly into the industry. Initiatives may involve scholarship programmes, mentorship schemes, and cross‑border talent exchange programmes.
3. **Skills Development** – To keep pace with rapid technological change, EGDF will sponsor workshops, master‑classes, and certification courses covering emerging topics like real‑time rendering, cloud‑based multiplayer infrastructure, and, notably, artificial intelligence (AI) integration in game design. In a statement, the EGDF emphasized its role as a monitor and facilitator of the European game‑industry ecosystem.
It pledged to deepen collaboration with studios across the continent, amplify the sector’s visibility on the global stage, and act as a conduit for policy dialogue between developers and regulators. **AI as a Strategic Frontier** One of the most forward‑looking goals highlighted by the federation is its ambition to become the first AI‑driven European trade association. The gaming sector has long been a testing ground for AI technologies—ranging from procedural content generation to player‑behaviour analytics—and the EGDF aims to harness these tools to improve its own operations and to provide member studios with best‑practice guidelines on ethical AI use. By integrating AI into its internal processes—such as data collection, trend analysis, and member services—the association hopes to set a benchmark for other industry groups.
**Industry Context and Recent Data** The board’s strategic outlook is underpinned by recent market data released jointly by the EGDF and Video Games Europe (VGE) in the European Video Game Industry Insights Report 2024. According to the report, the European games market generated a turnover of €24 billion in 2024, a figure that underscores the sector’s economic significance.
The industry comprises more than 6,600 studios, employing upwards of 95,000 professionals across a wide spectrum of roles, from creative artists and programmers to marketing specialists and business developers. These numbers illustrate both the scale and the potential for growth.
While the turnover is impressive, the report also points to challenges such as uneven access to capital across regions, talent shortages in certain technical domains, and the need for stronger international branding to compete with North American and Asian markets. **Looking Ahead** With Hendrik Lesser at the helm for another term, the EGDF is positioned to act as a unifying voice for European developers. The newly appointed board members bring complementary expertise that should enable the federation to address funding gaps, nurture a skilled workforce, and promote innovative technologies like AI. By fostering closer ties between national associations, educational bodies, and private investors, the EGDF hopes to create a more resilient and globally competitive European game‑development landscape.
In summary, the 2026‑2028 board’s composition and the federation’s articulated priorities signal a proactive approach to tackling the sector’s most pressing issues. The emphasis on AI, combined with concrete plans for financing and talent development, suggests that the EGDF intends not only to sustain the current growth trajectory but also to drive the European games industry toward new heights of creativity, profitability, and international influence.