Hendrik Lesser has once again been chosen to lead the European Games Developer Federation (EGDF), securing a second term as its president while the federation introduced its new board for the 2026‑2028 period. The leadership shuffle also saw two prominent figures step away from their board roles: David Rabineau, chief executive of Homo Ludens, and Gediminas Tarasevicius, studio director at No Brakes Games, both of whom have decided not to continue on the governing body. The freshly appointed EGDF board now brings together a diverse mix of industry veterans and representatives from key European gaming organisations.
The members are: - **Martine Spaans** – Chief operating officer at Fourth Moon Games and general manager of the Dutch Games Association, bringing a wealth of experience in both studio operations and national industry advocacy. - **KooPee Hiltunen** – Director of the Neogames Finland Association, tasked with championing Finnish developers and fostering cross‑border collaborations. - **Per Strömbäck** – Board member of the Gaming Culture Foundation and participant in the Stockholm Region Business Council, offering insights into cultural policy and regional economic 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 market expansion and partnership building. - **Jakub Marszalkowski** – Head of the Games Industry Conference, co‑founder and board member of the Indie Games Poland Foundation, known for his work in nurturing indie talent and organising industry events. - **Vanessa Kaplan** – Director general of the Syndicat National du Jeu Vidéo, representing French game developers and influencing national policy. The federation has laid out an ambitious agenda for the forthcoming biennium, centred on creating a clear "route to the top of the value chain" for European developers.
This vision translates into concrete actions aimed at improving access to three critical pillars: financing, skilled talent, and specialised training. **Funding pathways** – EGDF plans to act as an intermediary between developers and a growing pool of public and private capital sources.
By streamlining application processes, offering advisory services, and lobbying for more favorable tax incentives across member states, the federation hopes to lower the financial barriers that often prevent innovative projects from reaching market readiness. **Talent acquisition and development** – Recognising that the industry’s growth is tightly linked to the availability of qualified professionals, EGDF will launch a series of talent‑matching programmes. These will connect studios with universities, vocational schools and coding bootcamps, while also promoting mobility schemes that allow developers to work across borders without bureaucratic hindrances.
The aim is to build a pan‑European talent pool that can respond swiftly to emerging trends. **Skills and knowledge sharing** – To keep pace with rapid technological change, the federation will expand its educational offerings. This includes a revamped curriculum of workshops, webinars and mentorship schemes covering topics such as advanced game design, live‑ops management, and emerging technologies like virtual reality and blockchain. By fostering continuous learning, EGDF intends to equip developers with the competencies needed to compete on a global stage.
In a statement, the federation highlighted its commitment to monitoring and supporting the broader European game ecosystem. "The EGDF will continue to watch over and facilitate the development of the European game industry ecosystem, strengthen its collaboration with European game development studios, and increase the European game industry's global visibility," the organization declared. This reflects a strategic push to not only nurture domestic growth but also to elevate Europe’s profile in the worldwide market. A particularly forward‑looking component of EGDF’s roadmap is its ambition to become the first AI‑centric European trade association for games.
The federation notes that the gaming sector is often at the forefront of adopting artificial‑intelligence tools—from procedural content generation to player‑behavior analytics—and sees an opportunity to lead the conversation on responsible AI use, standards, and best practices within the industry. The announcement comes on the heels of the release of the European Video Game Industry Insights Report 2024, a joint effort by EGDF and Video Games Europe (VGE).
The report paints a robust picture of the continent’s gaming landscape, revealing that the sector generated approximately €24 billion in turnover during 2024. It also underscores the scale of employment, with more than 6,600 studios collectively employing over 95,000 individuals across Europe.
These figures not only demonstrate the economic weight of the industry but also highlight the potential impact of EGDF’s upcoming initiatives. By focusing on funding, talent, and skill development, and by positioning itself as a pioneer in AI integration, the European Games Developer Federation aims to create a more resilient, innovative, and internationally competitive game development community. The new board’s diverse expertise is expected to drive these goals forward, ensuring that European studios—big and small—can navigate the evolving market landscape, attract investment, and bring compelling experiences to players worldwide.