Hendrik Lesser has secured a second term as president of the European Games Developer Federation (EGDF), coinciding with the unveiling of the organisation’s new governing 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 of the Homo Ludens collective, and Gediminas Tarasevicius, studio director at No Brakes Games, who have stepped away from their board responsibilities. The refreshed EGDF board now brings together a diverse group of industry leaders and representatives from a range of national and regional game associations.
The members are: - **Martine Spaans** – Chief Operating Officer at Fourth Moon Games and General Manager of the Dutch Games Association, bringing extensive experience in both studio operations and national advocacy. - **KooPee Hiltunen** – Director of the Neogames Finland Association, tasked with championing Finnish developers and fostering cross‑border collaboration.
- **Per Strömbäck** – Board member of the Gaming Culture Foundation and participant in the Stockholm Region Business Council, offering insight 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 strong network across Central and Eastern Europe. - **Jakub Marszalkowski** – Head of the Games Industry Conference, co‑founder and board member of the Indie Games Poland Foundation, known for organising high‑impact industry events and supporting indie creators.
- **Vanessa Kaplan** – Director General of the Syndicat National du Jeu Vidéo, representing French developers and advocating for regulatory and funding frameworks. The board’s composition reflects EGDF’s strategic intent to balance representation from large, mid‑size, and independent studios across the continent, while also integrating voices from both established markets and emerging game development hubs. In its forward‑looking agenda, EGDF has laid out a two‑year plan centred on three core pillars: enhancing developers’ position within the value chain, expanding access to financial resources, and strengthening the talent pipeline and skill development mechanisms. The federation describes its mission as providing "a route to the top of the value chain," meaning that developers—whether small indie teams or larger studios—should have clearer pathways to secure publishing deals, attract investment, and reach global audiences without being bottlenecked by intermediaries.
To achieve these objectives, EGDF intends to launch a series of initiatives: 1. **Funding Access Programs** – Working closely with European Union cultural funds, national grant agencies, and private investors to create transparent, application‑friendly financing schemes. The federation will also pilot a matching‑funds model where public money is complemented by private capital, encouraging co‑investment in promising projects.
2. **Talent Development Hubs** – Establishing regional training centres that deliver specialised curricula in game design, programming, art, and production.
These hubs will partner with universities, technical schools, and industry veterans to ensure curricula stay aligned with current market needs and emerging technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and cloud‑based multiplayer infrastructures. 3. **Skill‑Sharing Networks** – Launching a pan‑European mentorship platform that connects seasoned developers with emerging studios.
The platform will facilitate knowledge exchange on topics ranging from agile development practices to monetisation strategies and post‑launch live‑ops management. 4. **AI Integration Roadmap** – Recognising that the gaming sector is at the forefront of artificial‑intelligence adoption, EGDF has set an ambitious target to become the first AI‑focused European trade association.
This will involve publishing best‑practice guidelines for ethical AI use in game design, supporting research collaborations with AI labs, and advocating for regulatory frameworks that protect creators while encouraging innovation. The federation emphasised that its role extends beyond advocacy; it will act as a monitoring body for the health of the European game ecosystem, tracking market trends, investment flows, and regulatory changes.
By maintaining a close dialogue with both public institutions and private enterprises, EGDF aims to shape policies that enhance the competitiveness of European games on the world stage. "The EGDF will continue to monitor 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 organisation’s statement read. This commitment underscores a dual focus on internal industry cohesion and external perception, seeking to position Europe as a hub of creative and technological excellence.
In addition to its internal agenda, EGDF recently collaborated with Video Games Europe (VGE) to release the European Video Game Industry Insights Report 2024. The report provides a comprehensive snapshot of the sector’s economic impact, revealing that the European games industry generated €24 billion in turnover during 2024. It also highlighted that more than 6,600 studios were active across the continent, employing upwards of 95 000 individuals in roles spanning development, publishing, marketing, and support services. These figures illustrate the sector’s rapid growth and its significance as a major employer and exporter of cultural content.
The insights report further identified key trends such as the rise of live‑service models, increased investment in cross‑platform experiences, and the growing importance of sustainability and diversity initiatives within development teams. Looking ahead, EGDF plans to leverage the data from the insights report to tailor its support programmes, ensuring that funding, talent development, and AI initiatives are aligned with the most pressing needs of developers. By doing so, the federation hopes to not only sustain the current momentum but also to catalyse the next wave of European games that can compete globally, innovate technologically, and enrich cultural narratives.
In summary, the re‑election of Hendrik Lesser and the appointment of a new, geographically diverse board signal a renewed commitment to fostering a vibrant, well‑funded, and technologically advanced European gaming landscape. Through targeted funding mechanisms, robust talent pipelines, and a pioneering AI strategy, EGDF aims to empower developers to climb higher on the value chain, secure the resources they need, and showcase European creativity to the world.