The European Games Developer Federation (EGDF) has confirmed that Hendrik Lesser will continue at the helm as its president, following his re‑election at the organization’s recent governance meeting. In the same session the federation unveiled the composition of its new board of directors for the 2026‑2028 term, signalling a fresh strategic direction for the continent’s game‑development community. Two notable departures were announced alongside the new appointments.
David Rabineau, the chief executive officer of Homo Ludens, and Gediminas Tarasevicius, studio director at No Brakes Games, have stepped down from their previous roles within EGDF’s leadership structure. Their exits make room for a slate of experienced professionals drawn from a variety of national associations, industry bodies and commercial studios. The freshly constituted board now includes: - **Martine Spaans** – currently serving as Chief Operating Officer at Fourth Moon Games and also holding the position of General Manager at the Dutch Games Association.
Her dual experience in studio operations and national advocacy equips her to bridge the gap between creators and policy makers. - **KooPee Hiltunen** – director of the Neogames Finland Association, bringing deep insight into the Nordic development ecosystem and a strong network of Finnish studios. - **Per Strömbäck** – a board member of the Gaming Culture Foundation and a participant in the Stockholm Region Business Council, offering a blend of cultural‑policy expertise and regional economic development knowledge. - **Hrvoje Mitic** – head of business development at GamesCo., secretary‑general of the Croatian Game Development Alliance, and founder of Splitscreen Croatia.
His background spans business growth, alliance building and community‑driven events. - **Jakub Marszalkowski** – head of the Games Industry Conference, co‑founder and board member of the Indie Games Poland Foundation, providing a perspective that combines event organization, indie advocacy and cross‑border collaboration. - **Vanessa Kaplan** – director‑general of the Syndicat National du Jeu Vidéo, representing the French video‑game sector and bringing a strong voice from one of Europe’s largest markets. Together, these six individuals form a board that reflects a broad geographic spread—from the Low Countries to the Balkans, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean—ensuring that EGDF’s policies and initiatives will be informed by a wide array of regional realities.
In its strategic outline for the 2026‑2028 period, EGDF has articulated a clear set of priorities aimed at strengthening the European game‑development value chain. Central to the agenda is the promise to create "a route to the top of the value chain" for developers, meaning that smaller studios and independent creators will receive more concrete pathways to scale their operations, access higher‑value publishing deals, and participate in international distribution networks. Key pillars of the plan include: 1.
**Enhanced Access to Funding** – EGDF will work closely with European Union cultural funds, national grant programmes and private investors to simplify application processes and increase the visibility of funding opportunities. The federation intends to publish a regularly updated funding‑calendar and to host matchmaking events where developers can pitch directly to financiers. 2. **Talent Development and Skills Training** – Recognising that the industry’s growth is tightly linked to a skilled workforce, EGDF will launch a series of pan‑European training initiatives.
These will range from short‑term bootcamps on emerging technologies such as real‑time ray tracing and procedural content generation, to longer academic partnerships that embed game‑design curricula within universities and vocational schools. 3. **Cross‑Border Collaboration** – By facilitating joint‑development projects and co‑production agreements, the federation hopes to reduce fragmentation across national markets. Dedicated legal‑toolkits and template contracts will be made available to help studios navigate cross‑jurisdictional issues such as IP ownership and tax incentives.
4. **Visibility and Advocacy** – EGDF will amplify the European game sector’s voice on the global stage through targeted public‑relations campaigns, participation in major trade shows, and the production of annual industry insight reports.
The aim is to position Europe not only as a prolific creator of games but also as a leader in innovative business models and sustainable development practices. 5.
**Artificial‑Intelligence Integration** – Acknowledging that the gaming sector is at the forefront of AI adoption—whether for procedural level design, player‑behaviour analytics, or automated testing—the federation has set an ambitious goal to become the first AI‑focused European trade association. This will involve establishing an AI‑ethics working group, curating best‑practice guidelines, and fostering collaborations with research institutions to ensure that AI tools are used responsibly and effectively.
The federation’s public statement reinforced these objectives, emphasizing that EGDF will continue to monitor the health of the European game‑industry ecosystem, nurture stronger ties with development studios across the continent, and raise the profile of European games in worldwide markets. "Our mandate is to act as a catalyst for growth, to remove barriers that hinder creative ambition, and to champion the unique cultural contributions that European developers bring to the medium," the statement read.
In parallel with the board announcement, EGDF and Video Games Europe (VGE) released the European Video Game Industry Insights Report 2024. The report highlighted a robust economic performance for the sector, noting a turnover of €24 billion in 2024.
More than 6,600 studios were counted across the continent, collectively employing upwards of 95,000 individuals. These figures underscore the sector’s significance as a major employer and a driver of digital innovation within the European economy. The insights from the report will feed directly into EGDF’s policy work.
By analysing regional growth patterns, investment trends and talent pipelines, the federation aims to tailor its support programmes to the specific needs of different markets—whether that means bolstering the thriving indie scene in Poland, supporting the high‑tech development hubs in Sweden, or nurturing emerging ecosystems in the Balkans. Overall, the re‑election of Hendrik Lesser and the appointment of a diverse, experienced board signal continuity combined with fresh energy. As the European games industry continues to expand its global footprint, EGDF’s renewed focus on funding access, skill development, cross‑border cooperation and AI integration positions it to play a pivotal role in shaping the next decade of interactive entertainment across Europe.