adminThe European Games Developer Federation (EGDF) has announced its 2026–2028 board, with Hendrik Lesser re-elected as president. For the coming two years, the federation says it will work to improve game developers’ access to funding, talent, and skills, while strengthening the European industry’s position in the global market.
Image credit: European Games Developer Federation
European Games Developer Federation board for 2026–2028
The newly announced board brings together representatives from games industry organisations and businesses across Europe. Two previous board members, Homo Ludens CEO David Rabineau and No Brakes Games studio director Gediminas Tarasevicius, have stepped down.
The board now consists of:
- Martine Spaans, COO of Fourth Moon Games and general manager of the Dutch Games Association
- KooPee Hiltunen, director of the Neogames Finland Association
- Per Strömbäck, board member of the Gaming Culture Foundation and member of the Stockholm Region Business Council
- Hrvoje Mitic, head of business development at GamesCo., secretary general of the Croatian Game Development Alliance, and founder of Splitscreen Croatia
- Jakub Marszalkowski, head of Games Industry Conference and co-founder and board member of the Indie Games Poland Foundation
- Vanessa Kaplan, director general of the Syndicat National du Jeu Vidéo
When reviewing the board announcement, it is useful to distinguish between the federation’s elected leadership and the organisations represented by individual board members. The listed roles indicate the range of industry and national associations involved in its work.
Funding, skills, and global visibility are priorities
The EGDF’s agenda is intended to help developers move further up the games industry value chain. The organisation has identified improved access to finance, skilled workers, and professional capabilities as areas of focus. These priorities address practical needs for studios at different stages of development, from building teams to supporting the growth of their businesses.
The federation also plans to monitor and support the development of Europe’s game industry ecosystem, deepen collaboration with European game development studios, and raise the sector’s visibility internationally. For developers following the organisation’s work, these goals offer a guide to the issues it expects to address during its 2026–2028 term.
EGDF sets an AI-related ambition
The association says the games sector is at the forefront of AI-based tools and technologies. In response, it has set a goal of becoming the first AI-based European trade association. This is an announced ambition; the statement does not provide further details about how the goal will be implemented.
European games industry figures in the 2024 report
Earlier in the same week, the EGDF and Video Games Europe (VGE) published the European Video Game Industry Insights Report 2024. According to the report, the European games industry generated €24 billion in turnover in 2024. It also counted more than 6,600 studios, which employed over 95,000 people.
These figures provide a broad overview of the sector’s scale. When using them for comparisons or planning, readers should refer to the report’s definitions and methodology, as measures such as turnover, studio counts, and employment depend on how the data is collected.
What the new term means for European developers
With Hendrik Lesser re-elected and the 2026–2028 board confirmed, the European Games Developer Federation has outlined a programme centred on access to resources, industry cooperation, and international recognition. Its progress on funding, talent, skills, and AI-related goals will be worth following throughout the term.
