The members of game – The German Games Industry Association elect new Executive Board

Berlin, 9 June 2026 – The members of game – The German Games Industry Association elected a new Executive Board today at their annual general assembly in Berlin, as part of the regular election cycle. Three of the previous five board members did not stand for re-election due to professional changes. Lars Janssen (Deck13 Interactive), who has served on the game board since 2018, was re-elected as Chairman of the Executive Board. Maxi Graeff (Microsoft) is the new Deputy Chair. Benedikt Grindel (Ubisoft Blue Byte) and Sandro Heuberger (Toukana Interactive) were newly elected to the board. Clemens Mayer-Wegelin (Nintendo), who has served on the game board since 2024, was also re-elected.

Lars Janssen, Chairman of the game Executive Board: ‘I would like to thank game’s members very warmly for their renewed trust. Over the past few years, we have achieved a lot as game, from the continued development of gamescom to the framework conditions for games companies in Germany. If we want to close the gap even further as an international games location, major tasks still lie ahead of us, such as the introduction of tax breaks for games. As Chairman, I want to continue to champion this with full conviction. I would particularly like to thank Julia Pfiffer, Johanna Janiszewski and Ralf Wirsing, with whom it has been a great pleasure to work on the game board over the past two years.’

Maxi Graeff, Deputy Chair: ‘My thanks go to all game members for electing me. The games industry is currently going through challenging times. That makes it all the more important to have an association that speaks with one voice and stands up firmly for the industry’s interests. This is something I want to contribute to on the game board, along with the continued development of gamescom and the topic of diversity.’

An overview of game’s members is available here: www.game.de/en/members/
Information about game membership is available here: www.game.de/en/becoming-a-member/

game – The German Games Industry Association

We are the association of the German games industry. Our members represent the entire video game ecosystem, from development studios and publishers to esports event organisers, educational institutions and other related entities. We are co-organisers of gamescom, the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. We are a shareholder in the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK), the Foundation for Digital Games Culture, the esports player foundation, game events and the collecting society VHG, as well as co-host of the German Computer Game Awards. Serving as a central point of contact for media, as well as political and social institutions, we provide comprehensive expertise in areas including market development, game culture and media literacy, and address any inquiries or concerns. Together we are making Germany the heart of gaming worldwide. With games, we enrich the lives of all people.

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