German Games Industry Association elects new executive board as Lars Janssen retains chair role

• Benedikt Grindel and Sandro Heuberger joined the board as newly elected members.
• Three of the previous five board members did not seek re-election following professional changes.
• Janssen identified tax breaks for games as a major priority for Germany’s games industry.

Members of the German Games Industry Association (game) have elected a new executive board during the organisation’s annual general assembly in Berlin.

Three of the association’s previous five board members did not seek re-election following professional changes, marking the latest leadership transition under its regular election cycle.

Lars Janssen of Deck13 Interactive was re-elected as chairman of the executive board, extending a tenure that began in 2018 while Maxi Graeff of Microsoft was elected deputy chair.

Benedikt Grindel of Ubisoft Blue Byte and Sandro Heuberger of Toukana Interactive joined the board as newly elected members. Clemens Mayer-Wegelin of Nintendo, who joined the board in 2024, was also re-elected.

Closing the gap 

Speaking after the vote, Janssen thanked members for their continued confidence and pointed to achievements made by the association in recent years.

“I would like to thank game’s members very warmly for their renewed trust," said Janssen. “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."

Deputy chair Maxi Graeff commented: “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."