Chris Hewish, President at Xsolla © Christer Berg People Chris Hewish, President at Xsolla, Reflects on 2025 and Looks Ahead to 2026 How do game industry executives look back at 2025 and what do they think about 2026? We spoke to Chris Hewish, President at Xsolla, to find out. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Dr. Anika Thun, CEO of Kalypso Media Group GmbH; © Kalypso Media Insights Dr Anika Thun of Kalypso Media Reflects on 2025 and Looks Ahead to 2026 How do game industry executives look back at 2025 and what do they think about 2026? We spoke to Dr. Anika Thun, CEO of Kalypso Media Group GmbH, to find out. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
CEO Maria Chyrvona on stage at DevGAMM Lisbon 2025 (DevGAMM) People G+ Interview: Why DevGAMM Breaks Into MENA Not only was DevGAMM Lisbon 2025 the biggest conference in Europe so far, the organisers are breaking new ground with a Dubai event in 2026. We spoke to Maria Chyrvona about the trajectory, her first two years as CEO and entering under-served markets. By Pascal Wagner • 8 min read
People Safe In Our World Introduces New Ambassadors From 80 applications, Safe In Our World, which advocates mental health awareness in the video game industry, has introduced its new ambassador class for 2026, including two from the GSA region. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Leon Janßen is the new president of E-Sport Verband Bayern. Sandra Bloy has announced her retirement yesterday. (E-Sport Verband Bayern) People Leon Janßen is New President of the Bavarian Esports Association Sandra Bloy has retired as President of the E-Sport Verband Bavaria, her and the Digital Ministry announced yesterday. Her successor is Leon Janßen, former Organisational VP. Daria Cimpanu holds that position now. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
People Oliver Kaltner Hands Over CEO Role at Cherry With his current contract coming to an end, Cherry CEO Oliver Kaltner is moving into a consulting role. Rogier Volmer will take over as interim CEO on January 1, as Cherry enters a crucial phase. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
People Womenize! Inspiring Stories: Patty Toledo In their weekly interview series Womenize! features inspirational, diverse people who work in the games and tech industry, to share their experiences, give valuable advice and talk about their projects. In cooperation with Womenize! and Madeleine Egger, GamesMarkt is republishing these inspirations. By Madeleine Egger • 2 min read
Avni Yerli and Hannes Seifert lead Crytek as Co-CEOs People Crytek Founder and CEO Avni Yerli Brings Hannes Seifert on Board as Co-CEO Hannes Seifert will be joining the Frankfurt-based studio Crytek on January 1. Seifert will share responsibility as co-CEO with founder and CEO Avni Yerli and will expand the management team, which also includes Christopher Schmitz (COO), Clive Gratton (CTO), and Volker Vorbrodt (CFO). By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
People Room 8 Group Welcomes Eugene Evans as Member of Its Advisory Board External game development studio Room 8 Group has won Eugene Evans, an experienced industry veteran, to join its advisory board. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Michelle Zou has been appointed to head the AviaGames German subsidiary, overseeing market expansion and investment initiatives across Europe People Michelle Zou Establishes European Subsidiary of AviaGames in Hamburg AviaGames sets its sights on the European market and establishes a base in Hamburg. The new branch will be headed by Michelle Zou, former CEO of Bigpoint. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Katsuhiro Harada, General Manager of the BNS Original IP games projects, worked on Tekken for the past 31 years © Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons People Katsuhiro Harada Is Leaving Bandai Namco He was the personal and public figurehead of the Tekken series like no other. Katsuhiro Harada (General Manager of the BNS Original IP games projects) has now announced that he will be leaving Bandai Namco Entertainment after 31 years. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Dutch Game Association Sokpop's Grunn is Dutch Game of the Year 2025 The only double winner of the evening, Sokpop Collective took home the Dutch Game Award 2025 for Best Game and Best Game Design from the Dutch Games Association. The award also honoured attorney René Otto and Engine Software's Ivo Wubbels, among others. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
