Stefan Heikhaus to be new Director of gamescom

Stefan Heikhaus is to be the next Director of gamescom at game – The German Games Industry Association. From mid-December he will be directing game’s efforts to continue the development of gamescom and its satellite and content formats, including gamescom asia and gamescomLAN. The world’s biggest event for games, which takes place every year at the end of August, brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to Cologne and is followed online by millions more worldwide. The 2023 event set numerous new records, once again expanding its major international presence. Stefan Heikhaus can look back on a long career as a marketing specialist. He had already spent many years in the games industry working for companies like Sony Interactive Entertainment and Ubisoft before continuing his career at technology companies such as Cisco and Microsoft. He succeeds Christian Baur, who left game at the end of October at his own request.

‘gamescom is tremendously important not only for us here at game, but for the entire games industry,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘It generates interest in our medium far beyond the world of games, making it clear year in and year out just how important games are as an economic factor, driver of innovation and cultural asset. Without gamescom, many of the successes achieved in the policy sphere in recent years – from the German government’s games strategy all the way to the introduction of federal games funding – would hardly have been possible at this speed. That’s why we’re so delighted that Stefan is taking the helm – a marketing expert who not only has extensive experience in the games industry, but in other related fields as well. He thus brings valuable perspectives which, together with our partner Koelnmesse, will be extremely valuable in the further development of gamescom, the satellite and content formats and the brand as a whole.’

‘I’m very excited about the opportunities that this position gives me to shape the ongoing development of gamescom, the world’s largest games event,’ says Stefan Heikhaus, Director of gamescom at game. ‘gamescom does more than set new standards for the dynamic games industry again and again – it’s also an outstanding event format that is closely followed by other industries around the globe. That’s because events like gamescom where everyone – from trade visitors to the community at large – meet, are of tremendous importance, even for digital media like games.’

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, devcom 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.