European Game Developers Foundation

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EGDF Mission Statement 2030

The EGDF Mission Statement 2030 envisions Europe as the global hub for ethical, inclusive, and high-quality game development, embedding games within everyday life, education, and culture. It calls for better funding, data harmonisation, talent pipelines, and cross-industry collaboration — situating games as a driver of the digital and cultural economy.

For OPENVERSE, EGDF provides the creative backbone and user-engagement layer of Europe’s virtual-world ecosystem. Collaboration would anchor OPENVERSE’s technical and infrastructural efforts within a human-centred, cultural, and educational narrative — ensuring that Europe’s virtual environments remain open, ethical, diverse, and culturally vibrant.

Basic Identification

• Initiative / Organisation: European Games Developer Federation (EGDF)
• Document Title: EGDF Mission Statement for 2030
• Publication Date: 2020 (adopted version dated 22 January 2020; updated September 2020)
• Governing Body / Association: EGDF – umbrella organisation for national game developer associations across Europe.
• Type: Industry Federation / Policy Advocacy Network.
• Website / Source: egdf.eu
• Scope: Sectoral roadmap and advocacy document representing European game studios, not a formal SRIA but equivalent in purpose.

Strategic Orientation

• Vision Statement:

“To make Europe the strongest, most creative and most inclusive video game development ecosystem in the world by 2030.”

• Core Mission / Objectives:

1. Foster growth and global competitiveness of European game studios.
2. Promote world-leading public funding instruments for game development.
3. Facilitate collaboration and best-practice sharing across national industries.
4. Advocate for policymaker awareness of games’ societal and economic value.
5. Ensure ethical, inclusive, and sustainable working conditions.
6. Strengthen European game education and lifelong learning.
7. Recognise games as a leading cultural medium of the 21st century.

• Key Pillars (as framed in the document):
  • The Strongest Industry: Support funding, data harmonisation, and policy dialogue.
  • The Best Talents: Diversity, inclusion, safe workplaces, and education reform.
  • The Best Games: Quality, sustainability, and cultural integration of gaming.
• Expected Outcomes:
  • Harmonised EU-level data and statistics for the games industry.
  • Enhanced mobility for global talent.
  • Recognition of games and eSports as core elements of European culture and economy.
  • Mainstream integration of gamified technologies across education, training, and marketing.
• Policy Alignment:

Creative Europe; Horizon Europe (Cluster 2 and Cluster 4); Digital Europe Programme; European Skills Agenda; The European Green Deal (through sustainable production practices).

Technological & Thematic Priorities

Domain / Theme	Focus Areas	Notes
Game Technology Innovation	Foster sustainable and ethical production pipelines, digital distribution models, and gamification tech integration across society	High relevance to immersive tech and XR
Talent & Skills	Promote gamedev education, reduce immigration barriers, ensure safe and inclusive work environments	Foundation for creative workforce mobility
Cultural Integration	Recognise games as core creative content, expand access to game culture and literacy	Aligns with EU cultural and digital identity goals
Data & Evidence	Establish harmonised EU-level industry statistics and data monitoring	Enables policymaking and funding optimisation
eSports & Gamification	Promote eSports as leading national sports and gamification for education and marketing	Expands games’ societal footprint

Cross-cutting Themes: Diversity and inclusion, sustainability, ethics, open collaboration, digital literacy.

Synergies: EIT Culture & Creativity, Creative Europe Media Programme, EIT Digital, and AI, Data & Robotics (ADRA) for AI-based game design and testing.

Governance & Ecosystem

• Leading Organisations: EGDF Secretariat and national associations (e.g., UKIE, SNJV, DEV, FLEGA, IIDEA, etc.).
• Stakeholders: Game studios, cultural industries, training institutions, policymakers, and investors.
• Engagement Mechanisms:
  • Annual EGDF General Assembly and policy roundtables.
  • Public consultations with European Commission (Creative Europe, Horizon Europe).
  • Collaboration through regional game developer networks.
• Update Frequency: Every ~5 years or aligned with EU programming cycles.
• Contact / Participation: Open membership for national associations; industry input via EGDF working groups.

Building-Block Crosswalk (EC Staff Working Document Alignment)

Technical Building Block	EGDF Emphasis
XR / Immersive Technologies	Core medium of the 21st century; integration of gamified content
AI & ML	AI-driven design, testing, and production efficiency (implied through innovation lens)
Data Spaces & Interoperability	Harmonisation of industry data and KPIs
Digital Identity & Trust	Safe, inclusive, diverse work and community environments
Cloud–Edge–HPC Continuum	Implicit for scalable multiplayer infrastructures and real-time rendering
Skills & Capacity Building	Priority: best gamedev education and talent mobility
Sustainability & Ethics	Sustainable production, fair labour, and inclusive governance

Alignment with Virtual Worlds

Relevance:

EGDF represents the creative and content-production dimension of the OPENVERSE ecosystem — focusing on cultural value, digital inclusion, and ethical innovation.

Document Metadata

• Keywords / Tags: Games industry, gamedev, eSports, talent, diversity, inclusion, sustainability, data, education.
• Referenced Horizon Europe Clusters: Cluster 2 (Culture, Creativity, Society) and Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry & Space).
• TRL Range: Not specified (sectoral strategy, not R&D-focused).
• Investment Priorities: Funding instruments, education systems, diversity programs, cultural recognition.
• Policy References: Creative Europe; New European Agenda for Culture; European Skills Agenda; The European Green Deal.