Malta Game Developers Association officially launched at gamescom 2026

The Malta Game Developers Association (MGDA) has been officially launched at gamescom 2026 in Cologne, creating a new independent representative body for Malta’s video game and interactive entertainment community.

First announced in June, the MGDA brings together developers, studios, students, enthusiasts, and other professionals working across the sector, with the aim of giving the local community a more structured platform to collaborate, exchange ideas, access mentorship and education, and represent its interests.

The organisation was formally constituted in May 2026, with membership registrations opening during its gamescom launch. Membership will be free of charge for both individuals and studios during the Association’s first year, supported by GamingMalta and other industry partners.

The organisation traces its roots to conversations that began among members of Malta’s games community at gamescom a year earlier. What started informally around an existing network of developers and creatives has since developed into a structured association with plans for events, education and mentorship initiatives.

GamingMalta CEO Ivan Filletti described the launch as another important step in strengthening the structures supporting game development in Malta.

“We are creating more structures for video game development, and MGDA is an important part of that,” Mr Filletti said. “The launch of an independent lobby group for the video game and interactive entertainment sector signals the continued maturity of the sector, and of course it has the full backing of GamingMalta.”

Mr Filletti added that the association’s work will help continue to strengthen an ecosystem that has developed into not simply a hub, but a home for people working across interactive entertainment.

“When it comes to interactive entertainment, Malta is open for business, whether that is video gaming, esports, immersive technology or the wider gaming sector. The launch of MGDA gives the people working directly within that community another structure through which they can organise, represent themselves and help shape how the ecosystem develops.”

MGDA President John Chasoulidis Abela said the association grew out of a desire to turn Malta’s already close-knit development community into one that could work together more consistently throughout the year.

“We keep saying that we are a family and a community, but what we wanted was to become a better organised community,” Mr Chasoulidis Abela said. “These conversations started exactly a year ago at gamescom, when we found ourselves asking why we only seemed to come together like this during the event.”

He noted that the strength of the existing relationships between developers made the need for a more permanent structure increasingly clear.

“We enjoy working together, we exchange ideas, and we find ways to synergise, and we wanted that to happen more often and in a more structured way. A few of us helped put MGDA together, but it is not for a few of us. It is for the whole community.”

The association is open to video game developers, students, enthusiasts and studios, as well as those working on board games. Its first programme of activity will include industry events alongside a dedicated roadmap covering education and mentorship.

Mr Chasoulidis Abela encouraged members of the wider community to participate actively in shaping the association from its earliest stages.

“We want developers, students, enthusiasts and studios to join us. The point is to create something that belongs to the community and becomes more useful as more people take part.”

The launch took place during GamingMalta’s mixer at gamescom, where Malta-based companies, developers and industry representatives have been meeting international studios, publishers, investors and partners throughout the week.