Anyone who has followed the industry’s behind-the-scenes for a while knows that the International Game Developers Association, the IGDA, is the world’s largest non-profit organization of game developers. And this time the board renewal has a Brazilian accent: the association announced three new directors, Tiziano Giardini, Jennifer Estaris and researcher Pedro Zambon.
Pedro Zambon
Pedro Santoro Zambon is a researcher, consultant and advocate for the sustainable growth of game development hubs in Latin America and the so-called Global South. He is co-founder and vice-president of the IGDA’s Incubation and Acceleration special interest group and founded Savegame.dev, a Brazilian consultancy focused on public policy, incubation strategies and strengthening local communities.
At Utrecht University in the Netherlands, he researches collaborative practices and team formation in game development. According to the IGDA, the term runs from 2025 to 2028. His résumé also includes a PhD in Communication from Unesp and, between 2021 and 2024, the coordination of Spcine Game, the São Paulo City Hall’s games initiative, which included SP Game Start, Brazil’s first incubator dedicated solely to games.
Tiziano Giardini
Co-founder of IGDA Italy, Giardini works at 34BigThings, one of the main Italian studios, between production and business development. He also runs Quickload, an accelerator for early-stage studios, and at the IGDA helps connect global and local initiatives.
Jennifer Estaris
A game director with credits on titles such as Monument Valley 3 and Subway Surfers, Estaris is known for advocating climate-conscious game development. She volunteers in the IGDA’s climate special interest group and in Playing for the Planet, where she sits on the advisory board and co-chairs the narrative committee.
Who is leaving
The IGDA thanked Margaret Krohn, Natasha Skult, Rami Ismail and Guy Blomberg, who completed their terms on the board.
Why it matters
The IGDA’s stated mission is to advance the careers and improve the lives of the people who make games, connecting professionals, supporting professional development and advocating for the profession’s causes. Having a Brazilian with this public policy background on the board is good news for those who develop games here. More information on the IGDA website.
Source: IGDA.
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