Playstack founder and CEO Harvey Elliott has been elected chair of UK games trade body Ukie, succeeding Maria Sayans, who held the post since 2024.

Elliott joined the Ukie Board in 2025 and now steps up to lead the organisation as it prepares the next phase of its five-year Supercharged strategy. Supporting independent and mid-market businesses will sit at the centre of that work. Ukie plans to publish the next chapter of its strategy in the coming months.

Who is Elliott, and what does he bring?

Elliott leads Playstack, the publisher whose international portfolio includes the breakout card game Balatro. Outside Playstack, he brings experience spanning publishing, investment, technology and games businesses.

"The UK has everything it needs to remain one of the best places in the world to build games businesses," Elliott said. "We have extraordinary creative and technical talent, globally recognised studios and a long history of producing games and intellectual property that reach audiences around the world."

"We are also at an inflexion point," he added. "The industry has changed in the last few years and we have a real opportunity to build on the strengths that have made the UK a world leader, while ensuring the next generation for games businesses can thrive."

What shifts in Ukie's priorities?

Independent and mid-market companies will sit at the centre of Elliott's tenure. He has also committed to championing the UK as a centre for game development and pressing for a stable regulatory environment for triple-A developers and publishers.

Ukie CEO Nick Poole framed the appointment in operational terms. "Harvey understands both what makes the UK games industry exceptional and what needs to change if we want more British businesses to thrive here," Poole said.

"His experience building and investing in games businesses makes him an ideal Chair as we continue delivering our Supercharged strategy and sharpen our focus on creating the conditions for UK companies to start, grow and succeed globally," Poole added.

How does the transition work?

Sayans steps down after one year in the chair; Elliott takes over after joining the Board earlier in 2025. The pairing of Elliott's publishing and investment background with Poole's existing trade-association work points to continuity on Supercharged, the umbrella strategy that organises Ukie's mandate to support UK games businesses and amplify the country's economic, cultural and global standing.

What changes for studios and developers?

The practical test for Elliott will be whether the next strategy chapter converts stated intent into operational support. Independent and mid-market studios — the cohort he has named as a priority — will look for deliverables around talent pipelines and business support. Triple-A publishers will watch whether the "stable regulatory environment" he has pledged to champion translates into clear policy outcomes.

The next concrete signal worth watching: Ukie's strategy update due in the coming months, which will set the operational agenda for Elliott's time in the chair.