Association

The Serbian Games Association (SGA) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to the development of the Serbian gaming industry. Our members are teams, companies and individuals engaged in the production of video games in Serbia, as well as other services related to the currently most developed entertainment industry in the world. We are committed to our member companies as well as the game dev community and the ecosystem at large.

Our goal is to increase the competitiveness of our members on the global market, to create the best possible conditions for creating and publishing video games in Serbia, as well as to improve the talent and creativity of people involved in the sector. All this is done with the help and support of our partners and friends, and with the coordination of activities and initiatives with representatives of the Government of Serbia, other business and non-profit organizations, the education sector, as well as other associations of the entertainment industry.

SGA was founded in March 2018 in Belgrade, following the example of similar organizations that provide support to the gaming industry sector in some of the most developed economies around the world. We deliver educational programs, establish new partnerships, conduct research and participate in numerous processes that support the quality, development, growth and internationalization of Serbian gaming products and companies.

Our Team

Mihajlo Jovanović-Džaril

CEO
Mihajlo Jovanović-Džaril is a lawyer with a gamer's soul and one of the founders of SGA. He graduated from the University of Belgrade, and after a short career as a lawyer and consultant at EI, in 2016 he founded the company Fortuna Esports, which soon became the leading regional organizer of esports competitions and producer of gaming content and which, through a partnership with United Media, brings esports to TV. Mihajlo has been a member of the SGA Board of Directors since the very beginning of the association in 2018, and currently serves the DGU as its director.

Kristina Janković Obućina

Senior Ecosystem Manager
In charge of young talents, non-formal education programs and initiatives, issues of diversity and inclusiveness, preparation of the annual report and organization of events. Plays on PS5 and a Steam Deck. She is always in the mood to talk about gaming and find a way to support young creatives and new projects. She has been with us almost since the foundation of the association, where she dedicatedly works on developing the local gaming industry and the visibility of our teams, companies and games locally, but also globally.

Nenad Jovanovski

Project Manager
Although he has a formal education related to agriculture, he entered the world of IT through Startit. He acquired informal education by working in the Scout Association of Serbia, where he created and led projects. At SGA he will deal with project management and leadership of the Creative Tech Serbia supercluster. He had the opportunity to develop partnerships for the European region, as well as to work and volunteer in Germany and South Korea. He turned his love for nature into the startup Bifrost, which is developing a biodegradable substitute for plastic.

Tatjana Ristić

Project Coordinator
Sees herself as a mediator between academia and the gaming community. Writes scientific texts and participates in conferences about literature and video games, and is also trying to sign her first Narrative Design Document within the indie studio that is making a video game inspired by slava. Is working on launching a platform for gaming criticism in Serbia in the form of an animated pixel-art podcast. In SGA she is a Jack-of-all-trades but a Master-of-text.

Nikola Adamović

Program Coordinator
Graduated from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, where he focused his research and passion on understanding the video game industry and the creation of video games. After several years of working at the inception of the Epic Games Community Center in Novi Sad, he developed a community around the Epic Games ecosystem as a Fortnite creator and an assistant instructor and lecturer in official programs. Through numerous programs and guest lectures, he launched his platform and community, exploring possibilities and pushing the boundaries of UGC platforms such as UEFN.

Maša Đurić

Social Media and Communications Manager
After studying journalism, she spent three years as a Social Media Manager in the non-governmental organization Youth Initiative for Human Rights. After that, she spent some very short time in a marketing agency, when she left that job so she could work in VICE Serbia - where she dealt with social networks as well as projects for commercial clients. A year before the pandemic, she founded her agency and continues to deal with social networks - creating strategies for media, podcasts, non-governmental organizations, but also working with them on a daily basis as a team member.

Aleksandra Milić

Administrative Coordinator
Aleksandra is a person who is passionate about working with tables and deadlines. The path to the IT industry led through the Startit organization, where she led projects whose concept was based on the informal education of young people in the IT industry and entrepreneurship sphere. In SGA, she takes care of the association's financial and administrative needs. She spends her free time in nature and engages in environmental activism. Aleksandra has worked in world humanitarian organizations such as Oxfam and IRC, where she worked on the implementation of projects dealing with human rights and social issues.

Our board

Marija Ilić

President, SGA Board
Marija Ilic is a gaming industry expert and advisor. As a gaming studio co-founder, wearing many hats during a 15+ years long career gave her broad experience and expertise in both creative and leadership roles. Marija is currently the President of the Board at Serbian Games Association, a non-profit, non-government organization, with the goal of supporting growth of the video games sector in Serbia. For the last five years, Marija has been part of the Google for Startups network of mentors, where through various programs she participates in mentoring startups on the topic of leadership, as well as product growth and development.

Marko Gardijan

Yboga Games
Marko Gardijan is the founder of Yboga Studio and a veteran of the gaming industry with more than 18 years of experience in game development, from solo developer to team leader. He worked on projects for large companies and at Nordeus on Top Eleven. His studio is behind the successful mobile game Dream Hospital. A long-time member of SGA, he wants to contribute to the development of the Serbian gaming scene through knowledge of game production, management and mentoring of young talents.

Nikola Čavić

GameBiz consulting
Nikola Čavić is the founder of GameBiz Consulting, an agency specialized in working with companies in the video game industry sector. Nikola is also one of the founders of the Serbian Games Association. Prior to that, he held the position of Development Director at Nordeus, for seven years, where he played a key role in the business development of their most successful product - Top Eleven, as well as in the corporate development of the company. Prior to Nordeus, at CCP Games in Reykjavik, he was responsible for the sales and global distribution of EVE Online during his 5 years at the company.

Marko Jevtić

Nordeus
With 20+ years of experience across e-commerce, media, and gaming, Marko Jevtić has led teams in building and marketing impactful products. He joined Nordeus in 2014 as Head of Marketing, combining his passions for sports, gaming, and developing products. Today, he leads a team of 75 on Top Eleven—Nordeus’ flagship game with over 300M registered users worldwide—and helps drive the company’s football gaming strategy and shape the future of Nordeus' portfolio. He is the co-author of the book on Design Thinking alongside a colleague from Nordeus- Milovan Dekić.

Adam Kovač

3Lateral
Adam is a Senior Solutions Specialist at 3Lateral, supporting partners with MetaHumans technology and services as well as empowering local community initiatives. His previous role as Manager at EY saw him facilitating regional Tech mergers and acquisitions, including the sales of 3Lateral to Epic Games and United Group to BC Partners. Adam actively supports the startup and creative tech community through coaching, workshops, and venture capital connections. He assisted the Digital Serbia Initiative in launching the inaugural Startup Scanner in 2019.

Nikola Stojanović

Wargaming
Nikola graduated from Mathematical High School and ETF. He has been in the IT industry since 2006 as a software engineer, with a focus on biometrics and forensics. For the past eight years, he has been leading large teams and participating in the development of three successful IT companies. He is currently General Manager at Wargaming. A lifelong gamer and supporter of SGA, he wants to contribute to the Association's work and strengthen the local community as a representative of one of the largest companies in Serbia.

Nikola Šoškić

Shosha Games
Former film director, co-founder of YouTube channel Filmofil, and lecturer at Fokus film school in Belgrade. Having grown up with video games, he expanded his knowledge from the world of film to gaming, and since 2019 he has been active in the industry as a developer. In 2022, he founded Shosha Games, an indie game studio, and participated in the SGA program Playing Narratives, where he found most of the current team members. Since 2023, he has been working as an Unreal Engine instructor at the Unreal Fellowship program in Novi Sad at Epic Games and 3Lateral. He currently works as a developer and game designer at Shosha Games.

Our founders