The charity livestream Friendly Fire raises over a million euros in donations on Twitch every year during the pre-Christmas season. But now the management of the project is changing.
What kind of event is this? For the viewers of Gronkh, PietSmiet & Co., the pre-Christmas event Friendly Fire is like a kind of reunion every year. The content creators meet in the same lineup every year to raise donations for a good cause and surprise their viewers with fun games, challenges, and the fulfillment of donation goals.
The donations are awarded to new charities and non-profit organizations every year to do something for a good cause. For their commitment, the founders have already won the special award at the German Computer Game Awards 2018.
After the project had grown over the years, Mikkel Robrahn initially took charge of the project before handing the baton to Lena Laaser. But now there is another personnel change.
This is what Friendly Fire used to be like:
New management for the project
Who is now in charge of Friendly Fire? While Gronkh, PietSmiet & Co. will meet again for the charity event on Saturday, December 5, 2026, the project management is changing in the background from Lena Lasser to Alina Ulrich. The new head is to assemble an interdisciplinary team over the course of the year that will support and advance the event in the long term.
The project is expected to further develop under the new leadership, just as it did with the transition from Mikkel Robrahn’s leadership to Lena Laaser. However, the participants have not yet revealed what exactly is planned.
What do the participants say? In an interview with gameswirtschaft.de, the participants of Friendly Fire commented on the change in management. Instead of bad blood, there is gratitude and anticipation for what is to come:
- PietSmiet: “We at PietSmiet are so proud of the project Friendly Fire. We look back on wonderful shows in which we were able to help countless people and animals thanks to the community. […] We are hyped about what will happen with Friendly Fire when we can involve our team more in the future.”
- Gronkh: “I – and all of us – are incredibly grateful, not only for the project Friendly Fire itself and what it has become, but also for all the viewers who have participated over the years and supported us from year to year. […] We all look forward to the future and to everything that will be possible with more manpower. It will definitely be great, and I am ready for it.”
The contributions of Mikkel Robrahn and Lena Laaser are also highly praised by all participants. The latter comments on her departure as follows:
Five years of Friendly Fire were not only five years full of controlled chaos, steady growth, and exciting new perspectives but also five years with a sustainable social impact. I am incredibly proud of what has been achieved and thank everyone involved, especially the FF community, from the bottom of my heart. Friendly Fire is a wonderful project, and I wish the entire team much success – to many more years.
Also in 2026, there will be a new Friendly Fire, from which fans can certainly expect changes under the new leadership and with more people involved in the organization. What exactly will change will likely only be revealed at the event on December 5. The last event was a resounding success: Gronkh and PietSmiet raised over 1.75 million euros for a good cause on Twitch, breaking their own record
