The Netherlands' mainstream video games market, not taking into consideration the serious and casual games, is the sixth largest in Europe. In 2008, the Dutch market took up 3.95% of the entire European market in total sales and 4.19% in software sales.[1]
A significant part of the Netherlands' gaming industry is in serious games, in which Dutch companies make a significant part of the worldwide industry.[2] [3]
In the Netherlands, an estimated of 4,000 people are working in the games industry, at more than 600 companies.[4] Over 45 of the companies are located in the Dutch Game Garden, a government subsidized organization with the aim of promoting and improving the video games industry in the Netherlands.
In 2007, the Dutch game industry surpassed the Dutch film industry for the first time in history. The growth of the games industry in the Netherlands is about 50% higher than any other industry in the Netherlands' region.
Despite the global financial crisis of 2008–2009, the situation of video gaming in the Netherlands is not all that bad. Both publishers and retailers report that the crisis has certainly not caused a drop in sales, while at times, sales have even improved.[5]
Although the first generation of video games were obtained by a select few, video games became first available during the second generation of video games, when a select few Dutch electronic stores carried the earlier systems. With the third generation, more stores started carrying video game related products, a trend that has been setting through ever since.
In the early '90s, independent video game stores first started to open in the Netherlands, with a fast expansion in the early 2000s. Since 2004, video games have gotten more important for general stores however, which has led to the closing of a number of game stores, and a merger of others.
Currently, there are about 1,200 stores, of which about 75 independent, in the Netherlands that carry video games and related items, and numerous online stores.
Distribution of games on physical media in the Netherlands is usually done by publishers or major distributors such as Micromedia BV in Nijmegen that cover the entire Benelux, although most of the publishers' offices are located in the Netherlands, and only a few have offices in Belgium. Since not every publisher has a separate office for the Benelux, certain publishers take care of multiple labels, including those of other publishers.
The Netherlands also has several publishers for games through digital distribution, such as via web portals and mobile platforms like the App Store and Google Play.
The Netherlands is not often used as a setting for video games, other than certain Dutch games such as A2 Racer, AmsterDoom (NL wiki) and Efteling Tycoon. Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, was planned to be a featured city in The Getaway 3, before its development was cancelled. The first internationally successful game to use the Netherlands as a setting is , which has a level set in Rotterdam. also featured a level in Rotterdam. During World War II, the Netherlands was the location of Operation Market Garden, a much-used setting for World War II games. The game focusses entirely on Operation Market Garden and accurately depicts the Dutch towns and landscape along the operation's route.
In games such as the FIFA football games and Olympic video games, teams or players from the Netherlands are featured. The TT Circuit Assen is by fans considered "The Cathedral" of motorcycling, with the Dutch TT being one of the biggest events in motorbike racing. As such, the track is featured in many of the motorcycling racing games. Circuit Park Zandvoort is a Formula One racing track. The track has been featured in its old Formula One-layout in the game Grand Prix Legends, and more recently in its current layout in TOCA Race Driver, TOCA Race Driver 2, Race 07 and rFactor 2.
Recently Mario Kart Tour added an Amsterdam tour track to its roster. [6]
| Company | Location | Founded | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Witan Entertainment | Haarlem | 1992 | entertainment, casual, serious, mobile games | |
| Engine Software | Doetinchem | 1995 | entertainment, handheld, mobile games | |
| Elements Interactive | Almere | 1996 | mobile games, software and websites | |
| IJsfontein | Amsterdam | 1997 | serious games | |
| Triumph Studios | Delft | 1997 | core games | |
| GamePoint B.V. | The Hague | 1998 | online casino games | |
| MAD Multimedia | Groningen | 1998 | serious games | |
| Khaeon | The Hague | 1999 | core games | |
| Nixxes Software | Utrecht | 1999 | video game conversions and software | |
| RANJ | Rotterdam | 1999 | serious games | |
| Bright Alley | Utrecht | 2000 | serious games and gamification | |
| Codeglue | Rotterdam | 2000 | core games | |
| E-Semble bv | Delft | 2000 | serious games | |
| Guerrilla Games | Amsterdam | 2000 | core games | |
| NotTheFly Mobile Entertainment | Venlo | 2000 | mobile games | |
| Two Tribes | Harderwijk | 2000 | core games | |
| Little Chicken Game Company B.V. | Amsterdam | 2001 | core & mobile games | |
| Monkeybizniz | Utrecht | 2001 | serious games | |
| Grendel Games | Leeuwarden | 2002 | core- and serious games | |
| Pixel Pixies | Leeuwarden | 2002 | serious games | |
| Trade Games International | The Hague | 2002 | core games | |
| VSTEP | Rotterdam | 2002 | serious games | |
| Eximion | Eindhoven | 2003 | core- and casual games, game distributor | |
| Team6 Game Studios | Assen | 2003 | core games | |
| CrazyFoot Gamestudio | The Hague | 2004 | core games | |
| Gamebasics Studio | Zoetermeer | 2004 | mobile games | |
| Mindgame | Amsterdam | 2004 | serious games | |
| Spill Group | Utrecht | 2004 | casual games (since 2008 known as Spil Games) | |
| Xform | Utrecht | 2004 | browser based 3D games | |
| Paladin Studios | The Hague | 2005 | mobile games | |
| Soepel | Amsterdam | 2005 | casual and serious games | |
| Sticky Studios | Utrecht | 2005 | serious and mobile games | |
| Triangle Studios | Leeuwarden | 2005 | core and mobile games | |
| Tygron | The Hague | 2005 | serious games | |
| Virtual Racing Industries B.V. | Heemstede | 2005 | real-life RC events, serious games | |
| BlewScreen | Tilburg | 2006 | casual and serious games | |
| Coin-Op Interactive | Rotterdam | 2006 | video game design | |
| Blender Institute | Amsterdam | 2007 | Open content | |
| FourceLabs | Utrecht | 2007 | serious games | |
| Weber Sites & Games BV | Arnhem | 2007 | casual, mobile games | |
| ZC Funcraft | Nijmegen | 2007 | core games | |
| Flavour | Amsterdam | 2008 | serious games | |
| OneBigGame | Amsterdam | 2008 | core and casual games | |
| Play like a Champion | Amsterdam | 2008 | sports games (since 2017 known as Socios Sports) | |
| Ronimo Games | Utrecht | 2008 | core games | |
| Rough Cookie | Amsterdam | 2008 | mobile and handheld games | |
| Vertigo Games BV | Rotterdam | 2008 | core and serious games | |
| WeirdBeard | Amsterdam | 2008 | web games | |
| M2H | Alkmaar | 2009 | mobile, casual and core games | |
| DoubleDutch Games | Utrecht | 2010 | indie games | |
| GamoVation | Zwolle | 2010 | mobile and casual games | |
| Gazingy Interactive | Zwolle | 2010 | mobile games | |
| Rising Step | IJsselstein | 2010 | core games | |
| Stolen Couch Games | Utrecht | 2010 | core games | |
| Virtual Play | Utrecht | 2010 | mobile, core and serious games | |
| Game Oven | Utrecht | 2011 | mobile, experimental games | |
| Jaywalkers Interactive | Randstad | 2011 | core and VR games | |
| Jolly Jellyfish | Groningen | 2011 | promotional games | |
| Ludomotion | Amsterdam | 2011 | indie games | |
| RageSquid | Utrecht (HQ) Tilburg | 2011 | core games | |
| Team Reptile | Hilversum | 2011 | core games | |
| 8D Games | Leeuwarden | 2012 | serious games | |
| Black Cube Games | Amstelveen | 2012 | core games | |
| Blue Giraffe | Eindhoven | 2012 | casual, mobile games | |
| Critical Bit | Leeuwarden | 2012 | core and serious games | |
| Jagaco Games | Zoetermeer | 2012 | casual, mobile games | |
| Mimicry Games | Leusden | 2012 | core and casual games, software | |
| Modoka Studios Entertainment | Zwolle | 2012 | mobile and casual games | |
| Sparkling Society | Delft | 2012 | casual, mobile games | |
| Trigames | Delft | 2012 | casual, mobile games | |
| Wispfire | Utrecht | 2012 | casual and serious games | |
| 2Monkeys | Deventer | 2013 | casual, puzzle, mobile games | |
| BitBunch | Rotterdam | 2013 | Simulation and Game-engine Technology | |
| BlackMill Games | Heiloo | 2013 | core games | |
| Dutch Game Studio | Woerden | 2013 | mobile games | |
| KeokeN Interactive | Hoofddorp | 2013 | core games | |
| Kings Lane | Amsterdam | 2013 | casual, mobile games | |
| Maata Games | Arnhem | 2013 | browser games, mobile games | |
| Studio Bleep | Groningen | 2013 | serious games, augmented reality | |
| Vanilla | Eindhoven | 2013 | mobile games | |
| ChimpWorks | Eindhoven | 2014 | mobile games | |
| Knuist & Perzik | Veenendaal | 2014 | core games | |
| Wolfdog Interactive | Rotterdam | 2014 | VR games | |
| Codeer Studio | Netherlands | 2015 | indie games | |
| Dual Cortex Gaming | Amsterdam | 2015 | mobile games | |
| Force Field | Amsterdam | 2015 | core and casual games | |
| Hulan Studio | Eindhoven | 2015 | serious games | |
| Rusty Lake | Amsterdam | 2015 | indie games | |
| Sokpop Collective | Utrecht | 2015 | casual games | |
| Stitch Heads Entertainment | Breda | 2015 | core games | |
| TurtleBlaze | The Hague | 2015 | core and casual games | |
| Studio 397 | Apeldoorn | 2016 | racing simulators | |
| Total Mayhem Games | Rotterdam | 2016 | indie games | |
| TRAGsoft | Zevenaar | 2016 | core games | |
| Grumpy Owl Games | Utrecht | 2017 | core games, board game adaptations, & edutainment | |
| Hypersome Games | Den Bosch | 2017 | VR games | |
| Wooden Shoes Games | Rotterdam | 2017 | casual games | |
| Yellowcake Games | Utrecht | 2017 | core games | |
| BadDice | Heerlen | 2018 | casual games | |
| Mystery City Games BV | Amsterdam | 2018 | outdoor events, online team-builders, core games | |
| Twin Wasp Sims | Amersfoort | 2018 | Serious games, simulation, 3rd party | |
| Undreamed Games | Amsterdam | 2018 | indie games | |
| Beyond All Reason team | Netherlands | 2019 | core games, open-source | |
| Game Tailors | Delft | 2019 | serious games, gamification | |
| Kessels game studio | Beesel | 2019 | small indie games | |
| Sparrow Night | Rotterdam | 2019 | core games. Ex-Studio Nul Games. | |
| Bonte Avond | Utrecht | 2020 | indie games | |
| Eerie Guest Studios | Hilversum | 2020 | core games | |
| Roost Games | Utrecht | 2020 | indie games | |
| Thunderoak Interactive | Rijswijk | 2021 | core games | |
| Mystic ERA games | Harderwijk | 2022 | indie games | |
| OnRush Studio | Amsterdam | 2022 | core games | |
| Snail Bite | Amsterdam | 2022 | core games | |
| Square Glade Games | Groningen | 2022 | core games | |
| Enchanted Works | Utrecht | 2022 | Indie Games | |
| Studio Mantasaur | Utrecht | 2022 | Indie Games |
| Company | Founded | Ended | Type | Reason for ending development | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courbois Software | 1982 | 2012 | core and casual games | dissolved | |
| Aackosoft | 1983 | 1988 | core and casual games | filed for bankruptcy in 1988 | |
| Radarsoft | 1984 | 1987 | core and casual games | Radarsoft continues without gaming products | |
| Team Hoi | 1988 | 1998 | core and casual games | dissolved. Ex-"SoftEyes" / "Softeyes Design" (1990-1994). | |
| ANMA | 1989 | 1993 | core and casual games | dissolved | |
| Parallax | 1989 | 2000 | core and casual games | dissolved | |
| Ultra Force | 1989 | 1993 | moved to computer software development | ||
| The Vision Factory | 1992 | 2002 | casual games | filed for bankruptcy in January 2002 | |
| Digital Infinity | 1995 | 2000 | casual games | merged into Lost Boys Games | |
| DIMA/Creative Media | 1995 | 1997 | dissolved | ||
| Orange Games | 1995 | 2000 | core, casual and mobile games | merged into Lost Boys Games | |
| White Bear | 1998 | 2011 | filed for bankruptcy in December 2011 | ||
| Lost Boys Games | 2000 | 2003 | core and casual games | taken over and renamed Guerrilla Games | |
| DarXabre | 2001 | 2011 | inactive since 2011 | ||
| Streamline Studios | 2001 | 2009 | filed for bankruptcy in November 2009 | ||
| Playlogic Entertainment | 2002 | 2010 | core games | filed for bankruptcy in July 2010 and again in December 2014 | |
| Coded Illusions | 2004 | 2008 | filed for bankruptcy September 2008 | ||
| Spellborn Works | 2004 | 2009 | filed for bankruptcy in June 2009 | ||
| W!Games | 2005 | 2016 | core and casual games | merged as Vanguard Games into Force Field in April 2016 | |
| Virtual Fairground | 2008 | 2011 | filed for bankruptcy in April 2011 | ||
| Vlambeer | 2010 | 2020 | dissolved | ||
| Ostrich Banditos | 2012 | 2015 | core games | dissolved/abandoned in 2015 | |
| Through Games | 2014 | 2017 | core game | likely inactive in Jan 2017 as co-founder became independent contractor |
| Company | Location | Founded | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstraction Games B.V. | Valkenswaard (HQ) | 2007 | Publisher, co-development, porting. Former dev. |
| Artificial Core | Amsterdam (HQ), Kyiv (Development) | 2015 | Publisher & dev - online games |
| Dutch Game Studio | Woerden | 2013 | Mobile Games |
| Evil Turtle Productions | Losser | 2018 | Publisher & dev - audio, indie games |
| Finitude | Maastricht (HQ), Berlin (Development) | 2015 | Publisher & dev - core games |
| Future Minimalism | Alkmaar | 2021 | Publisher & dev - core games |
| GameHouse B.V. | Eindhoven | 2001 | Casual games distributor & dev. Ex-Zylom Media Group BV (2001-2008), RealGames B.V. (2008-2010). |
| Gamious | Haarlem | 2011 | casual games on multiple platforms |
| Good Shepherd Entertainment | The Hague | 2011 | console and PC games |
| Iceberg Interactive | Haarlem | 2009 | core and casual games |
| Level Infinite | Amsterdam (HQ), Singapore | 2021 | core and mobile games |
| Lion Castle Entertainment | Assen | 2018 | core and casual games |
| Modoka Studios Entertainment | Zwolle | 2012 | mobile and casual games |
| OneBigGame | Amsterdam | 2008 | core and casual games |
| Perfect World Entertainment | Amsterdam | 2011 | console and PC games |
| Seven Volts Games | Tilburg | 2020 | Publisher & dev - core and casual games |
| SOEDESCO | Hoogvliet | 2014 | hardcore and casual games on multiple platforms |
| Spill Group | Utrecht | 2004 | casual games (since 2008 known as Spil Games) |
| Studio Taghua | Amsterdam | 2020 | Publisher - core games |
| The 4 Winds Entertainment | Amsterdam | 2021 | Publisher, marketing, localization - core games |
| UnitedGames | Wormerveer | 2007 | core games |
| WeeCodeLab B.V. | The Hague (HQ) | 2018 | Publisher & dev - indie games |
| Company | Founded | Ended | Type | Reason for ending publishing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davilex Games | 1993 | 2005 | casual and serious games | publisher & dev. Davilex continues without gaming products. |
| Easy Interactive B.V. | 2001 | 2014 | core games | filed for bankruptcy in 2014. Acquired by Dutch firm, Foreign Media Group, in 2006. |
| Gambitious Digital Entertainment | 2011 | 2017 | console and PC games | Gambitious Digital Entertainment ceased crowdfunding activities & was rebranded into Good Shepherd Entertainment as a publisher |
| HD Publishing B.V. | 1995 | 2008 | core games | likely filed for bankruptcy in 2008. Ex-HD Interactive B.V. in 1995 to 2005. |
| Lighthouse Interactive | 2005 | 2008 | core games | closed due to bankruptcy of parent company in 2008 |
| Megaware Multimedia B.V. | 2000 | 2005 | core games | filed for bankruptcy in late 2005 |
| Midas Interactive Entertainment BV (ES wiki) | 1998 | 2012 | core games | HQ moved to UK in 2001 but Netherlands office remained. filed for bankruptcy in 2012. |
| Playlogic Entertainment | 2002 | 2014 | core games | filed for bankruptcy in December 2014 |
| Project Two Interactive BV | 1995 | 2000 | core games | filed for bankruptcy in 2000. Lead staff setup Project 3 Interactive in 2000. |
| Project Three Interactive BV | 2000 | 2006 | core games | filed for bankruptcy in early 2006. One co-founder set up Lighthouse Interactive in 2005; as CEO of Iceberg Interactive in 2009. |
| R&P Electronic Media | 1991 | 2001 | casual and serious games | publisher and localisation. Continued without gaming products. |
| tinyBuild | 2011 | 2014 | core games | HQ moved from Netherlands to Seattle. Still has offices in Netherlands. |
| Xing Interactive C.V. | 2001 | 2009 | core games | filed for bankruptcy, or reverted to parent holding group in early 2009 |
See also: List of video games developed in the Netherlands.
Up until 1998, whoever wanted to work in the gaming industry was best off pursuing a computer programming or graphic design education. In 1998, Utrecht School of the Arts offered the first 'pure' game education on the European continent.[7] Currently there are 11 schools offering specific game educations in the Netherlands.
University of Amsterdam
Since 2013 the University of Amsterdam offers the first master program focused on game development (Game studies).
Utrecht University
Utrecht University offers Game technology as a variant of its Computer Science bachelor and a master in Game & Media Technology.
Breda University of Applied Sciences
Breda University of Applied Sciences has been offering a course in game development (Creative Media and Game Technologies), for over 10 years. The 4-year course is entirely focused on practical teaching, working with a variant of Project-Based Learning called "Role-Based Learning". Students work entirely on game development projects, with an assessment based on their behavior and learning within those projects. They also offer a Master in Game Technology.
Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences
Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences offer a major in Creative Media & Game Technologies with a minor Game design and Development for example where students have to create several games within a short amount of time. First, they learn to create a 2D Android game within 6 weeks. Then they learn to create a 3D game within 13 weeks total.
Saxion University of Applied Sciences
Saxion University of Applied Science in Enschede also offers a bachelor's degree in Creative Media and Game Technologies.
The Philips CD-i (Compact Disc Interactive), first released in 1991, is an interactive multimedia CD player developed and marketed by the Dutch electronics manufacturer Royal Philips Electronics N.V. This category of device was created to provide more functionality than an audio CD player or game console, but at a lower price than a personal computer with a CD-ROM drive at the time.Earlier CD-i games included entries in popular Nintendo franchises, such as Hotel Mario, Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda's Adventure, although those games were not developed by Nintendo. In addition to games, a lot of educational and multimedia reference titles were produced for the system, such as interactive encyclopedias, museum tours, etc. The CD-i was a commercial failure, selling 1 million units across all manufactures in 7 years, and losing Phillips $1 billion.
The Netherlands Institute for the Classification of Audiovisual Media (NICAM) is the institute responsible for the software given for review for the European video game content rating system PEGI.
Between 2005 and 2013, the NLGD Festival of Games was an annual trade show for the national and international video games industry, with an attendance of over 1,500 visitors in 2013.
Between 2005 and 2009, Amsterdam was the host city to Casual Connect Europe, the world's leading trade show for casual games. After a four-year absence, Amsterdam hosted Casual Connect once more in February 2014.http://europe.casualconnect.org
Over the years, there have been 2 large consumer events, until 2007 this was 'Gameplay'. From 2008 the event is organized by Blammo Events and is called Firstlook, the event is held annually in the Jaarbeurs Utrecht. Since 2015 the event has been rebranded as Firstlook Festival.[8]
In 2013, Walibi Holland hosted the first edition of Game On, which hosted several video game activities in the theme park. Also in 2013, the Retro Game Experience was first hosted as part of the Sound and Vision experience at the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision. Smaller organizations and private collectors also host retro game events on a regular basis.
In the Netherlands, several large and smaller LAN parties and other gaming events are held yearly. In recent years, the 1000+ visitors have declined in popularity, with the scene seeing a shift towards smaller, more sociable events and/or events that offer more than just non-stop gaming. Additional activities include (outdoor) sports events, quizzes and other non-gaming competitions. In addition, small LAN-parties held at home for typically 5–15 visitors, remain popular.
A notable organization is Gameparty.net, a website that functions as a central hub in the Dutch game event scene, who also hosts two large annual events, TheParty and CampZone. Other major LAN-parties and organisations that have organized 1000+ visitor events include Drome, Netgamez, LAN = Life and Regroup. Most of these organizations operate on a non-profit basis, finding sponsors within the computer and gaming world to be able to operate budget-neutral.