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Video games in the Netherlands

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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][4]

In the Netherlands, an estimated of 4,000 people are working in the games industry, at more than 600 companies.[5] 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.

Consumer availability

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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. [6]

History

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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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

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

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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.

Netherlands in video games

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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 Hitman: Codename 47, which has a level set in Rotterdam. Resistance: Retribution 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 Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway 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. [7]

Video game development

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Game developers from the Netherlands

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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
Behaviour Rotterdam Rotterdam 2000 core games, co-dev, porting. Ex-Codeglue (2000-2023).
Bright Alley Utrecht 2000 serious games and gamification
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)
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
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
Kami Games Apeldoorn 2019 indie games
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
Konafa Games B.V. Amsterdam 2023 indie games
Rangatang Utrecht 2023 Indie games. Founded by ex-Ronimo Games staff.

Defunct game developers

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Company Founded Ended Type  Reason for ending development
Courbois Software 1982 2012 core & casual games dissolved
Aackosoft 1983 1988 core & casual games filed for bankruptcy in 1988
Radarsoft 1984 1987 core & casual games Radarsoft continues without gaming products
Team Hoi 1988 1998 core & casual games dissolved. Ex-"SoftEyes" / "Softeyes Design" (1990-1994).
ANMA 1989 1993 core & casual games dissolved
Parallax 1989 2000 core & 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 & 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 & casual games merged as Vanguard Games into Force Field in April 2016
Ronimo Games 2007 2023 core games filed for bankruptcy in August 2023
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

Game publishers from the Netherlands

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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
Big Fan Games The Hague 2024 Publishing label of Devolver Digital.
Dutch Game Studio Woerden 2013 Mobile Games
Evil Turtle Productions Losser 2018 Publisher & dev - audio, indie games
Feel Free Games B.V. Sassenheim 2021 Publisher & dev - casual 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
Kakao Games Europe B.V. Amstelveen 2015 online games. Global arm of Kakao Games.
Knights Peak Interactive Amsterdam 2024 core publishing label of My.Games
Level Infinite Amsterdam (HQ), Singapore 2021 core and mobile games
Lion Castle Entertainment Assen 2018 core and casual games
Mind Control Games Hilversum 2024 Publisher & dev - core games
Mindscape B.V. Amstelveen 1991 Publisher, distributor & dev - core & casual games. Ex-Mindscape Northern Europe B.V. (1991-2016).
Mkay Productions Amsterdam 2022 Publisher & dev - core 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
PlayerUnknown Productions Amsterdam 2021 Publisher & dev - open world games
Seven Volts Games Tilburg 2020 Publisher & dev - core and casual games
SOEDESCO Hoogvliet 2014 hardcore and casual games on multiple platforms
Sokpop Collective Utrecht 2015 Publisher & dev - casual games
Spill Group Utrecht 2004 casual games (since 2008 known as Spil Games)
Studio Minus Netherlands 2019 Publisher & dev - indie games
Studio Taghua Amsterdam 2020 Publisher - core games
Tense Games Breda 2008 Publisher & dev - 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

Defunct game publishers from the Netherlands

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Company Founded Ended Type  Reason for ending publishing
Davilex Games 1993 2005 casual and serious games publisher & dev. Davilex continues w/o 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. Rebranded into Good Shepherd Entertainment as 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 Dutch office remained. Filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
Phoenix Games B.V. 2002 2010 budget games Part of Dutch-UK firm, Phoenix Games Group. Filed 4 bankruptcy in Aug 2010.[8]
Playlogic Entertainment 2002 2014 core games filed for bankruptcy in Dec 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 setup 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 w/o gaming products.
tinyBuild 2011 2014 core games HQ moved from Holland to Seattle. Still has Dutch offices.
Xing Interactive C.V. 2001 2009 core games filed for bankruptcy, or reverted to parent holding group in early 2009.
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See also: List of video games developed in the Netherlands

Education

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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.[9] 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.

Media

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Defunct print media

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  • n3 Nintendo Magazine; 2002–2003
  • GMR; 2006–2008
  • gamesTM; 2008
  • Hoog Spel; 1990–2002
  • [N]Gamer; 2003–2012

Television and radio

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Defunct television and media

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  • GameVille (casual games television show)
  • GameForce 1 (defunct television show, 1998-2000)
  • GameQuest (defunct television show, 2000-2001)
  • Gammo (defunct television show)
  • Power Play (defunct television show)

Online media

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Defunct online media

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Video game systems

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Philips CD-i

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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.

Other Consoles

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European video game rating

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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.

Video game events in the Netherlands

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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.[1]

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.[10]

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.

LAN scene

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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.

References

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  1. ^ "Nieuws: VK grootste gamesmarkt in Europa". Gamed.nl. April 12, 2008.
  2. ^ "The Netherlands Announces Its Growing Role in the Global Games Industry". GameSpy. May 7, 2008. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012.
  3. ^ Lenting, T. (2019), Gamegeschiedenis van Nederland 1978-2018. Karel van Mander Academy: Arnhem.
  4. ^ "Video game history of the Netherlands". October 6, 2024.
  5. ^ "Games Monitor The Netherlands 2020 Update - Covid Impact". Dutch Game Garden. April 30, 2021. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022.
  6. ^ Müller, Martijn (March 3, 2009). "Games in de huidige economische crisis" (in Dutch). NG-Gamer.
  7. ^ "Amsterdam Tour". July 3, 2022.
  8. ^ "Phoenix Games B.V.'s bankruptcy filing". Drimble's news. Archived from the original on April 10, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  9. ^ "Global Game Jam NL | HKU University of the Arts Utrecht". Archived from the original on February 14, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  10. ^ "Firstlook Festival yearly event". Firstlook Festival. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
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