Want to get away from the hustle and bustle in the Moscone Centre and just have a good conversation and decent coffee with Dutch games industry professionals? Well, you’re in luck, because The Netherlands Lounge (located in Hotel Zeppelin) is returning this year. Here you will find game developers, publishers and tool- and tech providers ready to do business.
The Netherlands may be a small country, but there are many talented studios making amazing games. Like Sony Worldwide Studio Guerrilla Games that recently delivered the critically acclaimed PSVR2 title Horizon: Call of the Mountain. But the Dutch industry is also home to a vibrant community of indie game developers.
Dutch Indies
Like Paladin Studios. You may know them from the remakes of Galaga and Cut the Rope, or the Nintendo-published physics-based office simulator Good Job. “We create games that make you smile”, says CEO Stein Damen. “By providing top-quality game development from A to Z. So we are open to new opportunities for co-development or work for hire. But also looking out for publishing or funding deals for our own original concepts and prototypes.”
Another indie you will find at the Netherlands Lounge is Linx Interactive. Their mission is to connect people through innovative social games. Edwin van Gessel is CEO of this newly formed studio and he’s showing off his first title to their publishing partner. “It’s a fully animated social game for mobile and desktop. But we are considering expanding to consoles and VR as well.”
Publishing partners
Martine Spaans is a true GDC veteran, making the trip to San Francisco for the 14th time. “GDC is always a good event in terms of networking and keeping up with the latest trends.” She represents two game publishing companies, casual f2p games specialist Tamalaki and Web3 games publisher FGL. “We are looking for new developers and new games”, Spaans says. “On the blockchain side of our business we’re also looking for new networks we can branch out to. We’ve built a loyal player base in the WAX ecosystem and now we’re curious to see what other chains can offer!”
Another interesting publisher is The4Winds. They focus their attention on regions that are underserved by the big names in the industry. “Our core mission is to act as your cultural bridge to ensure developers do what’s necessary to access millions of new players across more high growth markets”, says CEO Steven Huot. “We are always seeking new games from exceptional developers who are looking to grow their global publishing reach.”
Plus, The4Winds Head of Communications Nazih Fares is Co-chair of the IGDA Game Credits SIG, and will be hosting a panel and roundtable at GDC, to promote inclusivity and best practices for how credits are attributed.
Tech-savvy
Besides game developers and publishers, several tool- and tech providers will also be available for a chat. Like subscription-based gaming platform Utomik. With the vast library of 1400+ games via PC, as well as via the Cloud on Samsung & LG Smart TV’s and Android, Utomik has quite the reach. “Therefore we would love to connect with publishers and studios for Indies, classic AA, family friendly, or casual titles that want to bring their game to a global audience”, says Content Partner Manager Rachelle Verheijden.
Another well known Dutch game tech company is i3D.net. They are a hosting company that specializes in providing high-performance, low-latency infrastructure for real-time entertainment. In 2019 Ubisoft bought the company. “Our commercial team will be looking to engage with game developers working on exciting projects”, says Content & Communications Specialist Zahaid Rehman. “The Netherlands Lounge at this year’s GDC has the unique advantage of being close enough to the venue to facilitate meetings with GDC partners, but also outside the actual event location to allow for those without passes to meet with us as well.”
The Dutch lounge is an initiative from The Dutch Games Association and is made possible by Creative NL and RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency).
Get in touch
For more details on the delegation or if you want to meet the Dutch participants, visit the DGA website or sign up for MeetToMatch – The San Francisco Edition 2023 and schedule a meeting with the participants directly. Check out a full list of participating companies here.