Dutch Game Garden expansion

date: February 17th 2010

Together with the City of Utrecht and the Province of Utrecht the Dutch Game Garden (DGG) has been working to expand and move to the building of ABN AMRO bank at Utrecht's Neude square. By moving to the former ABN AMRO building at Neude, DGG reaps the benefits of 2750 square meters to facilitate further growth. The relocation has been made possible by the generous contributions of the City of Utrecht and the Province of Utrecht.

The City of Utrecht contributes € 612.500 from its Fonds Stimulering Lokale Economie (Local Economy Stimulation Fund) while the Province of Utrecht donates € 800.000,-. Next to these subsidies a request has been filed for a contribution from the EFRD (European Fund for Regional Development) worth € 2,6 million. The EFRD will reach a decision on this request later this year.

By relocating to this property, DGG and the companies involved in its incubator program will form the biggest concentration of game-companies and -organisations in the Netherlands. Jeroen van Mastrigt, board member of the Dutch Game Garden says: "The creative industry, in which young and innovative game-startups play an important role, requires fundamentally different housing solutions than more traditional sectors. At the new location, we can make the most optimal connections between supply and demand”.

The Dutch Game Garden strongly values working together with partners in the cultural sphere of bustling Utrecht. Joint projects with the Archive of Utrecht and the Holland Animation Film Festival are notable examples. Collaboration between companies, institutions of higher education and government is considered to be a splendid base for new entrepreneurial activities. One of the companies that will be housed in the new building is Monobanda, which last year won both the Amsterdam Creativity Award and a Dutch Game Award. Incubator-company Ronimo Games is capturing the spotlight on an international level with its WiiWare-title Swords and Soldiers. Viktor Wijnen, business director of the Dutch Game Garden: “Dutch Game Garden is an important and ambitious instrument for cashing in on the cultural-economic potential Utrecht has to offer when it comes to games.”

Ever since 2007, Dutch Game Garden has been the stimulating force for the gamesector in Utrecht and the Netherlands. At the moment, the foundation is located at the Drieharingstraat in Utrecht. Because of its success the DGG needed larger accommodation, especially because several of the growing companies in its incubator program were beginning to look for housing opportunities outside of Utrecht. Thanks to the imminent move to Neude square, the burgeoning companies can stay comfortably within the city limit and continue to strengthen Utrecht's position as most important gaming hub in the Netherlands.

Dutch Game Garden was originally founded by the Utrecht School of Arts, Utrecht University and the Taskforce Innovation Utrecht Region (TFI). This strong emphasis on educational merit is still discernible in the possibilities Dutch Game Garden offers students (Developers club), starting companies (Game Company Incubator) and established entrepreneurs (Business Center).

For more information you may get in touch with:

- Viktor Wijnen, Managing Director Dutch Game Garden, +31 (0)6 - 140 27 123