Dutch Game Garden (DGG) has had to close its doors after 17 years. This Utrecht incubator was hugely important to the Dutch games industry. At a farewell event in the Van der Valk Hotel Utrecht, guests shared warm words and memories.
Alongside its physical incubator, where games companies could develop, DGG served several other roles. It organised the Netherlands’ largest annual game developers’ event, INDIGO Showcase, and produced the Games Monitor, a report on the state of the games industry.
The monthly networking lunches were the beating heart of Dutch gaming, with GameLab among the regular visitors.
Now that DGG can no longer run these activities, several organisations have stepped up to take over the most important elements. The Dutch Games Association is the main one. The DGA will take over the monthly networking lunch and the Games Monitor. Discussions about INDIGO are also under way. Whether physical incubation will continue in some form remains uncertain.
The farewell event was very well attended, with more than 400 industry people joining the drinks reception. It was an excellent opportunity to make connections and catch up with old acquaintances, demonstrating DGG’s role in bringing people together, which will be sorely missed.