The Dutch Games Industry: Facts and Figures
The Netherlands’ gaming market has experienced a huge rise in the past decade. According to Statista, the annual revenue of the PC playing venue in this country was approximately 214 million Euros in 2018. As expected, the interest has grown a lot in the past years, especially during the quarantine in 2020. The main driver behind the growing rate of the industry is based on popular titles like PUBG, Fortnite, Apex Legends, and other Battle Royal games. To be more, players in the country become bigger fans of casino gambling every day.
Playing Games in the Netherlands
Such an interest took Netherlands to the sixth place in terms of mainstream video games markets in Europe. Right now, this market takes almost 4% of the entire European market in sales, as well as 4.19% in software sales.
People within this country’s borders seem to be big fans of other types of gaming, too. This doesn’t only include recreational play, but also playing for real money at Dutch and international casinos. Thebest online casino in the Netherlands is now more popular than ever, offering players thousands of choices when it comes to selecting quality entertainment options.
In this country, over 3,000 people work in various gaming industries, which accounts for over 330 different companies. If we go back over a decade ago, the Dutch film industry was swiftly surpassed by the Dutch gaming industry. Compared to any other industry in the region, the growth in the Netherlands is 50% higher.
Now that we are facing a pandemic, and especially in the quarantine, people have been exploring this world more than ever.
In the Fortnite World Cup of July 2019, a Dutch player, the 21-year-old player, Dave Jong or otherwise known as Rojo won the second place and one million US dollars.
History and Distribution of Games
The first stores that sold video games in the country opened in the early ‘90s. The first online casinos that started offering access to players in the Netherlands appeared a couple of years later. Today, the latter use top-rated technology from world renowned software developers from different countries. Players can find endless opportunity to play excellent titles from giants like Microgaming, NetEnt, and Play’N Go.
Since the early 2000s, games expanded their reach throughout the entire country and were more available in stores. In addition to this, people who are interested in playing them now have the option to buy them online.
In terms of distribution, all physical media on the Dutch territory is carried around by major distributors and publishers like Micromedia BV. Different publishers handle different labels, while there are also several that distribute games online on platforms like Google Play and the App Store.
Dutch-Themed Games and Developers
Even though there aren’t many, some titles include locations from the Netherlands in their design. These include Efteling Tycoon, A2 Racer, and The Getaway 3. The first successful title of an international level that had the Netherlands as its setting was Hitman: Codename 47. It was set in Rotterdam.
Right now, there are no prominent casino software developers from this country, but there are many video game companies that are praised among players. These include Engine Software, Elements Interactive, MAD Multimedia, Khaeon, Codeglue, Zylom, and the Dutch Game Studio.
Conclusion
Games are extremely popular among Dutch people. This is the sixth country in Europe in terms of development and playing of video games, which says a lot about the industry and its success. In the years that follow, this is only estimated to grow further.
