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Indigo 2025

Indigo Convention Visit Report – Rotterdam

Attendees:

Alexander Delagrange

Robin van Dijk

Dave van Verdegem

Allie Weis (speaker)

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Introduction

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On May 27–28, 2025, we attended the Indigo Convention at the World Trade Center in Rotterdam. The event gathered an estimated 400–500 attendees and brought together indie developers, AA studios, former AAA professionals, and publishers.

Historically, this event was organized by the now-defunct Dutch Game Garden and used to take place in Utrecht. Since Dutch Game Garden ceased operations, the event has entered a new phase and has now moved to Rotterdam, under the guidance of the Benelux Games Promotion Initiative (DGPI) and with strong support from the Dutch Games Association (DGA) and the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF). Despite the shift in location and leadership, the majority of studios present still have their roots in Utrecht, underscoring the enduring legacy and influence of Dutch Game Garden on the Dutch indie game scene.

The convention was primarily focused on networking and featured a large hall with indie arcade booths, a presentation space, and a meet-to-match area for formal meetings. Its smaller scale, compared to events like Playgrounds and Unwrap, made it particularly effective for spontaneous conversations and connection-building. It’s a strong candidate for future visits, though due to its size, we should avoid attending with large student groups like we do with bigger conventions.

That said, Indigo could still be a valuable experience for a select group of students, especially those interested in indie development, entrepreneurship, and direct industry exposure. We can facilitate access by offering discounted tickets through VAF, while students make their own travel arrangements. This preserves the event’s integrity and keeps it focused.

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Key Highlights

The event was held in a large hall within the World Trade Center in Rotterdam. The space featured many indie game arcade booths where developers showcased their work and engaged with attendees at the center of the room. On the sides, several AA-level companies, many founded by former AAA developers, had their bigger stands giving a very visible presence among the smaller studios.

The layout included a presentation hall for scheduled talks and a dedicated meet-to-match space where attendees could sit down for pre-arranged meetings. The open and accessible layout, combined with a clear focus on b2b industry connection, made Indigo a productive environment for networking.

While not flashy or overwhelming, Indigo’s scale and purpose made it highly effective and is something we can learn from.

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Personal Reflections – Alexander

Conversation with VAF: Startup School & Funding

I spoke with Christophe from VAF about the possibility of Startup School students receiving VAF funding. Historically, students have been barred from this, but since Startup School involves founding actual companies, we discussed how this scenario might be different. Christophe was very supportive of the idea and will bring it up with Youri and the rest of the VAF team. a positive development for DAE graduates taking advantage of being student entrepreneurs.

Belgian vs Dutch Ecosystems

Many Dutch developers expressed admiration for Belgium’s public support systems, particularly VAF. From their perspective, Belgium appears to be doing well, especially as a growing industry with structural backing. However, these insights were gathered through direct conversations with the studios present at Indigo, as they shared their stories of how they achieved success. From their accounts, it became clear that while Belgium may appear more structured, the Dutch industry has cultivated a high level of maturity, resilience, and professionalism.

When you look at the number and quality of Dutch game studios at all sizes, Belgium doesn’t yet compare. Dutch studios are often self-sufficient and have been running for over a decade. Many of them received early support in the form of knowledge and expertise from the Dutch Game Garden, which played a major role in shaping their early growth. This has led to a development culture built around self-sustained, profit-oriented business practices. Compared to Belgium’s support-driven ecosystem, the Dutch model emphasizes independence and long-term viability from the ground up.

Co-Development and Entrepreneurial Risk

Many Dutch indie developers sustain themselves through co-development and work-for-hire. This early business model allows them to build skills, networks, and a financial buffer while working toward developing their own IP. Several developers shared stories of investing their own money, from €1000 to €15,000 deficits to launch their businesses, sometimes failing and restarting, but ultimately succeeding through reflection, adapting and being persistend.

This environment is full of resilience, iteration, and smart pivots. Developers set timeframes to try an idea, and if it doesn't work, they regroup, do some jobs to save money, and try again.

Social Dynamics on the Floor

A notable trend among the indie developers at Indigo was strong soft skills. Unlike the stereotypical image of the socially awkward developer, most were outgoing, engaging, and confident in presenting their work. This shift likely stems from the need to constantly pitch, network, and sell both their projects and their value as studios. It might also be a reflection of Dutch cultural traits, as Dutch developers tend to be very straightforward and easy to talk to contributing to an open and engaging atmosphere on the floor.

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Industry Conversations & Personal Meetings

Stellar Entertainment Software: Veteran Know-How Meets Fresh Talent

I spoke with Christopher Roberts/Chris from Stellar Games, a studio founded by former Criterion/EA developers behind the original Burnout and later Need for Speed titles. Based in Guildford, UK, the studio is currently working on a new double-A title that, while undisclosed, gave the impression of being a Burnout spiritual successor.

Their strategy is to pair fresh graduates, who bring up-to-date tech knowledge, with industry veterans. This synergy helps create a dynamic and balanced development environment. Chris expressed interest in joining Unwrap as a guest speaker. With his extensive background in successful game production, he would be a highly valuable contributor.

We also discussed how the studio deals with the difficulty of placing interns in the UK. To address this, Stellar Games has launched a smaller studio in Utrecht with a team of about 10 people. It currently supports the Guildford office but is intended to grow into an independent development hub under the same brand.

This presents a strong opportunity for internships. Students could start at the Utrecht office and potentially grow into roles at the main UK studio. I also met Bryan Dekker, lead game designer at the Utrecht office. He showed interest in attending our career fair, conducting interviews, and giving portfolio reviews. Stellar Games has a reputation for high standards and selective hiring, which would be a great match for our top students. Especially as we seek more design-oriented input from industry professionals with IGP.

Nixxes: Sony’s Porting and Technical support Studio

Nixxes is a well-established Dutch studio recently acquired by Sony. They specialize in porting major titles such as The Last of Us Part II, Spider-Man 1 and 2, Horizon Forbidden West, and the remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn.

What began as a porting-focused company is now evolving toward original development. Their growth since the Sony acquisition has been notable, especially as many Sony studios like Guerrilla Games are facing layoffs. This was a major topic of discussion at Indigo, with developers sharing insider insights.

I spoke with several Nixxes team members, including an environment artist, asset artist, and recruiter. They expressed a clear need for game art talent, particularly artists capable of adapting and rebuilding assets for new platforms. I connected with Julian Huibregts, who handles recruitment, and we plan to stay in touch. Nixxes is a strong candidate for future internships and Career Fair participation.

WIKKL: self sustainable indie business

Guido Boogaard, founder of WIKKL, shared his journey from being a freelancer for six years to transforming his freelance client base into a proper company together with a co-founder. When he started out at age 23, he drastically undercut the market by charging just €10/hour. While this allowed him to build a foothold, it eventually led to a massive personal financial loss. This turning point pushed him to reflect on his approach, change his business strategy, and rebuild with a more sustainable model Now, WIKKL is a 5-person studio focused on high-end problem solving for complex programming tasks. They charge €90/hour and work only with clients who understand and value the quality of their services. WIKKL has built a strong reputation as was evident on the showroom floor. In addition to co-development and work-for-hire, WIKKL also develops their own indie titles. One of their ongoing projects is New Heights, a climbing simulator set in authentic Belgian climbing locations like Dinant and the Ardennes. Guido mentioned that due to consistent demand, he often turns down projects. I proposed exploring whether some of this overflow work could be routed toward the Belgian ecosystem via the Flanders Game Hub, an idea he was very open to. He also expressed strong interest in engaging with our university through talks, portfolio reviews, and student interactions. Given his technical expertise and his remarkable entrepreneurial resilience, Guido would be an excellent guest speaker for our students.

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Mystic Forge: Niche Publishing with Strategy Focus

I met Paul Hanraets, Vernon Vrolijk and Joris Kok from Mystic Forge, a publishing company focused primarily on strategy and simulation games, with some reach into RPGs. When I asked why they constrain themselves to such a narrow niche, they explained that their team has deep expertise in strategy game publishing and development. This allows them to give highly specific feedback, understand the target audience and work closely with devs who need that level of understanding.

By building a clear identity around tactical games, they become the obvious choice for devs in that space—offering a developer-friendly alternative to Paradox, which, despite successful titles, has apparently a reputation for unfavorable deals according to Mystic Forge.

We’re currently in the beginning phase of working with Mystic Forge, Oro Interactive and the Flanders Game Hub to organize a game jam in Belgium for existing studios with the possibility for students to take part as well. The idea is to shift the jam theme toward a marketable concept, not just a random theme so that promising prototypes coming out of the jam have a realistic shot at a publishing deal. They’re insightful, motivated partners worth continuing to engage.

To Do / Follow-Up

Follow up with VAF regarding Startup School exception

Maintain contact with Stellar Games for internships and speaking opportunities

Invite Bryan Dekker and Christopher Roberts to Unwrap and Career Fair

Follow up with Nixxes and Julian Huijbregts for student placement and recruitment

Explore overflow work collaboration with WIKKL and Flanders Game Hub

Invite Guido Boogaard to our campus for a guest talk

continue communication with Mystic Forge and Oro Interactive to finalize game jam details

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Personal Reflections – Allie

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Personal Reflections – Dave

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Personal Reflections – Robin

GLU

Adam Pype

*Yannic Geerts

Game studios internship approach

stijn delaruelle — maole un rules

cablehook games

Adam Pype

Dae Alumni Adam Pype

Poki Games

GLU

GLU “Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht” is an MBO education (graduate might be the bets translation) in Utrecht focused on game art and game dev. We were able to make a connection and they are coming over soon to create a pipeline between the schools. Currently students from the GLU continue studying at the HKU and BUAS. However in recent years the HKU has dropped off and reduced their artistic and development scope whilst focusing on design, giving many students the idea that BUAS is the remaining option. We are working on a connection where DAE will be seen as a viable option for students. Historically GLU students pass their courses and tend to get a job in the industry.

Dutch Belgian differences

The two indie landscapes between the Netherlands and Belgium are hard to compare. It is clear the Belgian indie space is still starting up and that there is less veteran talent currently running companies.

Belgium

Pros

VAF / Government support

Incubator spaces

Government goodwill

Creative quality

Fresh talent

affordable coaching

Cons

Over reliance on government (and VAF) funding

Less daring & entrepreneurial

Expensive to start and maintain a company

Weak useable data that is unique to belgium

The Netherlands

Pros

Strong soft skills

Entrepreneurial spirit

More bootstrapping & risk taking

Government goodwill

Veteran talent

Easy to start and maintain a company

Wider range of genres being explored (due to size of industry)

Strong, publicly shared, metrics that are unique to The Netherlands

Cons

Limited government funding

(Seemingly) less funding options due tot the space being more competitive

Lack of incubators

Coaching is (more) expensive

Company culture

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