Name of the Game
Alexander Fernandez, the co-founder of games developer Streamline Studios, believes that his company's international success owes a lot to its location. Every day, dozens of new games enter the global market," says American-born Fernandez. "You can only stand out if your concept, design and creative interpretation are exceptional. We stay ahead because we can get the best creative talent to work for us. And they always think our address in Amsterdam is one of the most attractive parts of the job contract!"
Creative exchange
Alexander continues: “For creative people, living and working here is a plus: we're inspired just by being here. In games development, it's vital to stay in touch with youth culture, and that's livelier here than anywhere else in Europe. Also, there's a lot of creative exchange, not only with other games businesses, but also with people in other areas of design and media. Add to this the fact that you really can fly everywhere from Amsterdam, as well as have access to the most powerful broadband connections, and it's no surprise that Streamline Studios produces at least one million-selling game every year, and has built up a portfolio of 35 titles."
A virtual business
Games development is a mainly virtual business. Traditional location requirements hardly count: distribution is via the Internet and mobile phones, or is left to one of the three big producers of console games (Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft). So the decisive factors in choosing a location are the attractiveness of the location for talent, the presence of a creative and technological network, and whether there's enough critical mass for economies of scale.
The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area shines in all these areas. In the triangle formed by Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam, over 100 companies are involved in some aspect of computer games. Together, their total turnover amounts to over €1 billion. One of the figureheads of this still youthful industry is Guerilla Games, which was recently bought by Sony. The design of its megaseller Killzone was masterminded from a 17th-century canal house in the heart of Amsterdam. While Guerilla Games aims at the console market (games for platforms such as Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation), other local producers such as Gameworld, Zylom, Playlogic and Spill Group are mainly active in online or casual gaming.
Critical Mass
In the future, the industry is expected to have a big impact on e-learning, company training and product instructions. The Waag Society, an Amsterdam knowledge institute, is researching possible scenarios. "This really is an enormous growth market," says director Marleen Stikker. "And as a region, we have already gained a strong position."
The advantages of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area as a location can only increase, thanks to what Fernandez calls 'the power of critical mass'. He explains: "In the past, when it came to games, you thought of San Francisco or London. Now, there's so much happening in Amsterdam, so much knowledge and expertise here, that it's become the third gaming hotspot. And of course, that's the best impulse imaginable."
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Photo: Mart Engelen
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