Last week a delegation of 10 Dutch game companies traveled together with the Dutch Games Association to Tokyo to visit the Tokyo Games Show. The entire trip was organised by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan, who really outdid themselves on the fantastic program and arrangement of the booth.
Monday September 18th we kicked off with an informal dinner to beat the jetlag and to get to know each other.
Tuesday and Wednesday morning we visited 3 local companies in Tokyo:
– Digital Hearts – Localisation & QA
– Shueisha Games – Publisher of indie games
– Unity Japan
– Shochiku – Theater, film and game publisher at the beautiful historic Kabuki-za Theatre.
After going out to all these companies it was time to switch roles. The Embassy of the Netherlands kindly hosted a networking program during the Wednesday afternoon and evening at the historic Ambassador’s Residence where we received over 100 gaming professionals.
Trimming down the company introductions to elevator-pitches, the Dutch delegation was now certainly ready for the hectic hustle and bustle of the Tokyo Games Show!
Our booth was part of the Indie hall where we showcased 3 games:
– Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (Team Reptile)
– Cat Cafe Manager (Roost Games)
– Reggie (Dagoma Games)
Next to this, Team Reptile was chosen as one of the “Selected Indie 80” to showcase their game.
Friday morning we welcomed our special guests Theo Peters (Netherlands Chargé d’Affaires), Eric van Kooij (Head of Innovation Science at the Embassy of the Netherlands), and Pieter Terpstra (Head of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy). They visited the venue and had a chat with Derk de Geus and Martine Spaans to learn about the current state of the Dutch and Japanese game industry and the great potential for the future.
Thursday and Friday were the business days where it was already quite busy and warm. However, it was nothing compared to the crowds on Saturday and Sunday during the consumer days!
All attendees look back at a very successful conference and attendance. We thank the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan for making this entire trip possible, connecting us to new Japanese networks, and for the great hospitality they have shown us.
Would you like to become a part of our trade mission in 2024? The DGA is planning to visit BitSummit in Kyoto and the Tokyo Games Show next year. Contact us if you’d like to know more! Or contact Carolien van Tilburg, our contact person in Japan.