The Netherlands and Japan have had a special relationship for many years. Dick Bruna’s Miffy (Nijntje) is very popular among Japanese people, and the same seems to go for Dutch games. Not only did We Were Here series developer Total Mayhem Games and Hyperfunk developer Team Reptile meet many fans on the show floor, but their game demo stations were rarely empty.
The word ‘Oranda’ (Japanese for ‘the Netherlands’) literally stopped people in their tracks. Handing out the Netherlands Games Pavilion flyers was much easier by simply mentioning ‘Oranda games’. Even the people who declined the flyer paused to quickly check out the Dutch games. It even garnered interest from Shuhei Yoshida (former President of SIE Worldwide Studios and former Head of PlayStation Indies).
The Netherlands Pavilion was showcasing games by Roost Games (business days only), Team Reptile, and Total Mayhem Games. Other participants were Breda University of Applied Sciences, MeetToMatch, Local Heroes Worldwide, and Poki. But there were also other Dutch participants on the TGS show floor: Forgotten Playland from Duckland Games and Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Past from Blast Zero were part of larger booths in the General Exhibition Area. Reggie, His Cousin, Two Scientists and Most Likely the End of the World by Degoma was one of the 80 games selected for a free spot in the Indie Area selection.
