By popular demand, the Dutch Games Association is once more organizing a DGA Talks focusing on the growth of game studios. This special session, hosted in cooperation with Dutch Game Week 2025, features four inspiring speakers, all founders who bring valuable experience and actionable insights on building and scaling a studio, securing growth funding, and preparing for a potential exit. Our speakers will not shy away from personal insights and sharing hard lessons learned.
When: Wednesday, December 3, from 14:30 to 17:00, during Dutch Game Week Conference in Breda
Where: Chassé Theater (Kleine Zaal), Claudius Prinsenlaan 8, 4811 DK Breda
Programme:
14:15 – Martine Spaans, Host of the day and General Manager at the Dutch Games Association: Welcome & opening
14:25 – Koen Deetman, Founder and CEO of KeokeN Interactive: “Delivering the Universe: surviving through three publishing deals”
Koen is a studio and game director known for creating compelling game experiences by utilizing cutting-edge technology. He directed the award-winning titles Deliver Us The Moon (the first Unreal Engine title to support NVIDIA RTX) and Deliver Us Mars, and is currently developing Deliver Us Home. In this talk, Koen will take you on a journey through the ups and downs of creating these titles through three publishing deals.
14:55 – Laurens Rutten, Founder of CoolGames + Keesing Media Group management: “From start-up to strategic sale and completion of the earn-out. Now what?”
Laurens has been through a wild 15-year journey with CoolGames, where various investment rounds and several hit games were sometimes followed by setbacks, nervous investors, and project restarts. CoolGames was sold in 2023 to the Keesing Media Group, and its earn-out period ended this summer. Laurens will share tips on how to scale a games business, the do’s and don’ts of working with investors, and what to do after the studio he led to growth is now owned by another company.
15:25 – Drink break
15:45 – Deloryan Hommers, Founder and CEO: “Making a game is the easy part. Running a studio is harder.”
This talk is about what happens after your game is released, when “I made a game” changes into “I’m running a company now.” Deloryan shares the shift from a solo creator to leading a studio of more than ten people, and what it looks like to grow into that role while already being in it. She’ll talk openly about the exciting moments, the uncomfortable ones, and the human process of figuring things out along the way. There is no handbook or magic potion for this part. Most of us are learning it in real life, together.
16:15 – René Otto, Founder at Deviant Legal and game industry specialist lawyer: “Building a (service) company in the games industry: legal foundations, business plans & iteration”
René has been in the games industry for around a decade. Starting in a traditional legal environment that had nothing to do with games, he found a way to focus his career path on games. He subsequently founded one of the premier European law firms in the sector. In his talk, he will discuss how to enter the industry from a less traditional path, how to set up a services company in the games industry, and how you can apply legal tips to set up your own company.
16:45 – Questions to audience and discussion
17:00 – End
Tickets for the Dutch Game Week Conference are available here. For Business Comfort or Business Regular tickets use code M2M-yDxeuF at checkout for 10% off.