27 November 2025
In response to signals from and discussions with the field, the Fund has used this extra impetus from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to strengthen the games sector. With this open call, the Fund offers games professionals the opportunity to professionalise, strengthen and future-proof their practice. The proposals were assessed by an external selection committee consisting of Alessandra van Otterlo, Ard Bonewald and Martine Spaans.
general impression
The volume of applications submitted was modest. The committee missed many applicants that it had expected to respond to this call. This could be because this target group does not yet know how to find their way to the Fund, because this is a first and one-off call from the Fund to this group, or because many games professionals focus their attention on specific projects and find it difficult to fit their work into a call like this.
With regard to the positively assessed applications, the committee says that they mostly seem to have a good understanding of the field and have found a unique angle to strengthen their practice. The committee appreciates that applicants dare to be vulnerable and that they are willing to address their own areas of difficulty. The committee was also enthusiastic about applications that identify problems while still keeping the solution open. According to the committee members, the external experts are used appropriately in the process, for input, not as validation.
On the negatively assessed applications, the committee says that the objectives of the open call were often not well understood. Despite the explicit statement that the grant is not intended for the development or production of new games or prototypes, several applications appeared to be aiming for that. Several applications were perceived as incomplete, lacking, for example, the context about the external experts. The committee is also critical of the hourly rates being applied, especially the hourly rates of these experts. The committee is concerned that in such cases, a disproportionate share of the budget goes to the experts, at the expense of the applicants themselves.
The call was aimed at individuals and collectives (including temporary collectives). From the dossiers taken into consideration, it was noticeable that the vast majority of applications being considered were from individual practices. Four of the 23 dossiers were submitted by collectives, two of which received support.
Under the positively assessed applications, we see some recurring objectives:
Scaling up business processes
Many proposals focus on scaling up business processes. Studios struggle with the transition from intuitive working to structured business operations. These applicants are focusing their attention on the implementation of management frameworks, multi-year plans, efficient workflows and the transition to sustainable business models.
Independence and alternative revenue models
Many applications actively seek ways to become less dependent on traditional publishers, grants or one-off projects. They are working on building their own audiences, white-label models, community building and their own publishing activities.
Technological deepening
Makers clearly want to invest in expanding their technical knowledge. Applicants are diving into the possibilities of artificial intelligence, VR platforms, modern as well as vintage game software and experimental tools.
