BREDA, THE NETHERLANDS, March 28, 2023 – Breda Game City strengthened by a brand new international Advisory Board.

Breda Game City Advisory Board

Since its launch in 2019, the Breda Game City Foundation has rapidly expanded its activities on a local, national and global level. We started this Foundation to support and grow the video game industry in the Breda region, by focusing on entrepreneurship and startup support, acquisition opportunities, and community building. Activities and successes have been secured, growing the number of organisations and opportunities in the region.

Breda Game City is currently involved in ambitious governmental plans to expand the video game landscape in the Province of North Brabant by constructing a prominent gaming hub in Western Europe. Recently, it has been announced that Breda University of Applied Sciences, the province of Noord-Brabant and the municipality of Breda will invest in actively supporting the local gaming industry to flourish.

Adding an Advisory Board was the next logical step to expand the foundation’s network, knowledge, and impact. They will help us tackle specific topics with their in-depth expertise on many levels, such as diversity & inclusion, entrepreneurship, internationalisation, and esports. Furthermore, the Advisory Board will actively push Breda’s visibility as a hub for video game development in their networks, creating additional opportunities and guiding the foundation’s goals and strategy.

“We are very thankful that this group of amazing professionals is supporting our efforts and beliefs, and is willing to put in energy, knowledge and network to help us reach the next level. We feel that by having such a diverse and knowledgeable group of professionals, we can reach our full potential. We operate locally, but our impact is on a global level!”, Matthijs van de Laar, chairperson Breda Game City.

Joining the board are the following talented experts:

• Kate Edwards, the CEO and principal consultant of Geogrify and former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association and the Global Game Jam;
• Willem Hilhorst, who is currently the Media Manager Games & Online Preservation at The Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision;
• Hylke Sprangers, previously employed as Group CTO at Talpa Network for seven years, now Executive Director at the Erasmus University Rotterdam as well as a lecturer;
• Bart Lauwen, City Councilor in Breda and Breda Edtech Scale up Knowingo’s HR Manager;
• Ondraus Jenkins, Bungie’s Chief Strategy Officer and member of the Board of Directors, currently also serves on the Board of Wicked Cool Toys and on the Regional Board of Directors of NatureBridge;
• Anne Heslinga, a PhD researcher at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to investigate the impact of platform business models on the game industry in The Netherlands. She has also conducted research with New York University and the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.

Read more about the experts here: https://bredagamecity.nl/about-us

New Board Member

Breda Game City announces its newest Board Member: Ana Popescu.
Ana is a Lecturer in Visual Arts at Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas) and a freelance concept artist with experience working in both AAA studios on games such as ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ and in indie game companies on projects like ‘Superfuse’. She graduated cum laude from BUas and has a Master’s in International Business Management from one of the top business schools in Europe: EDHEC University. Her Master’s thesis was completed with Breda Game City on identifying the organisation’s position in the Dutch gaming ecosystem.

Networking opportunities

Meet us and connect with other game developers at our upcoming events:

Breda Game City Drinks
Breda Game City Drinks is a recurring local networking and social get-together hosted by Breda Game City. Breda Game City Drinks is all about meeting and connecting with the game development community and is open to everyone. Come join us in Café het Hijgend Hert for a drink, some bites, and engaging conversations on March 30th! Please register here: https://events.bredagamecity.nl/bgcdrinks-spring23

Gamescom
We are preparing our next trip to Gamescom in Cologne, in August 2023. Thanks to support from the Municipality of Breda, we can bring a group of local developers to visit this event and create networking and business opportunities. Find out more about joining our delegation: https://bredagamecity.nl/news/pre-register-for-the-breda-booth-at-gamescom-2023/

Discord
The Official Breda Region Community Discord Server is ready to launch! Join to connect with the local community, network, exchange information, share knowledge and stay up to date with the latest news from Breda and Breda Game City. Link to the discord channel: https://bredagamecity.nl/discord