8D Games
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLeeuwarden, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
8D Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 8D Games
- Legal name
- 8D Research + Design = Impact
- Website
- https://8d-games.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
8D Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Design Research and Serious Games Consulting
- NAICS
- Industrial Design Services (54142), Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Simulation, Scenario & Serious Games Design (EDAGAKAH), Game-Based Learning & Gamification Authoring (EDAFAHAF)
Keywords
Where 8D Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leeuwarden
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
8D Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Research Project Collaboration: Project-based collaboration with research institutions, universities, and European research consortia. Revenue is generated through participation in funded research projects, advisory roles, and design partnership in EU research programs such as Horizon Europe and Erasmus+.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
8D Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
8D Games (legally '8D Research + Design = Impact') is a Dutch design consultancy that develops serious games, educational tools, and co-creation methodologies for academic and research institutions. They translate research findings into tangible societal applications through participatory design, gamification, and interactive learning experiences deployed in museums, classrooms, and festivals.
Product overview
8D Research + Design = Impact is a Dutch design consultancy that bridges research and society through design-driven approaches. The company offers a portfolio of serious games and educational tools including VitAI (AI education module for children), the eZoon Game (interdisciplinary collaboration game), Care Trivia (card game from research), and the Leftover Challenge (food waste game). These are complemented by professional services including design thinking workshops, co-creation facilitation, and science communication support. The company operates primarily with academic and research institutions, developing creative outputs that make research accessible to broader audiences through gamification and interactive experiences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- European Innovative Teaching Award 2025 for GRACING project
Companies that use 8D Games
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
8D Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
8D Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- University of TwentecoreOngoing collaboration in eZoon research consortium where 8D serves as advisory and development partner. The project explores how persuasive technology such as serious games can promote interdisciplinary collaboration in pandemic preparedness scenarios.
- Leiden UniversitycoreCollaboration with Professor Ineke van der Ham on Technological Innovations in Neuropsychology. 8D provides design expertise to keep innovation processes realistic and grounded.
- Hanze University of Applied SciencescorePartnership with Dr. Gepke Veenstra on the Care Trivia project, transforming academic research on sustainable financing into engaging educational card games.
- University of LjubljanacoreCollaboration with Professor Blaž Ferjančič on the Leftover Challenge project, developing serious games for food waste reduction education across Europe.
- RUG/Campus FryslâncoreFormalized collaboration through signed letter of intent (intentieverklaring) focusing on knowledge sharing and transdisciplinary research between 8D and University of Groningen Campus Fryslân.
- GRACING ConsortiumcoreEuropean consortium where 8D served as domain expert contributing knowledge on design thinking, gamification, and co-creation for heritage education and adult education. The project received the 2025 European Innovative Teaching Award.
- FAIR GAME ConsortiumcoreEuropean project (Fostering Awareness, Inclusion, and Resilience in Gaming Environments) where 8D contributes to making children's rights and mental well-being a standard component of online gaming environments.
- POLAR ConsortiumcoreErasmus+ project (Polarized No More) focused on equipping youth and teachers in secondary education with tools to recognize, discuss, and address polarization.
- UMCG (University Medical Center Groningen)coreCollaboration on AI education in primary schools, exploring how smart technology works and how children can learn about artificial intelligence through interactive lessons.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
8D Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- VSTEP: Rotterdam-based developer of serious simulation games for safety, defence and professional training. Overlaps with 8D's serious-games-for-research and training proposition and its Dutch location.
- Ranj Serious Games: Dutch studio specializing in serious games for healthcare and social impact, including research-driven and behavior-change projects. Comparable to 8D on product type, customer segment (research/health institutions) and Dutch base.
- Trivium (Serious Games): European applied-drama and game-based learning organization working with EU-funded research and education programmes. Closely comparable to 8D's EU-consortium-driven, participatory-design delivery model.
- Two Tomatoes: Applied games studio working on impact-driven games for organizations, with experience in serious and educational games. Comparable to 8D's studio model and mission-driven client work.
- Grendel Games: Dutch serious games studio developing applied games for healthcare, education and research. Directly comparable to 8D in geography, studio size, and serious-games-for-research focus.
- Experientia: User experience and participatory design consultancy serving public-sector and research clients across Europe. Comparable to 8D on the design-research, co-creation methodology applied to societal challenges.
- Hubbub Lab: European studio building game-based learning products and playful tools for social impact. Comparable to 8D's gamification and co-creation methodology applied to research and education.
Broad incumbents
- IDEO: Global design consultancy applying design thinking, co-creation and prototyping to social-sector and research-adjacent work. Overlaps with 8D's design-thinking and impact methodology at a much larger scale.
- Frog (frog design): Large global design and innovation consultancy using co-creation and prototyping with public-sector and institutional clients. Comparable to 8D's multidisciplinary, design-driven approach at broader scale.
- Nesta: UK innovation foundation funding and prototyping mission-driven research and social-impact projects. Comparable to 8D's positioning in the EU research-and-impact ecosystem, though at foundation rather than studio scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
8D Games social profiles
Digital presence8D Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
8D Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
8D Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
8D Games M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 8D Games
What does 8D Games do?
8D Games (legally '8D Research + Design = Impact') is a Dutch design consultancy that develops serious games, educational tools, and co-creation methodologies for academic and research institutions. They translate research findings into tangible societal applications through participatory design, gamification, and interactive learning experiences deployed in museums, classrooms, and festivals.
Is 8D Games a public or private company?
8D Games is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 8D Games founded?
8D Games was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is 8D Games based?
8D Games is headquartered in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does 8D Games make money?
One revenue line is on record: research Project Collaboration.
Who are 8D Games's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are VSTEP, Ranj Serious Games, Trivium (Serious Games), Two Tomatoes, Grendel Games, Experientia and Hubbub Lab. Broad incumbents are IDEO, Frog (frog design) and Nesta.
Does 8D Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for 8D Games.
What industry is 8D Games in?
8D Games's product category is Design Research and Serious Games Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAH, Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise), with a secondary code of EDAGAKAH, Simulation, Scenario & Serious Games Design. Its NAICS code is 54142 and its SIC code is 7900.