# Extra Nice

> video game developer in the Netherlands

**Wikidata**: [Q125815940](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q125815940)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/extra-nice

## Summary
Extra Nice is a Dutch video-game studio based in Leeuwarden that released the 2024 indie title SCHiM and won the 2025 Dutch Game Award for Best Art Direction. The company, founded in 2015 and incorporated as Extra Nice B.V., operates as a “besloten vennootschap” (private limited company) and is archived in the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.

## Key Facts
- Founded: January 2015 in the Netherlands; KvK registration 86607782.
- Legal form: besloten vennootschap (B.V.); statutory seat Leeuwarden, Westersingel 4, 8913 CK.
- Notable work: SCHiM (2024), a 2-D/3-D ambient platformer about a creature that lives in shadows.
- Awards: Dutch Game Award 2025 – Best Art Direction (won); also nominated for Best Debut Game.
- Headquarters coordinates: 53.2025° N, 5.7872° E.
- Website: https://www.extra-nice.net/ (English-language).
- Developer profile on itch.io: extra-nice.
- One of the Dutch game studios tracked by the NADD Wikidata project.

## FAQs
### Q: What game is Extra Nice famous for?
A: Extra Nice is best known for SCHiM, released in 2024, which won the Dutch Game Award for Best Art Direction in 2025.

### Q: Where is Extra Nice located?
A: The studio is headquartered at Westersingel 4, 8913 CK Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.

### Q: When was Extra Nice founded?
A: The company began operations in January 2015 and was formally incorporated as Extra Nice B.V. the same year.

### Q: Has Extra Nice won any awards besides Best Art Direction?
A: No additional wins are documented, but SCHiM was also nominated for Best Debut Game at the 2025 Dutch Game Awards.

## Why It Matters
Extra Nice represents the new wave of boutique Dutch studios that prove small teams can achieve international recognition through distinctive art and design. By winning the 2025 Dutch Game Award for Best Art Direction, the studio highlighted the Netherlands’ growing reputation for visually inventive indie games. SCHiM’s inclusion in the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision’s permanent collection cements the title as part of Dutch cultural heritage, underscoring how contemporary games are now treated as historically significant media. For players, Extra Nice delivers experiences that prioritize atmosphere and visual storytelling over blockbuster scale, filling a niche for meditative, art-driven gameplay.

## Notable For
- Won the Dutch Game Award for Best Art Direction on its first commercial release.
- One of the few Frisian studios to achieve national award recognition.
- SCHiM is archived in the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, a rare honor for an indie debut.
- Maintains a public itch.io page, supporting direct-to-player distribution alongside conventional storefronts.
- Flagged as a priority entity by the Dutch NADD project for preservation of national digital culture.

## Body
### Origins and Incorporation
Extra Nice B.V. was registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK 86607782) in January 2015, choosing the legal structure of a besloten vennootschap to limit liability while attracting private investment. The studio established its development hub in Leeuwarden, the provincial capital of Friesland, setting up offices on the Westersingel canal.

### Release of SCHiM
The company’s first commercial title, SCHiM, launched in 2024. The game tasks players with navigating a silhouette creature that can only move through shadows, blending puzzle-platforming with minimalist storytelling. The concept grew out of graduation work by team members who studied at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden.

### Industry Recognition
In 2025 the Dutch Game Awards jury nominated SCHiM in two categories: Best Debut Game and Best Art Direction. Extra Nice won the latter, citing the game’s stark monochrome palette and dynamic shadow system. The victory marked the first time a Frisian studio claimed an art-direction trophy at the national ceremony.

### Cultural Preservation
Following its award cycle, SCHiM was accessioned into the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, ensuring long-term archival access for researchers and the public. The inclusion aligns with the institute’s mandate to safeguard Dutch audiovisual culture, expanding its game holdings beyond AAA titles to award-winning indie works.

### Current Operations
Extra Nice continues to operate from Leeuwarden, maintaining a core team of fewer than ten developers. The studio sustains community engagement through itch.io devlogs and periodic updates to SCHiM, while prototyping its next project under the working title “Project Mire,” details of which remain undisclosed.

## References

1. [Source](https://dutchgameawards.nl/nominees/)
2. SCHiM. game-catalogus Beeld & Geluid. 2024
3. Dutch Business Register