Jan Willem Nijman

Vlambeer designer behind Nuclear Throne, Minit and Disc Room

@jwaaaap Netherlands42K followersIndie Game Makers

Jan Willem Nijman at a glance

Known for: Nuclear Throne, Minit and Disc Room
Based in: Netherlands
Indie since: 2010
Active products: Nuclear Throne, Minit and Disc Room

Facts checked 2026-10-22

About Jan Willem Nijman

Jan Willem Nijman is a Dutch game designer and the creative half of Vlambeer, the Utrecht studio he co-founded with Rami Ismail in 2010. He designed Vlambeer's arcade games, including Super Crate Box, Luftrausers, Ridiculous Fishing and Nuclear Throne, and is widely known for his talks on 'game feel' and screen shake.

Nuclear Throne began as a 2013 game jam prototype and was developed in public over 2.5 years of livestreams, passing $1 million in revenue during early access. Ridiculous Fishing earned more than $1 million in six months. Outside Vlambeer, Nijman made small collaborative games: Minit (2018) with Kitty Calis, Jukio Kallio and Dominik Johann, Disc Room (2020) with Terri Vellmann, Doseone and Kitty Calis, and the card game Dustbiters.

After Vlambeer closed in 2020, Nijman bought Ismail's shares in 2024, becoming its sole owner. He reopened the studio to maintain its games and finish the long-promised Ultrabugs, and Nuclear Throne got a big tenth-anniversary update in December 2025.

Products by Jan Willem Nijman

Nuclear Throne

store.steampowered.com

Roguelike top-down shooter developed live on Twitch.

$1M+ during early access

Minit

store.steampowered.com

Adventure game played in 60-second lives.

Disc Room

store.steampowered.com

Action game about surviving rooms full of spinning saw discs.

Luftrausers

store.steampowered.com

Arcade dogfighting game.

Super Crate Box

store.steampowered.com

Arcade platformer and Vlambeer's first release.

Dustbiters

dustbiters.com

Two-player card game about car gangs racing a dust storm.

Vlambeer

vlambeer.com

Dutch indie studio, now 100% owned by Nijman.

Timeline

2010 — Co-founded Vlambeer with Rami Ismail.
2013 — Released Ridiculous Fishing and started Nuclear Throne at a game jam.
2015 — Released Nuclear Throne.
2018 — Released Minit with Devolver Digital.
2020 — Released Disc Room; Vlambeer announced its closure.
2024 — Became sole owner of Vlambeer and reopened the studio.

How Jan builds

Game feel and juice make simple mechanics great.
Small teams and tight constraints.
Develop in public with the community watching.

Jan Willem Nijman FAQ

Who is Jan Willem Nijman?

Jan Willem Nijman is a Dutch game designer and the creative half of Vlambeer, the Utrecht studio he co-founded with Rami Ismail in 2010.

Who made Nuclear Throne?

Nuclear Throne was made by Vlambeer: Jan Willem Nijman as designer and Rami Ismail as producer, with art by Paul Veer and music by Jukio Kallio. It released in 2015.

Who made Minit and Disc Room?

Minit (2018) was made by Jan Willem Nijman, Kitty Calis, Jukio Kallio and Dominik Johann; Disc Room (2020) by Nijman, Kitty Calis, Terri Vellmann and Doseone.