2 Index | 16 6 | 4 | 4 | 43 | 36 | 34 30 | | 28
24 | 22 | 20 | | 17 Trends Framework Future and /Industry Trends Genres and Future and /Platforms Outlook Financial Developers & Diversity Platforms Industry The State Game ofTheFinnish History Introduction
Industry in a Nutshell Industry Studio Founding Years Location of Companies andClusters ofCompanies Location Developers’ Challenges
Index 3 Clash Royale Picture: Supercell Serious Cluster Gaming Education Finnish Game Jam Game Finnish IGDA Finland ry Finland IGDA Tekes Tekes Neogames Finland Finland Neogames Regional SupportRegional FIVR Suomen Pelinkehittäjät ry Pelinkehittäjät Suomen Invest in Finland
Studio Profiles (separate file) Profiles Studio The IndustryThe Support and Networks 57 | | 58 | 62 52 | 52 | 54 | 55 | 56 49 | | 50 51 |
72 72 |
48 48 | ABOUT THIS REPORT Cities: Skylines have conquered the world, and well over a billion people FOR almost a decade, our game all over the globe have been playing industry has been the biggest cultural games made in Finland. When export branch in Finland. Finnish Finland celebrates its 100 years of games from Angry Birds to Clash of independence in 2017, the game Clans, from Quantum Break to industry has become a vital part of Finnish cultural landscape and its significance, both culturally and
Introduction economically, is well recognized. This publication provides a holistic overview of the Finnish game industry in 2016. The data presented in the following pages is based on a total of 140 company interviews carried out from October 2016 to January 2017, augmented by data from other sources. This study is a continuation of similar studies conducted in 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2014. Altogether 60 game companies, members of the Finnish Game
Picture: KoplaGames 4 Nonstop Knight Introduction
Developers Association or Serious Gaming Cluster, are listed and introduced on the company profile pages. We wish to thank everyone who has participated in this process. Special thanks to Suomen Pelinkehittäjät ry (Finnish Game Developers Association), Invest in Finland and Tekes (the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation) for their support.
Team Neogames: KooPee Hiltunen Suvi Latva J-P Kaleva
Picture: Seriously Best Fiends 5 6 History Rovio Picture: Angry Birds Movie Movie Birds Angry History 7 u m ar F Farm Away Picture:Picture: Fut FuturePlay on new forms at the turn of thedecade, when thequick progress of technology enabled technologically and culturally more ambitious games. This in turn forced hobbyists tospecialize in certain areas of game development hobbyist culture of the Finnish game game Finnish the of that began in the started 1980’s to take THE ENTHUSIASTIC THE 1990’s: Demo scene and the the scene and Demo 1990’s: first of the Finnish steps industrygame 1980’s: The beginning 1980’s: THE ROOTS industry were planted in the beginning of the during 1980’s the era of the first personal computers. Despite the scope and financial significance of game development being quite small at the time, it managed to create a base for the Finnish demo culture. development game and scene Early experimentation in technical, possibilities cultural and commercial offered vital experience in the area of game development and the realities of market. game the History
The beginning Dot.com of 80s: home First & mobile computers & game hype development interna- as a hobby tional game: Sanxion First still existing First First First world class commercial game companies Assembly are founded mobile products events studios
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Supreme Snow- boarding Picture: Fingersoft 8 Hill Climb Racing 2 History Zynga & Wargaming entering Helsinki
First big Mobile mobile game 2nd E-Sports studio acqui- round studio boom 2012- sitions Angry Digital mobile Changes 2014 on business Birds Licenced IP & distribution Movie Digital expands models Cross media productions distribution (Appstore) 51% of VR in PC platform Supercell was 2011–2012 (Steam) acquired with Tencent Big internatio- $ 1,5 billion by nal investments aqcuires 80% Gung Ho & Softbank of Supercell to Finnish Game (15.10.2013) Investment Facebook Companies recession & games and the growth social F2P Apple- of Nokia gaming mobile Watch
2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 HayDay Clash Best Royale & Clash Fiends Habbo Max Angry of Clans Cities: hotel Payne Birds Skylines Quantum Hill Climb Break Racing 9 10 History that the oldest Finnish game studios studios game Finnish oldest the that professionalism. It is no coincidence and competition objectives, teams, culture: hobbyist the to elements demo corporate scene brought typical strong their 1990’s with The hobbyists. other with expertise their share and Picture: Snowhound Apestorm: Full Bananas Full Apestorm: the ICT sector, the years 1995–2000 1995–2000 years the sector, ICT the In forward. steps big took economy technology in general, and the digital network internet, the Especially, of rapid technological evolution. atime been have to considered generally 1990’s is the of half second The people. 200 almost employed industry the and studios a dozen emerged in Finland. There were had industry game professional BY THE END THE BY downfall 1990’s:Late and Hype hobbyist culture. Finnish vibrant the in elsewhere or scene demo the in qualified either who byteams founded are studios game Finnish new today, many Even scene. demo the in background astrong have of the 1990’s a the of History 11 deliberation of investors practically investors of deliberation completely. investments stopped affected structures clearly the This companies and industry, game the of conquering from focus their changed the world to securing organic growth and focusing on project based work. On the mobile side this meant more operators mobile with cooperation and the aggregators who collected though Even portfoliosgame them. for 2002–2003, in stopped investments Nokia’s N-Gage (2003) and N-Gage QD (2004) were significant enablers of game development in Finland at the time, despite that in the end both platforms were to be unsuccessful. At the same time, the global markets for Java-based games kept growing, Finnish the secure helped this and game industry’s strong mobile focus and prepared the overall industry for of the millennium, unsuccessful investments, the high risks of new investments, and the general AT THE STARTAT Early Back 2000’s: the to basics are remembered as the “Internet bubble” or the hype” “dot.com due to the financial speculation which took place at the time. In Finland this hype had a strong mobile emphasis. The investments by Nokia in the development of WAP-protocol set the industry game Finnish the direction for far into the next decade. was WAP advertised as enabling the easy use of mobile internet. due However, to technical (poor usability) and financial the(e.g. high price of data transfer) reasons, never WAP really became an phenomenon. profitable economically the forthcoming industry-wide digital activities themselves. Thus, an increase distribution market. Although many of in possibilities led to higher risks, but the companies of that era have since also to wider areas of expertise. closed their doors, their talents can still be seen throughout the industry. Early 2010’s: Angry Birds, History start-up boom and second Late 2000’s: The rise of digital round studios distribution IT CAN BE said with certainty that THE RECENT growth and progress of digital distribution was a substantial the Finnish game industry has been reason for both the Angry Birds based on digital distribution and the phenomenon launched in 2009 and the possibilities it created. Shortened value start-up boom which began in 2011 and chains enabled by digital distribution reached its height (55 new studios) in opened new possibilities for game 2012. For the first time, developing and developers. At the same time, working distributing games was easy for smaller without publishers brought new and less well financed game studios. significant risks for games companies. All in all, around 200 new game studios A company working without a were founded during 2011–2015 and publisher has to bear the costs of around 20 % of these new studios production and marketing, and also could be described as “second round undertake all of the marketing and PR studios”. These studios have founders
12 History with strong prior experience in the transition in the industry has been the industry, which puts them in a far introduction of the F2P model. The better position than first timers. best examples of its significance have been Supercell’s Clash of Clans, Hay Early 2010´s: Investments Day, and Clash Royale whose success has lead the turnover of the Finnish DURING 2011–2013, the financial game industry into a whole new success of the Finnish game industry drew the attention of international investors. Mobile games, especially F2P games and studios developing them were seen as a good investment target. These investments had a significant impact on the growth of the industry. The largest of these investments, in 2011–2013, was the Supercell GungHo/ Softbank deal worth € 1.1 billion.
Early 2010’s: F2P (Free to Play)
AFTER digital distribution, the biggest and most financially significant
Picture: TicBits Crazy Kings 13 14 History a Men Two aDog and Two Men Picture: size. current its to grow to able been have wouldn’t industry game Finnish F2P mobile without that say to fair It’s category.
Zombie Catchers nd d aD D og ROVIO’S gameAsian publishers Mid 2010’s: with Co-operation Tencent combination one became of & Supercell the 2016. aresult, in As Supercell of shares /Softbank GungHo acquired TenCent Chinese companies. Game in Finnish were interested Especially Chinese game companies 2013). (October acquisition / Softbank GungHo &Japanese Supercell’s after began toindustry accelerate soon game Finnish towards Asia from interest growing The users. by daily measured market biggest Rovios’ 2012 became in China already and China, in office an open to studios developer game Finnish first the of 2011, In one was markets. Rovio Asian in through break to game Finnish Angry Birds was the first first the was Birds Angry
History 15 Bad Piggies Piggies Bad
Picture: Rovio alongside mobile e-sports One notable development was featureRovio´s film “The Angry Birds IN 2016 VR IN 2016 Mid 2010’s: The end of the the of The end 2010’s: Mid beginning? the strongest players in both west and market. Asian Wargaming and Zynga, both prominent prominent both Zynga, and Wargaming actors in game industry, entering development. mobile do to Helsinki Movie” based on Angry Birds games turned and 2016 spring in premiered out to be the most successful game based on mobile a game. were hot topics in the Finnish game industry. it looks However, as though the VR market is not quite mature e-sports mobile In yet. enough the faster. been has progress 16 State of the Industry Picture: Koukoi
Crashing Season Industry in a Nutshell 17 Dice Hunter Dice
Picture: Greener Grass in business. Therehave also been studios some studio and mergers have actuallyswitched trade tomore traditional ICT industry. The main reasons for the slowdown were in 2016 the intense competition, especially in mobile platforms, and the global enough experienced find struggle to employees. hasbeen one of the RAPID GROWTH RAPID Industry a Nutshell in main characteristics of the Finnish decade. industrylast game the during theHowever, latest data reveals that the time of hyper growth is, at least for the time being, This is over. especially clear when looking at the number of studios established In in 2016. the previous the years of 2012–2015 number of new studios per year has been 30–55. it was In 2016 only 16. According to Neogames’ statistics, was also2016 the first year when the number of active Finnish game studios decreased: from estimated studios 270 at the to 250 end studios of 2015 at the end There of 2016. are some clear reasons for that. Some of the studios start-up boom the established during haven’t been able to stay2011–2015 18 Industry in a Nutshell 2015. The annual growth from 2015 from to growth 2015. annual The year previous the in than more million) €100 (around slightly was industry the of turnover The values. threshold these to close very studios several are (10) there and employees 50 than more as the number of employing studios well as (30) before ever than bigger is turnover annual €1Million over well. doing still is industry game Finnish the growth, of slowdown the Despite growth. future to obstacles biggest the of one still is professionals experienced of availability the extent, 2017. during To positions some open new 280 have to expect studios game 2015 of and end (2700), the at did it (2750) as people of number same the Finnish employs game around industry 2015, end the the in than smaller is The number of making studios an now studios of number the if Even consolidation is likely take place. take likely is consolidation smaller developers. Also, some more gain popularity, especially among the to likely are games downloadable PC be the next notable phenomenon, and to likely is e-sports Mobile immature. still is VR for especially market the one of the future but directions, are games AR and VR increase. will relationship –consumer developer of significance the and Acquisition) (User UA of role the and grow to continue will space mobile of saturation the stability. for quest and development mature amore into turned has years previous of 2015).to Hypergrowth 2014 %from 4%(33 2016 around was In the near future, competition and and competition future, near the In Industry in a Nutshell 19 Raids of Glory Picture: Nitro Games 20 Studio Founding Years KEEPING UP Years Founding Studio quite discontinue just studios often and public, going before years for mode stealth in be sometimes can developers easy, game relatively is upstudios, setting a new game studio developer game for class statistical system. information on in operational the status business still remain but business active their quite discontinue just studios often and public, going before years for mode stealth in be sometimes can developers game and easy, relatively is upstudios, setting a new game studio developer game for class statistical definitive no has Finland Statistics forimpossible multiple reasons: virtually is companies game active all Statistics Finland has no definitive no has Finland Statistics an entirely accurate list of of list accurate entirely an different sources. different many from updated constantly is which list, studio developer game Neogames’ on based is studios game (2016) still of active years 2016. of end the at active 31 still (57%) were 55studios, those boom. start-up game Out industry of the of year active 2012,in most the established were 2015, studios 55new from study aprevious to according e.g. studios: of rate “mortality” the 8%. %to 6.5 from increased has older or age of years ten studios the of 2015, in share the published study the to compared low, but quite The next list of the founding founding the of list next The is note to thing interesting An still remain but business active their Studio Founding Years 21 Build Away
Picture: Futureplay
total
active active
250 companies companies 2 2 2 2 3 1 1 9 9 6 4 16 15 31 49 25 29 55 44 2011 2016 2012 2015 2010 2014 2013 1997 1995 1999 2007 2006 2005 2009 2002 2008 2000 2003 2004 Location of Companies and by companies located in the capital Clusters area, and around 75 % of all employees work in capital area companies. THE CHANGES in company locations From a structural point of view, compared to the previous full study other areas in Finland are also (data from year 2014) are not dramatic. becoming more mature. Game The capital area has increased its share industry has developed well especially Locations from 38 % to 42 % and the western in regional growth hubs like Oulu, area has also grown from 8 % at the Tampere, Turku, Kotka, Kajaani end of 2014 to 13 % at the end of 2016. Joensuu, Jyväskyläkylä and Rovaniemi. However, in economic significance All ththeseese regional hhubs have game and financial value the capital arearea isis inindustrydustry support sschemesch which have still well hhad an impact on aheadd ththe game industry of otherher dedevelopment in areas. 9988 ththeire respective % of thehe reregions.g industry’sy’s turnoverr iiss generateded
Picture: Fingersoft 22 Hill Climb Racing 2 Locations 23 9 % N:250 7 Legends 18 % Picture: Dazzle Rocks 42 % 42 18 % 13 % Location companies the of 24 Challenges Games Rival Picture:
The Detail The Challenges 25 andsome developers havedecided to start trainingjuniors directly for their needs. company’s Even though Finnish gamedevelopers have been able to create several success stories in free to play mobile games, many of developers still find the actual business and design model 2. COMPETITION AND SATURATION MARKET THE OF Saturation is a global challenge for mobile platforms. somehow To describe the scale of competition, over 21 000 new games were released in the Apple App store alone, in May 2016 and according to some estimates, the saw year a total 2016 of 760 000 new games when all platforms are considered. ECONOMIC3. CHALLENGES In theinterviews, many game larger those especially companies, and more established, indicated that the biggest challenge they meet is recruiting senior talent. The lack of senior employees is a global in companies and phenomenon Finland have to find ways to compete. At the moment, around % of 18 the employees in the Finnish game industry are outside Finland and in the future theshare is likely to increase. hiringHowever, abroad is expensive 1. FINDING (SENIOR) EMPLOYEES (SENIOR) FINDING 1. During the interviews the conductedDuring for pinpointed studios game survey, this in meet they challenges common some be can business. challenges Those their different areas: five into categorised Developers’ Challenges Developers’ troublesome. The Free to play business industry, especially on the mobile model is based on small minority of side. Technology, trends, regulatory the players generating the majority of framework and unpredictability of game revenue. This creates challenges customers create an environment very in discoverability and raises the cost hard to operate in. The unpredictability of already expensive User Acquisition. of the industry also affects the Mismatch between paying customers availability of early stage funding. and free riders makes User Acquisition Challenges even more challenging. 5. MANAGING GROWTH On the other hand, good user Success often brings with it the retention, the key to success in the F2P possibility to grow. However, in order model, is profoundly connected with to succeed in growth professional game-design and monetization. This management is required. In Finland, has led to metrics and analytics driven like in many other countries, game design which is sometimes seen as a companies are often managed by threat to truly unique and innovative actual developers. In the interviews game design. developers emphasized the importance of professional management, especially 4. UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE when the company is growing. INDUSTRY Unpredictability has always been one of the characteristics of the game
26 Platforms 27 P.O.L.L.E.N
Picture: Mindfield Games Games Mindfield Picture: 28 Platforms have moved on from mobile to a PC aPC to mobile from on moved have developers some and imminent, are platforms mobile of challenges the the Finnish game industry. However, in platforms popular most the still are MOBILE PLATFORMS Platforms Minutes 5More Picture: Tally iOS and Android Android and iOS games for several platforms. develop companies most and common, share. small avery have all Facebook and platforms Nintendo mobile, Windows and smart-TVsmartwatch market. as well as /AR VR the in pioneering well. as platforms console for games developing often companies, -development PC solid and experienced already of anumber also are There monetization. based model F2P mobile than convenient more find developers many which model business premium the is PC to move to reason other The Steam. crowded not-yet-so- the to mainly platform, Multiplatform developmentMultiplatform is very companies some are There Platforms 29 Badlands Picture: Frogmind Picture: 9 % 9 % 7 % 6 % 4 % 2 % 10 % 10 % 76 % 69 % 46 % 46 Other VR AR mobile Windows Nintendo Facebook iOS Android online PC / PC Playstation Xbox Popularity of the platforms among Finnish Game Studios N:140 Popularity Studios platforms the Game of Finnish among 30 Developers & Diversity &Bros. Cornfox Picture:
Oceanhorn 2 Developers & Diversity 31
Battle Jack Jack Battle
Picture: Crand Cru Out of the companies 140 surveyed, the same (2 700) as Neogames´ estimate at the and end of 2015 250 employees more than the end (2 500).of Unlike 2014 the official statistics from Statistics Finland, these and entrepreneurs include figures employees working abroad. Interns and included. not freelancers were estimated54(39 %) that they are going to hire new employees within the next of people working in the
In growth 2010–2016, has been available other from Information THE NUMBER THE Finnish game industry has grown quite steadily since the first Neogames study in 2004. The only exception to this was in 2009 when the number of people employed by the industry actually decreased becauseof the global slowdown. economic quite steady. The companies 140 involved in our survey 250 (of total) employed 2 265 people in 2016. represent companies these Though 56 % of the number of companies in the whole industry, all of the largest companies are included inthe survey, and the companies that didn’t respond aremainly relativelynew or small. sources confirms that at the end the Finnishof 2016, game industry employed people. 2 750 This is roughly 32 Developers & Diversity Crane Bad Picture: including industry, whole the in staff female of share the estimate we 2014 of end %). (20 the When at study previous the in than less slightly %, 18 is employees female of share The 2014 from 2016. to 406 to 358 from increased employees female of number growth. for looking still are developers figures confirm that the Finnish game However, these precision. any with estimate to hard is employees new for demand actual the industry, the of nature 2017. volatile the to Due professionals during new game industry 280 hire to expecting are companies these Altogether, 12 months. RGB express According to the survey, the the survey, the to According employees more than in 2014 in than (4). more employees 3 is 2016, 7in is which survey the employed in companies answering ETA area. EU / the outside from came employees all 5 % of Roughly employed. people of number total the of 18 %share around an means 2016. of This end the 397at was employees non-Finnish of number (140), total the answers survey The median number of persons persons of number median The counterparts. counterparts. established more dominated than their male more be to tend companies smaller and start-ups that is this for reason The smaller. bit a be might females of share actual the survey, this in not companies According to the the to According Developers & Diversity 33 Antidote Picture: Psyon Games 1147 1120 1079 1264 1800 2750 2700 2500 2200 2011 2016 2012 2015 2010 2014 2013 2009 2008 Number of employees in the the in employees of Number industry game 2008–2016Finnish 2016 was once again a year of growth than € 1 million, which is 10 companies for the Finnish game industry, but more than in 2014. This represents 12 % the growth was significantly slower of the total amount of studios. Globally, than during the previous couple of this is a rather typical situation in the years, 4,2% from €2,4 Billion to €2,5 game industry, where a small number Billion. However, since the turnover of studios tend to generate the majority of Supercell remained the same as of turnover. Due to the large number in 2015, all of the growth came from of start-ups the median turnover of other companies. This is one more a Finnish game studio was € 95 000 piece of evidence of the maturity of the in 2016. From a global perspective, industry. At the moment, there are 30 it’s notable that according to data by studios with an annual turnover of more Newzoo, mobile games generated an around € 35 Billion ($ 37 Billion)
Financial Outlook Financial turnover in 2016 globally. The share of Finnish mobile game developers was roughly 7 % of the revenue generated. From the point of view of the national economy, the game industry has grown to be a significant part of the Finnish industrial landscape, and its incremental value to Finnish GDP was roughly 0.5 % in 2016.
Picture: Traplight 34 Big Bang Racing Turnover 35
Trials Fusion
Picture: Redlynx 87 87 165 105 350 900 1800 2500 2400 Million € Million 2011 2016 2012 2015 2010 2013 2014 2009 2008 Turnover of the Finnish game industry game core Finnish the of Turnover 2008–2016 development] [game 36 Trends and Future 3rdEye Picture: Downward spiral Trends and Future 37 Pako
Picture: Men Tree Games E-sports has been a audiences not satisfied with satisfied with not audiences games. mainstream the big trend in Asia for a while and now, like many other Asian trends, it has become a major trend also As an outcome of more and more and institutionalised markets with a slim, but still existing chance of survival developers. small for role the conditions, difficult market of marketing and strategic business planning is becoming as important as good game design. Because of this, artistic risk taking has decreased and most developers are more and more focused on following the established this Ironically conventions. genre progress opens up possibilities for new innovative productsto reach new game industry game is becoming bigger, more saturated and segmented. At the same time the price of User Acquisition continues to grow, game productions are getting bigger and bigger and the competition in markets is getting extremely hard. This isleading to even more consolidated THE MOBILE FUTURE TRENDS FUTURE - Saturation, Mobile Consoli- Instutionalisation dation and 38 Trends and Future SmallGiant Picture: AS COMPETITION New Indie Platforms - and PC Console companyentertainment NHN. fundingfrom significant South-Korean raised Force Critical company e-sports mobile based Finland mobile. at mainstream PvP time real made Supercell Royale, Clash With e-sports. of competition global the in place their found has Supercell Developers, Game Finnish Among markets. Western in design and the Free2Play business business Free2Play the and design stores, introducing data driven games console online to cases, or, some in Steam to mobile from focus main their moving are developers many mobile, Empires & Puzzles &Puzzles Empires In the autumn of 2016, of Northern- autumn the In is getting harder on on harder getting is
Trends and Future 39 and wearables in Compared to VR, AR markets comes, it is likely to be much bigger expected. than are more mature and more easily mobile traditional accessible for Go Pokémon Nintendo’s developers. was a big hit in the summer of 2016. biggest the was Go Pokémon Although global ithit has of 2016, not started a new AR boom. The introduction of AR solutions built for contact lenses will be one of the defining key moments of game industry. Before that AR might be actually bigger a market onthe serious games side, where AR headsets first introduced. be will Hololens like Smart Watches, Wearables Smart and TVs New -the Frontiers SMART WATCHES have been high expectations THERE VR & AR - Early an at Stage Still model to those platforms. As the example of the successof Colossal Order’s Cities:Skylines demonstrates, small studios can build big success stories on PC using the traditional pay- Steam However, model. per-download is also starting to get more and more crowded, and some developers are starting now experiment therefore to games. based browser with for VR markets. currently, However, the VR markets themselves are still too small for mostdevelopers to build the business entering profitable and markets requires very specific new skills and knowledge. The actual breakthrough seems to be taking longer than expected, but once it 40 Trends and Future Grass Greener Picture: instead of becoming an independent mobileexisting gameplay experience an to layer additional an form they where adirection to moving slowly are watches smart Currently, introduced. are devices new better until markets niche remain will general, Dice Hunter AS THE Influencers Media Social & Productions Cross-Media ting –Brand Oriented Games, andIP Monetisation Marke- are looking for new alternative media media alternative new for looking are prices in User Acquisition, developers high sky to led has games published stage. early an at still are platforms those of markets However, the platforms. mobile main the on than easier much is there featured getting as developers, game for visibility needed much provide They developers. mobile for platforms secondary interesting them makes which easy, rather is TV Android to Android or AppleTV to iOS from games Porting platform. ever-growing amount of of amount ever-growing Trends Future and for monetizing their IPs and boost User Acquisition. To reach maximum coverage and engagement between potential users, the meaning of social media and its influencers has grown. Twitch and Youtube presence has become a necessity for any game company today. Seriously has gone deeper into that via their charity campaigns, which have gone viral in social media. Well known IP/Brand reduces successful in creating a game IP based marketing and User Acquisition costs. transmedia and licensing empire. On the cross-media side, common IP productions, where the same IP is used Serious Games – in TV-series or movies and games, are Waiting for the First Hit becoming more popular. One of the biggest success stories of the Finnish SERIOUS games and gamification game industry in 2016 was the Angry are separating themselves into two Birds Movie grossing more than $ 349 different independent fields. There million globally. Rovio has been one is a lot of potential in serious games, of the first game developer studios
Picture: Seriously Best Fiends 41 42 Trends and Future Picture: Housemarque
Alienation Trends and Future 43 to funding is one of the key challengeskey a game developer faces today. As the investment boom in game industry is slowing down globally, there is an opportunity for game industry focused investors. For developer studios, this means that business their expand to need they business marketing networks, increase and data analysis skills and learn the most effective ways to optimise their games. Also, the role of publisher will once again start to become more industry. the in relevant ACCESS Funding – More Excellent Excellent – More Funding Investment Opportunities Ahead round start-up boom in the first half of this decade, has led to a growing number of small, well- studios developer established game These studios sufficientwith turnover. are potential future superstars and along with their development the stability of the whole industry is increasing. THE SECOND THE Industry Framework – Game The Core Finnish the of Industry Stronger is Getting butthe big serious game success story is still missing. The Finnish company Yousician, with their music oriented becoming to close is edugames, one, and it is likely that especially the edugame sector will be leadingthe growth of serious games during the years. upcoming 44 Trends and Future difficult to find talented senior level level senior talented find to difficult increasingly is it industry, Finnish of success the of outcome an As years. five last the over rapidly growing been FuturePlay Picture: FINNISH THE Job? Finland to Welcome Employees –Looking a for Build Away game industry has has industry game ries in organising game jams under the the under jams game organising in ries count- active most the of one become quickly also has Finland years recent In globally. chapters IGDA active most orientation is IGDA Finland, one of the community strong of example One ways oriented. been community very THE FINNISH THE Finland Leads the Way Talents – Industry Game Community Nurturing increase. to likely is number the and abroad, from were industry game Finnish the in working employees 18 the %of increasing.constantly In 2016 around is industry game the in working in interested people from required expertise of scope and level the time, same Atthe Finland. from employees game industry has al- has industry game Trends and Future 45
Antidote Antidote
Picture: Games Psyon MemberStates will be competingfor the best game developer teams not with also tax instruments, but with only best services public companies. for Member States, whose tax, consumer protection will data authorities and have sufficient resources to help local European both implement companies and global regulation, will have a clear advantage. competitive regulatory framework framework regulatory THE GLOBAL THE Regulation – From Tax Tax – From Regulation Competition to Service Competition umbrella of the Finnish Game Jam As- sociation and the number of partici- pants in game jams is likely toincrease in the near future. These events, where hobbyist developers and the industry experts meet, are element a key for the future success of the Finnish industry. for games markets isgetting more complex everyMeanwhile, year. protectionist policies are reaching digital markets, especially in China. At the same time the European Union policies introducing successfully is to stop competition on both VAT and corporate tax rates between its member states. In the future, EU Picture: Facepalm 46 The Swapper Picture: Supercell Clash Royale 47 48 Industry Support & Networks Studios Reforged Picture: Concept Art Concept Finnish game developers 49
7 Legends Picture: Dazzle Rocks Contact:
Mariina Hallikainen Mariina Chair of the Board [email protected] industry networks. It has members 70 studios in major the of all including Finland. Members of the association are representative of about of the 95% turnover and 85% of the employees of industry. the SuomenPelinkehittäjät (Finnish game developer studios association) is an amalgamation of game developer studios. The main mission of the association is to act as a guardian of interests for game studios, and to advance the political and economic interests of the Finnish Pelinkehittäjät Suomen industry. game works in close co-operation with other 50 Tekes Redlynx/Ubisoft Picture: continues story success –thebusiness pays off Tekes’ funding gaming for
Trials Fusion Trials www.tekes.fi/en www.tekes.fi/en/skene events. industry in different continues with funding and networking support industry Tekes’ game limelight. global into rose industry game Finnish the time that 2012 2015. and During between run Refueled – Games Skene programme specific industry Tekes’ game Seriously. and Games Next Rovio, Frozenbyte, Supercell, companies like Remedy, Housemarque, game of growth the accelerated has funding The 100. MEUR approximately 1995 with since networking and with growth fundinggame industry Innovation the has supported Finnish for Agency Funding Finnish the TEKES, Invest In Finland 51 Drive AheadDrive
Picture: DoDreams Picture: Contact:
Senior Advisor Gaming Gaming Advisor Senior 40 803 +358 2526 [email protected] All our services are free of charge. charge. of free are our services All visit please information, For more www.investinfinland.fi We workWe nationally and in close Finland's Tra- a part of Finpro, are We cooperation with our regional partners. regional our with cooperation Therefore, we offer a consolidated approach as to the value that Finland can bring to your company. Agency. de and Investment Promotion Take the fastTake track to Finland and business opportunitiesexplore for you company with us. Working with Invest in Finland means you will receivethe most relevant and updated industry insights and professional your meet that recommendations needs. Our industry experts provide not only hard and soft facts about Finland, but also insight into industry sectors, Finnish companies, research universities. and institutes, Invest in Finland – We help help – We Finland in Invest you grow your business 52 Neogames Studios Reforged Picture: 2003. Our mission is to accelerate, accelerate, to is mission Our 2003. organizationindustry in established game non-profit amember-based is Neogames Finland Concept Art Concept the Finnish games industry. to related reports and surveys various of production the and internationally, and domestically both relations events,networking promoting media domestic organizing sector, political cooperation with ministries and the development projects, cross-industry to international events, coordination of include organizingservices group trips Our resources. the have not may organization individual an which for but players. industry all of interests shared the serve we and association, Neogames is an umbrella impartial research. and education to business from industry game the of sectors all cluster. game Finnish the of development coordinate the and support We do work that benefits everyone, everyone, benefits that work We do Neogames’ members represent Neogames
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Picture: Seriously Best Fiends 53 54 Serious Games Cluster Picture: Vulpine Games environment. wellbeing, gamification, simulation and for learning and education, health and &products games develop members other than Our pure entertainment. with purpose a primary products and games developing companies of nonprofit organisation and a network a is Finland Cluster) Gaming (Serious SGC
Last Planets Last developers, do us! contact University. Helsinki and Center Learning Playful Oy, Etu Cluster/Kainuun Tekes, Kavio www.seriousgamingcluster.fi [email protected] miikka board ofthe Chairman Miikka Lyytikäinen
If you are looking for serious game game serious for looking are you If include partners strategic Our Contact: IGDA Finland IGDA FINLAND (International Game Developers Associa- tion) is a worldwide nonprofit professio- nal society for game developers. IGDA Finland promotes the develop- ment of careers and professional skills of individual game developers based in Fin- land, and develops the international re- cognition of the Finnish game developer community. A key activity of IGDA Finland is to bring Finnish game developers together to network and share knowledge in monthly gatherings organized by the local hubs all over Finland. Everyone is welcome to join our events! Contact: Vesa Raudasoja, Chairman of the Board [email protected] www.igda.fi igda
55 56 Finnish Game Jam information of game development events. provide and organizers jam unify jams, game run to are FGJ of objectives main The Finland. in ahobby as development organization founded to game support Finnish Game Jam
finnishgamejam.com Details: scene. jam game Finnish the of supporters honors jam games, jammers and the Awards Jam Game Finnish annual The prestige game jams around the globe. in tojammers possibilities participate offers program scholarship FGJ throughout the country. around 1000 organizers and jammers gathers Jam, Game Global the in The annual main event, participation
is a non-profit anon-profit is FIVR 57 (Finnish Virtual (Finnish Reality)
Contact:
is an association for virtual reality and and developers reality augmented enthuists, which seeks to promote the development and visibility of these sectors in Finland. The association organizes events, trade fairs and presentations, as wellas takes local developers to foreign events. Similarly, FIVR also brings foreign investors in the with touch in keep FIVR Finland. introduces and platform stakeholders them. to domestic enterprises the The association has three VR / AR accelerators, of which the 30 person hub in Helsinki acts as a center for the new Tampere and accelerators. Turku Olli Sinerma, Chairman of the Board [email protected] www.fivr.fi FIVR 58 Education Picture: Remedy
Quantum Break Education 59 Picture: Lightneer Big Bang Legends has an excellent base for raising new talent to game industry. into introduced recently was Coding Youth the and curriculum school the department of the City of Helsinki is leadingthe way globally on running youth clubs and summer camps focused on game development. Finnish from moved has education games strict curriculums to a more flexible where approach student oriented and first games are developed as early as possible, and when all the gaps between a formal and non-formal a educational path will be bridged, Finland is likely to be able of offer both clear routes to success and caring community support for its young talents. Game Education FINLAND 60 Education UNIVERSITIES UNIVERSITIES (EQF levels 6 and 7) 6and levels (EQF SCIENCES APPLIED OF UNIVERSITIES
http://www.lapinamk.fi/en http://www.oulu.fi/university/ http://www.utu.fi/en/Pages/home.aspx https://www.ulapland.fi/EN www.uta.fi http://www.uta.fi/sis/trim/index.html www.jyu.fi/it/en Eastern Finland www.uef.fi/en/cs https://www.helsinki.fi/en of University www.aalto.fi/en/ Media and Information for Center Research ofTampere /Tampere University ofJyväskylä University ofHelsinki University Aalto University Lapland University of Applied Sciences Sciences ofApplied University Lapland of Oulu University ofTurku University of Lapland University (EQF levels 7 and 8) 7and levels (EQF
http://web.centria.fi/ game-design/ bachelor-of-culture-and-arts-dp-in https://www.xamk.fi/koulutukset www.kyamk.fi/Frontpage www.karelia.fi/en/ www.kamk.fi/en www.jamk.fi/en www.metropolia.fi/en/ www.haaga-helia.fi/en Sciences ofApplied University Haaga-Helia of Sciences Applied University Centria Applied Sciences, XAMK XAMK Sciences, Applied of University Finland South-Eastern Sciences ofApplied University Kymenlaakso Sciences ofApplied University Karelia Sciences ofApplied University Kajaani Sciences ofApplied University Jyväskylä Applied Sciences of Metropolia University Helsinki
Education 61 Oulu Vocational College Vocational Oulu CollegeVocational Lappia Sataedu North Outokumpu college Karelia Luksia, Western Uusimaa Municipal Education Consortium and Training vocational institute Suupohja Kainuu vocational institute and Kajaani highscool combined programPeliamis Keuda http://www.oppihotelli.fi/2016/ peliamis AEL https://www.ael. fi/koulutustarjonta/media-alan- ammattitutkinto?id=5121 www.osao.fi/en/ http://www.lappia.fi/sites/en-US http://sataedu.fi http://www.pkky.fi/en/oppilaitokset ammattiopisto/outokumpu https://www.luksia.fi/in-english http://www.saiedu.fi/en/mainpage https://www.keuda.fi/hakijalle/ aikuisten-koulutus/tutkintoon-johtava koulutus/
North Karelia municipal education and training consortium Pelitalo / Kouvola Region Vocational College Laajasalon opisto Helsinki Vocational College Turku UniversityTurku of Applied Sciences Savonia University of Applied Sciences University Applied Sciences of Tampere Mikkeli University of AppliedSciences Oulu UniversityApplied of Sciences Lahti Universityof Applied Sciences www.laajasalonopisto.fi http://pelitalo.org/ www.pkky.fi/en, www.ksao.fi/en/ www.hel.fi/hki/ammatillinen/fi/in_english www.tamk.fi/en www.amiedu.fi www.tuas.fi/en/Amiedu http://portal.savonia.fi/amk/en http://www.mamk.fi/exchange www.oamk.fi/english/ www.lamk.fi/english
VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS (EQF levels 4 and 5) 62 Regional Support THE ROLE Clusters Regional in 2014 and 2015, about 63 % were % were 2014in 63 2015, and about promisingmost established studios 49 the From industry. game Finnish the in increasing quickly is hubs Games Traplight Picture: Big Bang Racing Bang Big of regional clusters and and clusters regional of studios. measuressupport for game developer continuous development of regional the of importance the underlines This region. capital the outside established Regional Support 63 Zombie Catchers Catchers Zombie
Picture: Men Two and a Dog 64 Joensuu Picture: JoensuuGames Coop
SOTKA 3DSpace Adventuree forVR
http://en.tiedepuisto./games [email protected] 83 +358 03 502 50 Joensuu Science Park Development Manager, Games VeikkoContact: Miettinen provide. premises Joensuu Science Park can best the in located environment studio a150 is sqm which OASIS, called studio Game open an in developed are Park Science Joensuu in ideas Business Game growth. of apath onto years early companies through the challenging guide expertly to helps Incubator Joensuu Science Park Business Kajaani 65 Perspective Picture: Nemesis Picture: Around the undeniably best game the undeniably Around Finland, has risen in centre education start constantly growing a lively and As Cluster. - KAVIO up concentration prizes like of the talent pool, proof Indie Sensation and Nordic BAFTA, have already Finnish Game Award found their way to Kajaani. Contact: 614 445 514 +358 [email protected] Located 600 km northeast from from km northeast 600 Located has the Finland's Kajaani Helsinki, of students local pool largest second industry. of the game and professionals
The Playa Game Industry Hub is a community of game industry companies in the region in South- East Finland. The hub is centered in Kotka, nestled between the metropolitan areas of Helsinki and St. Petersburg. The community consists of game developers, game equipment manufacturers, suppliers, educational institutes and other stakeholders. (+15 companies and over 100 employees in Kotka, Kouvola and Lappeenranta) Playa Game Industry Hub supports the local game companies, especially start-ups with business development, South-East Finland South-East financing and publishing. Contact: [email protected] tel. +358 40 190 2523 www.playahub.com
Picture: Kukouri Mobile Entertainment 66 and Kiemura Oulu 67 Picture: Fingersoft Picture: Hill Climb Racing 2 www.businessoulu.com Contact: [email protected] 44tel. 1399 703 +358 Oulu is the center of northern game of center the is Oulu 300 companies, industry 33+ with employees and 20 M EUR Revenue gaming unique export. The 90% with ecosystem in Oulu is creating the predictable for conditions and first demo from success repeatable to global market. The players key are neatly settled at the brandnew Game Campus Oulu in the city Campuscenter. is led by Fingersoft, the biggest company in the area. innovative an Lab, Game Oulu education and incubation program is important occupant. another
68 Turku Picture: RivalGames
The Detail www.turkugamelab.fi www.gameturku.com and +358 5577251tel. 40 [email protected] Contact: etc. Lab Turku Game Park, Science Turku activities: support Active developers’ community Active and passionate game the world in best the as twice ranked program degree animation Academy Turku Arts 50+ researchers graduates per year 50–60 degree in game development delivering a programming-focused Three higher education institutes more and Delta Quadro Tribeflame, TicBits, 24+ game companies: Rival Games, Picture: PlayRaven Robocide 69 Picture: Shiver Games 70 Lucius 72 and Neogames Finland *Finnish game developers association (Suomen Pelinkehittäjät), associations* Serious Gaming registered Cluster industry game Finnish the of members are here listed Studios
Greener Grass Cru Grand Futureplay Futurefly Frozenbyte Frogmindgames Fingersoft Games Everywear Epic Owl DoDreams DazzleRocks Force Entertainment Critical &Brothers Cornfox Order Colossal Citynomadi Armada Interactive Aniway 10tons 5 More Minutes
Pikkukala Games Nitro Next Games Motorious Entertainment MotionVolt Games Moidogames of Games Ministry Mindfield Games Ludocraft Lightneer Kyygames Kuuasema Kukouri Koukoi Games Games Kopla Games Kajak Iron Sight IceFlake Studios Housemarque
Tribe Flame Tree Men games Traplight TJR Games Tic Bits Supercell Arcade Star Snowfall Games Giant Small SIEIDI Seriously Seepia Games Games Rusto Rovio Rival Games Remedy Reforged studios Redlynx PlayRaven
Tunnel Ground Two Men and a Dog Virtual Air Guitar Company Yousician Zaibatsu Interactive
Finnish game developers association members without studio profile in the study Boomlagoon Cubicle Studios Mountainsheep Musopia Secret Exit SharkFishStudio SharkPunch TheoryInteractive
More studios can be found on www.neogames.fi/en/ industry-info/operators Picture: Theory Interactive Reset 73 74 Q Q Q Q Q learning analytics blockbusters withrobust tools, combiningthird-party status ofgamesasteaching ecosystem toboostthe & Glitch,outinearly2017 (acquired byMicrosoft in2016) creator ofMinecraftEdu TeacherGaming LLC,the www.5moreminutes.com Alsoworkingonan Firstin-housegame,Switch 15+employees Continuesthelegacyof Founded in2016Tampere 75 www.10tons.com Mobile hits include Sparkle Mobile hits include Sparkle new several on Working Founded in 2003 2003 in Founded 10 employees in-house Efficient and developed 40 games PC/console hits include Q series and Azkend Q multiplatform titles Q Q Q technology multiplatform for PC, PS4, with support mobile, and more Xbox One, Q for PC, consoles, published and mobile Q Crimsonland and Neon Chrome 76 Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Uplause, CityofHelsinki front.com, Cloetta/Leaf,R-kioski, JavaScript, C++,C# Multiplaying games Applied, Advertising andMoney 100+clientsincl.RAY, Battle- 200+clientprojects Unity, Angular, Cocos2D,Java, HTML5,iOS,Android, Flash AR,VR,Mobile,Web, PC/Mac Single,MultiandMassively Entertainment,Serious/ OwnIPdevelopment Work forhire expert Founded in1999 www.aniway.com 77 Number of employees: 23 Number of employees: 11 Number of nationalities: Armada Interactive is Interactive Armada Company founded: 2015 www.armadainteractive.com Q Q Q its first developing actively RTS a mobile-first game, players cater to that will a deeper and looking for experience, immersive more during 2017. The for launch focus a strong company has graphics fidelity on ultra-high experience. and player Q 78 Q Q logistics. exercise, motivationand environments, education, can beutilisedinworking entertainment, gaming People! www.citynomadi.com Gamingismore than SeriousGamingforPlayful TM 79 www.colossalorder.com Company founded in 2009 founded Company 18 employees on simulation Focus builder of city Developer Cities: Skylines was Q Q Q to PC/Mac/Linux games platforms Q and mass Cities: Skylines in simulators Cities transit its sequel Cities in Motion and Motion 2. Q to a commercial released 2015 and critical success in on and the team is working expansions to the game 80 Q Q Q Q developed withUnreal Engine4. cutting-edge adventure game 2: KnightsoftheLostRealm,a worldwide. sold more than1millioncopies Xbox OneandNintendohas platforms aswellPC,PS4, Uncharted Seasformobile decade. developing gamesforclosetoa that hasworked together digital games. of memorable andaction-filled NowworkingonOceanhorn Oceanhorn: Monsterof Founded in2010byateam Anindependentdeveloper www.cornfox.com 81 www.criticalforce.com Aiming to become the pre- Aiming to become the of Finnish Game developer Company founded in 2012 founded Company fast growing 20+ employees, Open 2015 of Kasvu Winner funding 4.5 milloin USD main title Critical Current games in A total of three Q eSports mier studio for mobile FPS titles Q the year 2016 Q Q Q Q during 2016 received Q 10M over Ops has already while still in alpha downloads, phase Q development 82 Q Q Q Q Q Q 2017 regions IP forEast/West market messaging platforms Firstlaunchcomingin Owncharacter-based Socialmobilegamesfor 12employees Founded in2015 BasedinHelsinki,Finland www.dazzle.rocks 83 www.dodreams.com Focused on competitive, on competitive, Focused with Self-publishing games Founded in 2008 in Founded Ahead! of the Drive Creators to crafting Committed Ahead! brand Drive The Q action, skill-based gaming in and sports genres racing, Q and engaged gamer a vibrant community Q Q of Games Family Q mobile memorable fun-first, that bring family experiences together and friends Q the world’s has become for local and cornerstone and a racing online multiplayer of fun, challenge and promise quality 84 Q Q Q Q Q 2015 oniOSandAndroid Arena launchedinNovember core gamers Brimstone Interactive Rovio Entertainmentand Android December 2016oniOSand with HeroCraft Ltdin Spaceship Battleslaunched The firstgameStarside Makingmobilegamesfor Co-foundersfrom Companyfoundedin2014 The secondgame www.epic-owl.com 85 World's leading wearable wearable leading World's in 2014 Founded Game of the Watch Apple September Apple Keynote Game of the Apple Watch www.everyweargames.com Q studio game Q Q Runeblade year 2015; Q Day 2016; Field Q Field Day year 2016; 86 Q Q Q Q Q Q WayBefore Sadetta Bad Crane Program: Fingersoft Publishing 2016. 2 waspublishedintheendof downloads. HillClimbRacing (2012) hasover 500million Fingersoft’s HillClimbRacing Fast Like aFox (2015), Javelin Masters3(2016), Make More (2016), 2015revenue Eur14,8M 26employees Founded in2012 www.fingersoft.net 87 www.frogmind.com Founded in 2012 in Founded 3 seasoned 15 employees, million downloads 50 Over game of the Apple iPad Games - Mobile Nordic 51% owned by Supercell new games in Three Q Q teams Q & BADLAND 2 for BADLAND Q year 2013 Q 2016 Year Game of the Q Q development 88 Q Q Q Q Q PC, consolesandVR games indevelopment for PS4 in 2017forPC,XboxOneand than 9different platforms Splot, Shadwen)onmore Shadowgrounds series, copies sold(Trine series, Multipleunannounced NineParchments coming Over 9milliontotalgame 90+employees Companyfoundedin2001 www.frozenbyte.com 89 www.futurefly.net $3M funding: Vision+, Yuri Yuri $3M funding: Vision+, New messaging-game Founded in Helsinki in 2014 in Helsinki in Founded 13+ employees with messaging Disrupting focus on Avatars, Core chat, 3D Avatar Launched Q John Lindfors, Risto Milner, Siilasmaa, Arielle Zuckerberg, Video Betaworks, Broadway Ventures Q in development projects (shipping early 2017) Q Q Q gaming Q Augmented Animation, Location based Reality and technologies. Q (iOS Rawr Messenger in 2016 and Android) 90 www.futureplaygames.com Q Q Q Q Q Q Q and Yousician Sulake, Sumea,Valve, Wooga Remedy, Rocketpack, Rovio, Playfish, Reaktor, Recoil Games, Kloonigames, Mr. Goodliving, Exient, Frozenbyte, Gameloft, Crytek, DigitalChocolate,EA, experience from Boomlagoon, hero teamwithover 100yearsof Away! year, Farm Away! andBuild focus games Flatorg,nobullshit,super- Two gamesreleased in1st Creator ofView-to-Play ad 3.4Minfundingandprofitable 14people,5nationalities BasedinHelsinki Founded in2015 91 92 Q Q Q Q out in2017 funding www.citynomadi.com Two newgamescoming USD12,5millionintotal 20employees Founded in2011 93 A game development development game A 18 employees 2015 Established Based in Tampere our game - Check out www.greenergrass.company Q partner Q Q Q Q Quest of the Dice Hunter: Dicemancer 94 Q Q Q Q Q Q Q ”Gameplay isKing” near future. Matterfall comingupinthe last 10years. and Outlandpublishedinthe Nation, SuperStardust HD, generation arcade developers ofthis scene www.housemarque.com Companymotto: NexMachinaand Resogun,Alienation,Dead Oneofthemostprofilic Rootsfrom thedemo 50+employeesstrong Companyfoundedin1995 95 www.iceflake.com Working on retro themed on retro Working Company founded in 2007 founded Company 7 experienced of Team One, PC, Xbox Platforms: players 20 million Over Ice Lakes Latest release: Other notable games: Q game Race Online and racing title for another unannounced PC and consoles Q Q developers Q and VR WP PS4, iOS, Android, Q Q 90% positive (PC, iOS) with on Steam reviews Q Run (Mobile), Don’t Pirates (Mobile, PC & Pool Premium coming to Xbox One) 96 Q Q Q Q Q 2017 End State,settorelease in tactical squad-basedgame strategy games Vuontisjärvi people late 2015andemploysfive Currently workingona Focus onPCtacticaland CEOandfounderHenry LocatedinOulu Iron Sightwasfoundedin www.ironsight.fi 97 GAMES KAJAK www.kajakgames.com Cooperative founded in founded Cooperative game development Ran by 320 members Over and Game publishing than 2,4 million More Recently expanded to Q 2010 Q students Q Q subcontracting Q various over downloads mobile titles Q Steam and VR 98 Q Q Q Q 2016 has beenabigsuccess in Tampere with10employees everyone introduces actionRPGsto mobile gamesstudiothat www.koplagames.com Acquired byflaregames in FirstgameNonstopKnight Founded in2015andbased Kopla isanadventurous 99 www.koukoi.com Koukoi Games is a mobile mobile is a Games Koukoi Q Oulu, startup from game in 2015, Founded Finland. producing focuses on Koukoi licensed IP original and featuring mobile games value production exceptional gaming memorable and truly award- Koukoi's experiences. Season" winning "Crashing 2016 May title was launched on a acquired worldwide. Koukoi in 2015 Seed funding of $1M 2016 for and additional $1M in games stepping into making IPs and based on Hollywood brands. 100 Q Q Q Q Q work-for-hire projects. We do co-production and and publisherpartnersalike. create valueforourplayers outdo ourselves every day to and Microsoft. We are setto Disney, Sanoma,Rovio,Ubisoft working withpublisherslike and agiledevelopment studio PC/Mac, Web completed Kuuasema isacreative Platforms:iOS,Android, WP, 100+gameprojects 30+employees Companyfoundedin2004 www.kuuasema.com 101 www.kyygames.com Work-for-hire titles include titles include Work-for-hire Founded in 2009 in Founded 12 with in Tampere Based and board on card, Focus include Original titles Q 2 and & Paper Knights of Pen Shadow Engine The Trulon: Q Q employees Q games role-playing Q & Battle Cards, Cabals: Magic Rimelands: Trouserheart, and Thor Hammer of The Legends of Elendria: Maiden Frozen Q Learning game studio founded in 2015 Q Based in Helsinki with 14 employees Q Mission to make the best casual games in the world and ignite the spark to learn Q $4 million investment Q First title Big Bang Legends developed in collaboration with experts from CERN, Oxford and Harvard Universities Q Launching globally in 2017
102 www.lightneer.com Q Founded in 2006 Q LudoCraft is one of the most experienced work-for-hire game studio in Finland Q 20 employees Q CEO Tony Manninen Q Contracted work (projectsales) & own IP development Q Privately owned Q Income funded, profitable, actively looking for investments
www.ludocraft.com 103 104 www.mindfieldgames.com Q Q Q Q Q Q Q desktop VRin2016 PSVR, GearVR,Daydream). VR platforms(Vive, Rift, studio. employees coming outinH2/2017 platforms inQ1/2017 Pollen released for Develops forallthemajor FinlandísfirstVRonly BasedinHelsinkiwith9 Founded in2013 Nexthigh-endVRtitle Flocklore formobileVR 105 www.ministryofgames.io F2P mobile developer developer mobile F2P in 2014 Founded 9 employees engine Proprietary venture by tier-1 Backed Q Q Q Q on next focus technology, games super-social generation Q veterans funds & industry 106 Q Q Q Q Q clients and mobilereleases forour and ”Wordspector” games ”Words Unleashed” based games employees www.moidogames.com Delivered over 40online iOSreleases includeword iOS,Android andbrowser BasedinTampere with9 Founded in2007 107 www.motionvolt.com Based in Helsinki and Based in Helsinki and MotionVolt Games was was Games MotionVolt original on creating Focused game, Flip First mobile Flip Diving has been Q persons employs three Q Atte Ilvessuo 2015 by founded Q mobile based F2P physics games Q in August released Diving, was the top #1 reached 2016. Game 50 lists in over of the download including US & UK countries, Q 40 Million downloaded over have times and players dives 20 Billion completed over 108 Q Q Q Worldwide. 2017, withsupportfrom BBC Gear RoadTrip launchesearly mobile. Their firsttitle, Top entertainment brands to bringing worldfamous Entertainment focuseson Timo Poijärvi, Motorious experts Jari Pauna and media andentertainment entertainment andpublishing veterans from console,mobile, Founded in2015bygames, Team of10industry Raised€500,000seedround www.motorious.fi 109 www.nextgames.com We define the way franchise franchise way define the We Founded 2013, based in based 2013, Founded 70 team with A veteran The Latest releases: Next Games is relentlessly Q into entertainment transforms games highly engaging mobile together with friends played and fellow fans. Q Helsinki Q 14 nationalities employees, Q Land Dead: No Man’s Walking hit TV show, based on AMC’s Compass Wild West-themed West Point: Q focused on fans-first to offer experience and aims unique, authentic service- on big IP. based games based 110 Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Android 2015) 2016) Extinction (iOS&Android Latest releases: games formobile synchronous multiplayer production value Multiplatformexperience RaidsofGlory(iOS& IndependenceDay: 25employees Founded in2007 Focus inMid-Core Working onhigh www.nitrogames.com 111 www.pikkukala.com Projects in development in development Projects Pikkukala is a digital a digital is Pikkukala song of the stars”, ”The ”Saari Space Adventure” Q ”. ”Sisters”,”Soul Seekers Q We studio. entertainment IPs and take original create animation into games, them media. and different Q storybook based interactive ”Saari play, on a theatre puzzle game, ”Saari Pairs” player. TV” VOD Q is our next upcoming storybook. interactive 112 Q Q Q Q Q Q across theglobe 10 strategy chartpositions Winterstate Spymaster (2014),Robocide, categories inmobileF2P (2013–2014) Allgamesreached top 3gamelaunches: Focus onleadingnew 22employees Founded in2013 $7.5Mintotalfunding www.playraven.com 113 www.redlynx.com Several unannounced Several Founded in 2000, 2000, in Founded of 21 135 employees developed 100 games Over for the award Best known Q for games in production consoles, PC and mobile Q since 2011 studio a Ubisoft Q 2 dogs and with nationalities 1 manbear Q gaming platforms on all major Q racing winning physics-based 6 over with series Trials, PS4, million copies sold on PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and 50 million downloads and over on mobile 114 Q Q Q Q Q Q experiences mobile-first competitive andco-operative connective core gaming; Ventures Netease Capital,SisuGame key segment mobile eSportsaudienceasa to mobilein2017 strategy withmassive armies synchronous realtime www.reforgedstudios.com Reforgedfocuseson $2.5mfundingfrom 20employees Companyfoundedin2015 Targeting thegrowing Firsttitlebrings 115 www.remedygames.com Quantum Break, Alan Quantum Break, Unannounced AAA project CROSSFIRE, on Working Storytellers at heart, heart, at Storytellers in 1995 and Founded with over 130 employees Q and Max Payne. Wake Q in development. Q the worldís biggest FPS. Q cinematic creates Remedy action blockbuster with iconic packed games groundbreaking characters, stylized visuals and gameplay. Q Finland. based in Espoo, Q 14 nationalities. 116 audio designers. ters andartiststoexperienced ranging from professional wri- of variousskilledindividuals, Q American city. and homicideinamodern tigation intodrug trafficking following theexpandinginves- and realistic crimeseries, introduces anunforgettable Q mature audiences. storytelling experiencesfor redefining interactive Q RivalGames’teamconsists Their debuttitle,The Detail, RivalGamesfocuseson www.rival-games.com 117 www.rovio.com The blockbuster movie – The Rovio Entertainment Ltd, Ltd, Entertainment Rovio a mission Rovio is on Q Movie was Angry Birds The 2016. launched in May Q international of the the creator is Birds, Angry phenomenon, industry-changing a global company entertainment in Espoo, headquartered Finland. Q world-class to create experiences entertainment with their games, animation, licensing and other businesses that creatively physical. combine digital with 118 Q Q Q Q Q Q release in2017 for Consoles&PC.Planned Drunk-Fu: Wasted Masters One &PCin2016 Spareware released forXbox to 2015 working forhire from 2011 published mobiletitles& tongue incheek multiplayer experiences making funlocal&online www.rustogames.com Currently developing Firstconsolegame Startedoutwithself- Smallteamfocusedon Founded in2011 BasedinKajaani 119 www.seepiagames.com Founded in 2012 in Founded 10 employees on community- Focuses soon Duels coming Permia Q Q Q on games strategy F2P driven mobile. Q & App Store Play on Google 120 Q Q Q Q Q Best Fiendstitles 3,4M dailyplayers across 2016 Forever launched inOctober launched inOctober2014 and 10inLosAngeles Over 50Mdownloadsand SecondtitleBestFiends FirsttitleBestFiendswas 45employeesinHelsinki Companyfoundedin2013 www.seriously.com 121 www.sieidi.com Founded in 2014 in Founded & of Gunnheim Creators full blown small yet are We is to bring VR Our mission almost there! …And we are Q Q Bob Hypersensitive Q studio, VR game development no ifs or buts. Q in its experience multiplayer finest to PC. Q 2017 will be epic. 122 www.smallgiantgames.com investors) Spintop and private PROfounders, 2014 -Creandum, Q collection. hero and building base battling, match-3 Q Empires & Puzzles Q1/2017: in coming game • New racing game (March 2016) multiplayer fun Racers- • Rope 2015) (May game flying -multiplayer Escape • Oddwings Q and younger top talent. guys Remedy and Habbo core Q players our for hobby adaily become multiplayer mobile which games, Q Funding raised: $4.1M (2013, raised: Funding combining RPG Mid-core published Games former team: Experienced We stunning create 123 www.snowfall.fi Snowfall Ltd. is Finnish is Finnish Ltd. Snowfall Q developing company gaming a games around mobile of brand domestic strong market target The Moomins. games is in for Snowfallís the first game Asia, with Sailî being ìMoomin Under for primarily developed The market. Japanese main mission is to provide in rich gameplay immersive world of Moomins, following faithfully all the brilliant and Jansson stories by Tove characters. her vibrant 124 Q Q Q Q Q downloads games early 2015 Jelly Wars islaunchingin and OS´s.Ourlatestgame games onallmajorplatforms synchronous multiplayer technology toenable developed aworld-class mobile games.We have (synchronous) multiplayer Finland. We buildreal-time studio from Jyväskylä, www.star-arcade.com More than10million Cross-platform Real-timemultiplayer StarArcade isagrowing Established2010 125 www.supercell.net HQ Helsinki, Finland Helsinki, HQ Francisco, San Offices: 2010 Founded 30+ 210 employees Game released: Q Q Shanghai and Tokyo Seoul, Q Q nationalities Q of Clans 2012, Clash Day Hay Beach 2014 2012 and Boom Clash Royale Latest release 2016 (No. 1 on top in March list in 131 countries) grossing 126 Q Q Q Q new games Crazy Kingsaswellbrand in July 2016 Kong basedAnimocaBrands Turku Working onupdatesto Was acquired byHong 9Employees Founded in2010,based www.ticbits.com Q Founded in 2013 Q 9 employees, based in Kajaani Q Working on own game projects and work for hire Creators of Interplanetary (Win, Mac, Linux), launched on Steam in 2015 Q Publishers of Mushroom Crusher Extreme (Win, Mac, Linux), currently on Steam Early Access Q Work for hire projects include the fishing game Legends of Kitka, the educational game Nivelrikko and the driving school simulator Drive!
www.teamjollyroger.com 127 128 Best of2016inAppStore • BigBangRacingchosenas so far players 6millionlevels created • ALLlevels are created bythe game -launchedinJuly 2016 • Traplight´s firstUGCmobile Q launching in2017 Q industry Q Content gamesonmobile leader inUser-Generated Q employees Q Q www.traplightgames.com BigBangRacing NewUGCgamessoft VCbacked bythebestin Aimstobecomethemarket BasedinTampere with21 Founded in2010 Q Company Founded 2013, 3 employees Q PAKO has been released for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon FireTV and Windows Phone 8 Q Combined amount of downloads on all platforms 5+ Million Q Working on Pako 1 Steam version and sequel Pako 2.
www.treemengames.com 129 130 Q Q Q and iOS. multiple times on Android games, and topped the charts launched more than a dozen has Tribeflame then, Since devices. gaming great be will are coming, and that they computers tablet that vision the -with out came iPad the before -ayear 2009 in the world. in companies games tablet first the of one be to claim million times. 90 over downloaded been has which Bananas, Benji is game
www.tribeflame.com The company was founded founded was company The Tribeflamecan proudly The best known Tribeflame Tribeflame known best The Q Founded in 2012. Q Based in Helsinki. Q 7 employees. Q Raised Eur 500 000 funding. Q Creator of the Void of Heroes universe. Q Products include comic books and competitive online games. Q Products released on major mobile platforms. Q Established international comic- and game publishing network.
www.tunnelground.com 131 132 Q Q Q Q Q something different that are fundamentally rating of4.7 downloads withanaverage Catchers hasmore than15M company basedinHelsinki way Zombie CatchersIPonthe www.twomenandadog.fi Focus oncreating games NewestgameZombie Free-to-play mobilegame Founded in2013 More gamesbasedon Q Unique motion games since 2006 Q Provides consultation and content for camera tech companies such as Intel Q 10 games on Xbox One, PC, Xbox 360, PS3 Q Kung-Fu extracts the player from live camera feed into the game to fight with real kicks and punches
www.virtualairguitar.com 133 Q Yousician reimagines music education by gamifying the process of learning an instrument. Millions of beginners and advanced players around the world use Yousician to improve their skills and play the music they love. Q Founded in 2010 Q 8M active users Q 4 instruments: guitar, ukulele, bass and piano Q iOS, Android and desktop Q Profitable since 2014
134 www.company.yousician.com Q Zaibatsu is a fast growing game company in Central Finland Q We develop original game titles Q We offer software develop- ment and gamification solutions Q Elder Goo - a co-operative puzzle adventure for 1–4 players of all ages Q A local multiplayer experi- ence on a single mobile device Q Published by Yle in Finland as Elder Goo – Möllit Q Available for iOS / Android
www.zaibatsu.fi 135 136 Picture: Mountainsheep Hardland Front cover art: Next Games • Walking Dead Remedy • Quantum Break Rovio • Angry Birds Kopla Games • Nonstop Knight Seriously • Best Fiends Supercell • Clash Royale Fingersoft • Hill Climb Racing 2 Colossal Order/Paradox Interactive • Cities: Skylines Natural Disaster
Back cover art: Everywear Games • Rune Blade DoDreams • Drive Ahead Frogmind • Badlands Housemarque • Alienation Redlynx • Trials Fusion Seriously • Best Fiends Traplight Games • Big Bang Racing Picture: Iceflakes 137 Race Online