Report · March 1, 2015

Finnish Game Industry Report 2014

Summary

17 | The Founding Years of Studios 29| Financial Outlook ob 40 | Finnish game developer studios assn. Fingersoft • Hill Climb Racing Rovio Entertainment • Angry Birds, Supercell • Clash of Clans, Hay Day Two Men and a Dog • Zombie Catchers THE OLDEST Finnish game companies still in existence are turning 20 this year (2015).

From the report

Index | 4 | Introduction | | --- | --- | | 6 | History | | 14 | State of the Industry | | 16 | Industry in Nutshell | | 17 | The Founding Years of Studios | | 18 | Locations | | 20| Platforms | | 24| Developers & Diversity | | 29| Financial Outlook ob | | 30 | Financial Transactions | | 35 | Turnover | Picture: Boomlagoon

38| Industry Support and Networks | 40 | Finnish game developer studios assn. | | --- | --- | | 42 | Tekes | | 44 | Neogames Finland | | 46 | Invest in Finland | | 47 | IGDA Finland | | 48 | Education | | 50 | Regional Support | | 51| Future | | 56| Studio Profiles | Front cover art Fingersoft • Hill Climb Racing Frogmind • BADLAND Rovio Entertainment • Angry Birds, Angry Birds Epic Supercell • Clash of Clans, Hay Day Two Men and a Dog • Zombie Catchers Picture: Supercell Index

Introduction THE OLDEST Finnish game companies still in existence are turning 20 this year (2015). Although the first commercial Finnish digital game was published back in 1979 and the first globally distributed game in 1986, it’s fair to say that from an industry point of view, 2015 is also a 20th anniversary for the whole Finnish game industry. In twenty years, the Finnish game industry has come far from its humble beginnings. However, figures don’t tell the whole story. There are some trends that often go unmentioned, but that are important not just for today, but also for the future. Finland is still a country of game developer enthusiasts. In 2014 for example, the Global Game Jam Finland event attracted almost 700 hobbyists to 15 sites to develop games. Finnish game education has been ramping up nicely, and there are now over 20 educational institutions providing game education at all educational levels. Games are recognized as a form of culture in Finland. This recognition has positive affects not only on the public perception of games, but also on the attitudes of the public sector towards the game industry. The Game community is supported by strong industry networks, namely IGDA Finland, Neogames Finland, and the Finnish game developer studios association (Suomen Pelinkehittäjät). These associations play a crucial role, for instance in community building, information sharing and lobbying.

H20g The main purpose of this publication Pelinkehittäjät Ry (Finnish game is to provide a general overview of the developer studios assn), Invest Finnish game industry landscape. in Finland, Tekes and Ministry of Education and Culture for their The findings presented in this report support. are based on 110 company interviews and an industry database maintained Team Neogames: by Neogames. The database holds KooPee Hiltunen the basic information of 260 Finnish Suvi Latva game developer studios. In total, 53 J-P Kaleva game companies (all members of the Emma Ronkainen Finnish game developers association) are listed and introduced on company profile pages. This study is the latest part of the continuum of Finnish games industry studies, to-date published in 2005, 2009 and 2011. We wish to thank everyone who has helped us develop this report, with special thanks going to Suomen Picture: Grand Cru Introduction

1980’s: The beginning THE ROOTS of the Finnish game industry were planted in the beginning of the 1980’s during the era of the first personal computers. Despite the scope and financial significance of the game development being quite small at the time, it managed to create a base for the Finnish demo scene and game development culture. Early experimentation in technical, commercial and cultural possibilities offered vital experience in the area of game development and the realities of the game market. that began in the 1980’s started to take on new forms at the turn of the decade, when the quick progress of technology enabled technologically and culturally more ambitious games. In turn, this forced hobbyists to specialize in certain areas of game development and to share their expertise with the other hobbyists. The 1990’s with its strong demo scene brought typical corporate elements to the hobbyist culture: teams, objectives, competition and professionalism. It is no coincidence that the oldest Finnish game studios have a strong background in the demo 1990’s: Demo scene and the scene. Even today, many new Finnish game studios are founded by teams first steps of the Finnish who either qualified in the demo scene game industry or elsewhere in the vibrant Finnish hobbyist culture. THE ENTHUSIASTIC hobbyist culture History

History The beginning of 80’s home computers & game development First as a hobby First internatio- First commercial nal game Assembly products Sanxion events events 5000 500350 Supreme Snowboarding First and still existing First game companies world class are founded mobile studios studios 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Dot.com & mobile hype hype Picture: Rovio

Pages: 116
Words: 8,885
Format: PDF
Type: Report

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