Finland’s games industry set to come together for a full week of events

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Is Finland still the heart of the mobile games industry?

It’s a question I keep asking myself when I go to write it. Finland is, of course, home to companies with top, globally known mobile IP, from Clash of Clans and Clash Royale developer Supercell – which has invested some of its wealth to support local studios – to Angry Birds maker Rovio, Empires & Puzzles creator Small Giant Games and Hill Climb Racing studio Fingersoft.

What do three of those companies have in common? They are owned by companies outside of Finland. Is this a sign of success that Finland’s biggest and most successful stars have had an exit? Does it take away control or empower and grow its industry?

There’s often been a similar debate in the UK’s games sector which has seen numerous deals over the decades – it continues to rage on regardless.

Outside of Finland, China’s top publishers have become global powerhouses – from Tencent and NetEase to Lilith Games and miHoYo. Meanwhile, Turkey’s star has risen off the back of casual and hypercasual, home to hit makers Dream Games, Peak Games, Gram Games and Rollic.

At home, Finland and Helsinki’s games industry is grappling with new immigration rules and a lack of local government support for the industry, on top of the challenges it faces in a tough global games market which the sector at large is slowly crawling out from.

Supportive sector

One thing that remains true in Finland is its close community. More than any other games hub, its developers come together to share knowledge, challenges and support each other. There are regular meetups for founders and developers, while it’s home to the largest IGDA chapter in the world, which supports people in attending community events.

“It was that openness to sharing that I think created the foundation for all of the things that you see in the community here,” Christopher Hamilton, who is on the Organising Committee for Leadership Day, told me earlier this year.

And speaking of community and events, we’re of course hosting Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki on October 1st and 2nd next week – celebrating 10 years of the show. And this year, it’s not just PGC in town, it’s a full Finnish Games Week that will also see the Leadership Day by IGDA Finland (September 30th) and W Love Games (October 3rd and 4th).

In town attending the events will be Supercell, Rovio, Metacore, Next Games, Nitro Games and many more. (I’m particularly looking forward to hosting a fireside chat with Rovio VP Strategy & Investor Relations Timo Rahkonen to discuss Sega’s acquisition of Rovio).

But it’s not just local studios, we’ve got reps from King, Huuuge Games, Meta, Google, Carry1st, Sybo Games, Tactile Games, Voodoo, Unity, Wooga – everyone wants to tap into Finland’s gaming expertise.

We could debate whether Finland’s industry is the heart of the mobile games sector until we’re blue in the face. And would it even matter?

But one thing is for sure, it’s an industry that has heart. (Oh, and highly successful games companies).

See you in Helsinki!