The year 2024 was not an easy one for the global game industry, and Finland faced its share of challenges. Several studios closed their doors; however, new ones were also established. While layoffs occurred, particularly in small and mid-sized studios, larger companies continued to grow their headcounts. The beginning of the year was particularly challenging from an investment perspective, but conditions improved toward the end. Several Finnish game companies successfully secured funding to bolster their ventures in game development. Notably, some developers achieved remarkable milestones. Merge Mansion surpassed 55 million downloads, Critical Ops reached 100 million, and the Hill Climb Racing series achieved an astonishing 2.5 billion total downloads, becoming the second most downloaded Finnish game series after Angry Birds.
Mobile games remain deeply embedded in the DNA of our industry, with the majority of revenue still generated by strong, long-tail free-to-play mobile titles. The number of new Finnish game releases remains modest, while PC continues to dominate as the platform for most new titles. (Neogames will release accurate figures for 2024 in Q3 2025 in our Finnish Game Industry Report.)
While mobile games are a cornerstone of the Finnish game industry, versatility is also a defining trait. Finland is home to leading console and PC developers like Remedy Entertainment and Housemarque, alongside a robust community of smaller developers. Additionally, innovative projects are pushing boundaries in less conventional areas, such as Return Entertainment’s work on cloud-based gaming and smart TVs as platforms. Mainframe Industries launched their cloud-native social sandbox MMO, Pax Dei, while Social First announced their upcoming social sandbox MMO, Nexus Station, for mobile and PC. The Angry Birds franchise expanded to cars with Google Built-In, and the Angry Birds 3 movie is on the horizon. AI also plays a significant role in Finnish game development, serving as the foundation for companies like BitMagic and Channel37 or as part of development toolkits of many others.
In today’s crowded market, standing out is a significant challenge. Strong intellectual properties (IPs) are powerful tools for visibility and engagement. Supercell’s new game, Squad Busters, incorporates characters from their established IPs, including Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars, Hay Day, Clash Royale, and Boom Beach. Remedy demonstrated the enduring strength of the Alan Wake IP (originally released in 2010) with Alan Wake 2 (released in 2023), which earned numerous international awards in 2024. Finnish game companies also increased collaborations with external IPs and brands. For example, Fingersoft partnered with LEGO and Konami’s Bomberman, Supercell teamed up with SpongeBob, Hasbro, and Pixar, and Rovio collaborated with Talking Tom.
It’s not just the big players driving our industry’s creativity and versatility—indie studios are an essential part of our ecosystem. Notable success stories include Harakka Studios, which raised nearly €200,000 on Kickstarter, and Legend of Grimrock (originally released in 2012), which launched on Nintendo Switch.
Neogames’ Contributions in 2024
Reflecting on Neogames’ activities in 2024, it’s clear we had a busy year supporting the industry. Political advocacy was a significant focus. We published the Finnish Game Industry’s policy goals (in Finnish) for the upcoming European elections and supported work-based immigration in collaboration with game companies, Start-up Foundation, City of Helsinki and Suomen Ekonomit. We released statements on legislation (read a summary in English or the full statement in Finnish) and facilitated visits for political decision-makers and ministers to Finnish game studios. Additionally, we participated in numerous government working group meetings to ensure the industry’s needs were heard. Our collaboration with the European Games Developer Federation (EGDF) remained strong throughout the year.
Education remains crucial for cultivating the next generation of game developers and sustaining industry growth. We visited educational institutions and events to help juniors integrate into the game industry. As a partner in the Gamebadges project (www.gamebadges.eu), we aim to map skills and micro-credentials for the European game industry. To support young and emerging game studios financially, we organized the GetFunded24 event in April.
Sharing knowledge is central to Neogames’ mission. In October, we hosted Level Up: IP Strategies in Games in cooperation with PRH. We also facilitated community knowledge-sharing through executive breakfasts (in commissioned by or member Suomen Pelinkehittäjät Ry) and special interest group meetings, including Trust & Safety specialists, community managers, CEOs, HR professionals, legal experts, and CFOs. In May, we collaborated with Suomen Pelinkehittäjät to organize the Finnish Game Awards, celebrating the best in Finnish game development.
Sustainability also plays a key role in our actions. We are part of the Strategies—Sustainable Transition for Europe’s Game Industries project (www.strategieshorizon.eu) and work closely with Pelimetsä, Playing for the Planet, and the Sustainable Game Alliance.
With exports being the lifeblood of the Finnish game industry, our team travelled extensively to represent the industry at global events. Our biggest effort was the trade mission to Gamescom, where we organized the Nordic All Stars booth in partnership with Estonia and Norway.
Looking Ahead
The game industry remains a landscape of constant change, fierce competition, and challenges—but also abundant opportunities for those who are prepared and fortunate. Growth often requires pushing boundaries, and though it may be uncomfortable, the rewards are evident in hindsight. As Finns, we tend to temper expectations with a touch of pessimism, which makes successes all the more satisfying. Despite the challenges, our industry is built on a strong foundation, with creativity, resilience, and success all around us—even if they sometimes feel ordinary.
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Wishing you a wonderful Year 2025!
Team Neogames Finland