Weekly News 36/26

This week news about the Finnish Game Industry is about the winds of change, deals and new games moving forward. Housemarque co-founder Ilari Kuittinen is stepping away after 31 years, Supercell and Metacore have signed their acquisition deal, and Lasse Seppänen is leaving Supercell to start a new company in the UK. On the game side, Frostrail has entered Closed Beta, Add Inspiration has revealed Regret & Rewind, Next Games has helped bring Netflix Star: Daily Trivia to the Netflix TV app, and September releases are getting closer. Also this week: Epic funding opportunities (deadline: 5 September at 06:59 Helsinki time), new leadership training from Aalto EE, the upcoming India Market Introduction webinar and the usual autumn calendar slowly filling up.

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📣 Neogames Dones & News

• Applications for the Gamebadges Challenge Sprint close on 9 September. The online pilot runs from 14 to 27 September and assesses competence through participants’ existing work or portfolios. Read more and apply

📰 Game Industry News, thoughts & discussions

• Games & Immersive: India Market Introduction takes place online on 11 September from 10:00 to 11:00 Helsinki time. The webinar covers the Indian market, current collaboration opportunities and the upcoming India Game Developer Conference. Register for the webinar.
• Applications are open for Finnish Game Incubator 2026 until 18 October. The free remote programme is for Finland-based teams already developing a game. At least one team member must speak Finnish, and the required skills assessment, submitted as a game-business plan, must be completed in Finnish. Programme details and application.

🎮 News from and about Finnish Game Companies

• Supercell and Metacore have signed their agreement concerning Merge Mansion. The transaction is expected to close by the end of September, bringing the game and Metacore’s employees into Supercell. Read Supercell’s announcement.
• Housemarque co-founder Ilari Kuittinen has stepped down after 31 years with the Helsinki studio. Sami “Haxu” Hakala became managing director on 1 July following a planned transition. Read more.
• Lasse Seppänen has left Supercell after seven and a half years and plans to establish a UK game studio in 2027. His previous roles included leading several Supercell games and serving as general manager of Supercell London. Read more.
• Turku-based FakeFish has launched the closed beta for Frostrail. Players can request Steam access ahead of the Shiro Unlimited-published game’s planned Q4 2026 Early Access release. Closed-beta announcement and Frostrail on Steam.
• Finnish publisher Bonus Stage Publishing has opened a public Steam playtest for Arctic Drive. Developed by Canada-based Pebbles Games and Denmark-based PlayTogether Studio, the playtest includes a new scenario mode. Read the announcement.
• Helsinki-based Channel37 has released Update 5.5 for The Last Caretaker. The Early Access update adds new storage systems, a MOSES quest, locations and memories, alongside performance improvements. Read the patch notes.
• Type the World has released a demo on Steam ahead of Steam Next Fest. The geography-themed typing game by Finnish solo developer Jaakko Maaniemi challenges players to type place names onto a world map. The full game is scheduled for release on 28 October. Play the demo on Steam Read more

😍Upcoming NEW Finnish game releases

• Gladio Mori leaves Early Access and launches in full on 16 September. The Oulu-developed fighting game is coming to PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with cross-platform multiplayer. Read the release announcement.
• Remedy Entertainment’s CONTROL Resonant launches digitally on 24 September. The Finnish-developed action RPG is coming to PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Read Remedy’s announcement.
• Next Games has helped develop Netflix Star: Daily Trivia, now playable through the Netflix TV app in the US. The Helsinki-based Netflix studio worked with teams across Netflix on the technology behind the experience, including TV remote controls and integration directly into the Netflix home screen. The game is currently available only in the US. Read more from Next Games.

💰 Funding

• Last call: Epic MegaGrants Cycle 2 closes on 4 September at 11:59 PM ET – 5 September at 06:59 Helsinki time. The funding is aimed especially at smaller teams, solo developers and other creators using Unreal Engine, UEFN or related real-time 3D technology. Finnish developers considering an application should act now. Read more and apply.

• AVEK’s DigiDemo application window closes on 21 September at 16:00. Companies may apply for €10,000 or €20,000 towards a demo or pilot, covering up to 80 per cent of eligible costs. Read the application guidelines.

📝 Jobs & Recruitment

• Looking for work or talent in The Finnish Game Industry? Neogames maintains links to Finnish game-company careers pages, GamesJobs.fi and other relevant recruitment resources. Finnish game-industry job resources.

👉 Upcoming Events

• 3–5 September – Siida Game Jam, Inari and online. Remote participation remains available through the organiser’s Discord community.
• 5 September – IGDA Satakunta September Meetup, Pori.
• 8 September – IGDA Helsinki September Meetup, Helsinki. Demo Corner applications close on 4 September at 23:59.
• 11 September – IGDA Lahti September Meetup – Finndie Forge, Lahti. The programme covers funding, team-building and support for independent developers.
• 16–18 September – Thriving in Games Group Summit, Helsinki.
• 17–18 September – WN Conference Cyprus, Limassol. Applications for the free indie showcase and pitch close on 11 September.
• 23–25 September – Northern Game Summit, Kajaani.
• 12–18 October – Finnish Games Week Steam Event, online.
• 19 October – Leadership Day by IGDA Finland, Helsinki.
• 20–21 October – Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics, Helsinki. Applications for the mobile and PC and console Big Indie Pitch competitions close on 5 October.
• 22–23 October – W Love Games 2026, Helsinki and online. Registration and the calls for talks and workshops are open.
• 3–4 November – Game Research Days 2026, Jyväskylä.
• 5 November – Finnish Game Industry DEI Summit, Helsinki and online. Registration is open.