Weekly News 38/26

This week news about the Finnish Game Industry is… Colossal Order has confirmed that it is developing a new PC simulation game, with funding already in place and both self-publishing and a new publishing partnership under consideration. Pocket Worlds has acquired Sulake-developed Hotel Hideaway, while Iceflake Studios has released its first original Cities: Skylines II content wave since taking over development. Finnish games are also reaching notable commercial milestones: Brass Rain has passed 150,000 Steam wishlists and Dice of Kalma one million downloads across PC and mobile. One of the year’s major Finnish game launches is now just days away, with Remedy’s CONTROL Resonant releasing on 24 September. For companies with projects in development, AVEK’s DigiDemo application window closes on 21 September at 16:00.

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📣 Neogames Dones & News

• Gamebadges is holding an open Futures Workshop on 30 September to help shape the next phase of the project, covering different aspects of Gamebadges and its future development. Registration and agenda.

📰 Game Industry News, thoughts & discussions

• Applications for Finnish Game Incubator 2026 close on 18 October. At least one team member must speak Finnish, and the team’s required skills assessment must be submitted in Finnish. Programme details and application.
• Aalto EE’s Game Executive programme holds a free online information session on 7 October ahead of the programme’s January 2027 start. Programme details and registration.
• Applications for JAMK’s Game Track programme are open until 30 September. The approximately five-month programme supports junior developers, jobseekers and game entrepreneurship in Central Finland. Programme details and application.
• Peliosuuskunta Expa supported Jyväskylä Pride with a game-industry presence at Digi & Game Center, highlighting inclusion and the regional game ecosystem. Read more.

🎮 News from and about Finnish Game Companies

• Colossal Order has confirmed that it is developing a new PC simulation game. The studio says it has funding in place and is considering both self-publishing and working with a new publishing partner. Read the interview.
• Pocket Worlds has acquired Sulake-developed Hotel Hideaway, which has more than 32 million registered users and approximately 300,000 monthly active players. The financial terms were not disclosed. Read the GamesBeat report.
• Piñata is returning as an independent creative studio after operating as part of Metacore, offering animation, illustration, visual development and user-acquisition creative services. Read more.
• Supercell-majority-owned Trailmix has appointed James Nicholas CEO, while founder Carolin Krenzer moves to executive chair after almost nine years leading the studio. Read the personnel roundup.
  • Read also how continuous experimentation and player feedback shape its live-service development. Read the interview.
• Iceflake Studios has released Cities: Skylines II Expansion Pass 2, the first original content wave since the Tampere studio took over development responsibility for the game. Read the announcement.
• Finnish-developed Brass Rain has passed 150,000 Steam wishlists organically, without paid user acquisition and before releasing a public demo. Read the developer’s milestone announcement.
• Finnish indie developer Pepperbox Studios’ Dice of Kalma has passed one million downloads across Steam, iOS and Android. Read the milestone announcement.
• MiTale has opened pre-orders for Willow Guard: Awakening, the first 30-plus-page chapter of its new graphic-novel series, with print copies expected to ship in late October. Pre-order the graphic novel.
• Rovio is preparing for the December release of The Angry Birds Movie 3 as part of a broader transmedia and licensing strategy for the Angry Birds IP, with SEGA integrating Angry Birds licensing into its global transmedia framework.
  • Rovio has also launched an Angry Birds 2 and Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble crossover, running on mobile until 28 September as another collaboration within the wider SEGA group. Read about the movie and transmedia strategy and the Super Monkey Ball crossover.
• Supercell and Duolingo have launched a Brawl Stars crossover, with Duo taking over Starr Park and Spike appearing in Duolingo lessons. The two-week Brawl Stars event includes a new boss fight, community challenges and collaboration rewards. Read more

😍 NEW Finnish games released & upcoming releases

• Oulu-developed Gladio Mori has left Early Access and launched on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with cross-platform multiplayer. View Gladio Mori on Steam.
• Remedy’s CONTROL Resonant launches on 24 September, with the final PC requirements now available. Review the requirements, read Remedy’s launch announcement and check the launch trailer!
• Finnish studio Tyrmä Games’ horror arcade title ROLLA launches on Steam on 30 September, with a demo available now. View ROLLA on Steam and read the release announcement.
• Pori-based 2Agree Studios will launch its 3v3 mobile brawler RaivoBull on the App Store and Google Play on 9 October. Visit the official game site.
• Helsinki-based JetDogs Studios’ Mirrors of Deception: The Silver Peaks Secret launched on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on 10 September, published by Ocean Media. View the game on Xbox.

💰 Funding

• Business Finland reports that game companies and game-related research organisations submitted the largest applications by value in its latest creative-industries R&D call. A new €9 million call is planned later in 2026. Read the funding update.
• Business Finland’s continuous Sprint Grant offers small Finnish companies €75,000–€100,000, covering 75 per cent of early R&D project costs for innovations with international growth potential. Review the funding call.
• 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 company career pages, GamesJobs.fi and other recruitment resources. Finnish game-industry job resources.

👉 Upcoming Events

• 22 September – IGDA Turku September Meetup, Turku.
• 23–25 September – Northern Game Summit, Kajaani. Tickets are available.
• 25 September – European Researchers’ Night game showcase, Pietarsaari. Showcase registration is open while tables remain available.
• 28 September – Gaming Legal Summit 2026, Tampere.
• 12–18 October – Finnish Games Week Steam Event, online.
• 19 October – Leadership Day by IGDA Finland, Helsinki. Ticket registration is open.
• 20–21 October – Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics, Helsinki. The latest speakers include Neogames Finland and several Finnish game companies; mobile and PC and console Big Indie Pitch applications close on 5 October. Use discount code PlayFinland14 for 14% off tickets. Get discounted tickets.
• 22–23 October – W Love Games 2026, Helsinki and online. Free registration and 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.