This is the week when we Finns get everything done for the whole year. So, talk the talk and walk the walk: Squad Busters is among the most played games on iPhone, Fingersoft’s Hill Climb Racing games have reached 2.5 billion installs across platforms, Ray Browser has closed a new funding round, and Nasdaq has congratulated Expa Game Business Cooperative and Digi & Game Center for their recognition as the world’s northernmost Unreal Authorized Training Center.
The Finnish government is also lending a helping hand (money) to game developers by announcing new R&D funding for creative industries. However, there also comes a time when doors close, and lights are turned off: Resistance Games is shutting down. But as they said; “Our story continues now under different companies and business ideas to create the most memorable games and game experiences imaginable. In this sense Resistance will never die!”
Now that most of everything has been done, please take a well-deserved rest and enjoy the Christmas break. We all have earned it.
The Neogames team wishes you Happy Holidays and the best New Year to you all!
Winner winner, chicken dinner! Supercell's Squad Busters won iPad Game of the Year 2024. Nitro Games is creating a game for PC fans - Autogun Heroes: Supercharged. Solo-developer Jussi-Pekka Kemppainen and his upcoming game Drivers of the Apocalypse reveal trailer shined on PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted.
Epic news from Finland's game industry! Expa and Digi & Game Center have made history as Finland's first—and the world's northernmost—Unreal Authorized Training Center. This week, three new Finnish mobile games were released: Blue Berry, Gladio Mori, and Santa's Break. Supporting the next generation of game developers remains essential for the future success of the industry—Neogames supports the long-term efforts of educational institutions to enhance student skills and improve employment opportunities in the gaming sector. Stay tuned for more industry updates!
It has been a somewhat intensive SLUSH week, where foreigners have witnessed one the reasons why people in Finland are so strong and stubborn – maybe it is connected to very cruel weather. In addition to the weather update, this week’s highlights of The Finnish Game Industry are: Quicksave announcing QSApp, a revolutionary tool making WebGL more accessible through no-code editors. Peter Vesterbacka and Kustaa Valtonen investing in Snorble via their newly launched FinestLove VC; and a well-deserved recognition that New York Game Awards set Remedy Entertainment’s Sam Lake as Legend Award recipient.
BIG news for The Finnish Game Industry this week was Bit Odd securing a €17 million investment round. Another good news is Sega reporting a 22% rise in half-year games revenue, partly driven by Rovio sales. Huge congratulations to Tuomas Pirinen for the tremendous success of his Trench Crusade (tabletop wargame) Kickstarter project, which has already raised over 3.3 million dollars.
This week, we have good news from The Finnish Game Industry; Finnish tax data from year 2023 was published and Neogames estimates that the game industry has generated approximately 3.5 billion euros in tax revenue for the state from 2013 to 2023, including corporate, income, and capital gains taxes, as well as taxes from mergers and acquisitions. We’ve also seen several great business deals: Angry Birds has teamed up with Talking Tom for a cross-platform crossover, Redhill Games has partnered with Liquid Swords, and Supercell has fully acquired Space Ape, establishing a new studio in London. An eventful few weeks are starting with Games Now Week, followed by the IP in Games event and the IGDA Finland gathering on Tuesday.
This week’s news in the Finnish Game Industry has been a true roller coaster. On the bright side, China has approved Supercell’s Squad Busters, and Bitmagic has emerged as the standout winner of Game Changers 2025 for Generative AI & Agents. However, the darker side of the industry brings some unfortunate updates: Fingersoft has announced 14 layoffs, and Sony has made the decision to close down Finnish studio Neon Koi.
FakeFish's Barotrauma got a new update, Remedy's Alan Wake 2 got Ps5 Pro quality and performance upgrades, Plebeian Studio's Gladio Mori was the 4th most played demo in the world during the Steam Next Fest. Also Creative Europe opened the funding call for the video games.
This week, Finnish games are in full action: Remedy has fully revealed its new multiplayer game set in the Control universe, titled FBC: Firebreak. Noice, a next-gen streaming platform, launches its open beta with rewards for European creators, aiming to redefine the streaming landscape. Several Finnish games are also showcased at the Steam Next Fest, giving players the chance to experience demos of upcoming titles from The Finnish Game Industry.
As seen at Pocket Gamer Connects last week, the Finnish Game Industry proves its resilience and strength. Glitch Hammer won the top prize at PGC Helsinki’s Very Big Indie Pitch with Get Colossal! Tribo Games has shared a sneak peek of their upcoming Rumble Arcade, and Potion Tycoon from Snowhound Games launched on major PC platforms this week.