Angry Birds celebrates its induction into the World Video Game Hall of Fame, Sega is navigating a $31.6m net loss, Housemarque’s Saros keeps getting praises and Virtual Hunter reaches the 20,000-wishlist mark, Catland reveals geopolitical satire CORDCUTTER, and an insightful retrospective on indie self-publishing from MiTale.
This two-week news round from the Finnish Game Industry are HUGE! Housemarque launched SAROS worldwide last week with fantastic reviews, and the Finnish Game Industry will be celebrated at the Finnish Game Awards on 21 May. Check the nominees below, and note that the event will also be streamed. On the studio side, the ground is rumbling: Supercell is set to acquire Merge Mansion studio Metacore, with reports that up to 160 jobs could be cut, while Remedy reported a stable Q1 despite lower revenue and operating profit after the Control franchise passed 6 million units, and Nitro Games will develop a mobile game based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Good news for developers is that Griffin Gaming Partners has launched a $100 million indie developer fund, and the DigiDemo concept support application period is also open until 12 May 2026. Since public policy also shapes the practical operating environment for game companies, Neogames has published the Finnish Game Industry parliamentary election goals in Finnish.
This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry starts with Finland’s new Country Brand Strategy, which now includes a dedicated narrative for the industry developed by Neogames together with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The Finnish Game Awards is approaching on May 21, bringing the industry together onsite and via livestream, with ticket sales opening next week. For developers planning their next steps abroad, IGDA Finland is accepting submissions for gamescom 2026 until April 30. On the studio side, Remedy has released Control Ultimate Edition for iPhone, and Alan Wake 2 is set to appear in Phasmophobia. Sega and Rovio continue to expand Angry Birds licensing through a new partnership with WildBrain, and indie developer Kimmo Lahtinen is preparing to launch Sektori on Switch 2 on May 14. Business updates also continue, as Nitro Games has published its annual report for 2025.
This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry are about hands-on game development and business; Neogames hosted a workshop with industry professionals on how to tackle growth challenges in Finnish game companies as part of its AEL Foundation-funded project. Important reminder for Finnish PC developers: submissions are now open for the Finnish Games Week Steam Event 2026. Speaking of publishing, Coyote Time Publishing has expanded its portfolio to five games with new signings Warena and EMUUROM. On the studio side, good news includes Rovio Entertainment’s Angry Birds receiving the “International Classic IP Honor” at the 2026 Weibo Gala, while Gladio Mori has surpassed 100,000 units sold on Steam Early Access. Finnish game developers also keep delivering new releases and updates, with Snow War launching in Early Access and Channel37 delivering surprise Update 3.5: Shadow Drop for The Last Caretaker. Looking ahead to the coming weeks, the Finland Game Talent Fair debuts in Helsinki on 23 April, Silver Legend hosts its Skill Check event on 24 April, and later Way Forward Forum returns to Oulu on 5 June
This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry we celebrate Ilkka Paananen receiving a BAFTA Fellowship for his 25-year career in mobile games, and congratulate CSE Simulation on a successful investment round and junior developer Dappal for winning the Bit1 Finale 2026 with My Tennis Apocalypse. Regarding game funding, we have good news to share: the DigiDemo concept support call is open until 12 May, while studios preparing to raise funding can also apply to the Games Capital Summit at Nordic Game by 24 April. Developers looking for more power for their productions can access the LUMI supercomputer through a free six-month trial. On the studio side, new games keep coming and existing ones expand to new content and platforms; Fakefish’s Frostrail opens its playtest on 16 April, and the already released Barotrauma’s Home and Harbor expansion has received a new trailer. Bonus Stage reports Sledders surpassing an impressive one million mod downloads via mod.io. Control Resonant is now available to wishlist on Steam, and Virtual Hunter by VRKiwi has passed 10,000 wishlists on PlayStation VR2 ahead of launch. Supercell is bringing Boom Beach to PC.
This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry starts with Neogames working together with Finnish game developers to build a shared Finland game industry brand as part of an assignment from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. It is also the time when Remedy Entertainment published its Annual Reporting Package 2025, while BITT ODD released its eagerly awaited debut game Field Day into early access in Canada. WLoveGames has made sure that Finnish developers also have a strong opportunity to gain visibility again through the Finnish Games Week Steam presence (Oct 12–18), timed to maximise reach across two consecutive weeks. New games keep coming through; Gnomecraft is launching Snow War into Early Access on April 3, and Yarnhub’s Brass Rain has passed an impressive 100,000 wishlists, with a demo planned for June 6. The next generation of game developers is also coming forward as the Bit1 2026 finalists have been selected.
This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry starts on a positive note as Finland is once again ranked the happiest country in the world for the ninth time, with reflections also explored in a podcast on why international talent chooses Finland, featuring Shuhei Watanabe and KooPee Hiltunen. Next week, Natasha Skult will defend her dissertation at the University of Turku on interactive storytelling and quantum computing, exploring new design practices with emerging technologies. On the articles from industry professionals, ambition and reality meet as Cities: Skylines 2 leadership reflects on overestimating engine capabilities, while Mikael Kasurinen discusses the high expectations for Control: Resonant, built with a €50m budget and a 200-person team. Looking ahead, Silver Legend Ltd has announced its debut title Grey Legend: Survivor for release in 2027. New Finnish releases continue with Turbo Dismount® 2 now fully launched on Steam and Orbital Overdrive by Horsefly Games also out. A quick reminder that Business Finland’s Creative Immersive Experiences programme and Neogames host a funding clinic on 25 March, and the joint application period to higher education closes on Tuesday.
This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry starts with investment and strong industry milestones. Quicksave Interactive has secured new funding from HyperScope Ventures to develop Playables.ai, a platform enabling playable ads created through prompts. At the same time, Clash Royale celebrates its 10th anniversary and $4.9bn in player spending, with Supercell explaining the design changes behind the game’s recent resurgence. At GDC 2026, Remedy’s Control Resonant was showcased by Nvidia, demonstrating RTX features, DLSS 4.5 and path tracing technology. Browser gaming is also gaining momentum as Angry Birds Friends launches as a web browser title and Fingersoft discusses the technical choices behind the web version of Hill Climb Racing Lite. New Finnish releases continue as THYSIASTERY launches on Steam, Echoes of Myth arrives as a souls-inspired action roguelite by a Finnish solo developer, and Huippee Heroes releases its new mobile title Masterions on Google Play. On the event front, note that applications are open until 19 March for Supercell’s Games First event taking place on 4 June. What comes to the regulation; PEGI will expand its classification criteria from June 2026 to better address online interaction risks in games.
This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry spans policy debates, industry events and strong studio momentum. Globally, Google plans to cut its Play Store commission from 30% to a new service fee model of 20% for in-app purchases and 10% for recurring subscriptions starting in 2026. Industry strategy shifts are also visible as Sony signals a return toward console exclusivity. Discussions closer to home continue around ecosystem support as the development of Oulu’s game industry sparked debate in Kaleva, with responses highlighting both current expertise and future potential. The event calendar remains active with more events coming; the Over 7 Hills IT and games conference coming to Turku on 5 May and the Bit1 student game finale at Helsinki XR Center on 2 April. Talking about students; the Game Studies Thesis Competition 2026 approaches its March deadline. On the studio front, Arizona State University and Bitmagic pioneer AI-assisted game development education, Remedy continues its ambitious push with Control Resonant, Housemarque reveals new gameplay from Saros and begins hiring for its next project, and Antti Tiihonen unveils a new trailer for Reconfigure. New Finnish releases also keep coming as 10tons launches Dysplaced into Steam Early Access.
This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry is packed with various topics and an exceptional wave of studio activity. The Story of Hill Climb Racing – 13 Years of Neckflips had its premiere screening in Oulu last Friday, where Neogames’ Elina Tyynelä was present in the front row. The documentary is now available to watch on YouTube. Business Finland’s Creative Immersive Experiences programme is organising a Funding Clinic in March. Game education remains active with the Summer Days of Game Education in June and new teams joining Game Catalyst. On the studio front, major updates arrive first as Cities: Skylines 2 and Gladio Mori roll out significant patches. New trailers follow for titles such as Frostrail, Second Stone: The Legend of the Hidden World, Drivers of the Apocalypse and Last Drop, alongside continued international recognition for Sektori. Looking ahead, more games are approaching release: THYSIASTERY by Dirga Games launches on Steam on 9 March 2026, and Part Time Monkey introduces its latest creation WARENA, coming to Steam. Steam Next Fest showcases a strong selection of Finnish demos, underlining the breadth of current development from tactical shooters to mythology-inspired adventures. New Finnish game releases continue as Nightsoil launches on Steam. Lastly, an important note for job seekers: the Finland Game Talent Fair debuts in Helsinki on 23 April.