Weekly News 35/26

This week news about the Finnish Game Industry is… led by a strong Finnish presence at gamescom, where Iceflake Studios revealed LEGO Skylines, Remedy showcased CONTROL Resonant and MiTale presented its work on quantum computing in commercial game development. Gamescom also offered a strong week of international visibility, meetings and business opportunities for many Finnish developers. Commission EVP Henna Virkkunen visited the Nordic All Stars booth, where discussions covered Nordic game development, upcoming regulation and the wider Nordic game development community, alongside demos from Simucube and Murska Digital and a discussion around Remedy Entertainment’s upcoming CONTROL Resonant. Elsewhere, Rovio is closing its Copenhagen studio following the cancellation of Sonic Blitz, while Frozenbyte has delayed Trine 6 to March 2027. Lohkare Games’ Last Drop, meanwhile, reached #1 on Steam’s Finnish top sellers chart after its Early Access launch. On the ecosystem side, The Finnish Game Industry’s new policy programme for 2027–2031 is out, KooPee Hiltunen has been re-elected to the EGDF board, EGDF has published its latest European industry insights, and new regional initiatives in Espoo and Pirkanmaa highlight continued efforts to strengthen the conditions for game industry growth.

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📣 Neogames Dones & News

• The Finnish Game Industry’s proposals for decision-makers for 2027–2031 are now public. Neogames’ new policy programme brings together the measures the industry considers necessary at municipal, national and EU level, covering areas including access to talent, education and skills, startup financing and international competitiveness.
• KooPee Hiltunen has been re-elected to the board of the European Game Developers Federation (EGDF). Hendrik Lesser continues as president for 2026–2028, with the new board representing Germany, Finland, Sweden, Croatia, Poland and France. EGDF’s priorities for the next two years include access to funding and talent, helping European studios move higher in the value chain and strengthening the global visibility of the European game industry.
• Commission EVP Henna Virkkunen visited the Nordic All Stars booth at gamescom. The discussion covered game development in the Nordics, upcoming regulation and the Nordic game development community. Virkkunen also saw game demos from Simucube and Murska Digital, and discussed Remedy Entertainment’s upcoming CONTROL Resonant. Read Neogames Finland’s LinkedIn post.
• Espoo Game LAB concludes with 13 new companies and new jobs created in the Capital Region game industry.The three-year programme involved 108 participants and resulted in 13 new companies and 22.5 person-years of new employment. The programme also organised 38 events reaching around 2,100 participants. Neogames Finland evaluated the Game LAB operating model
• Pirkanmaa calls for stronger recognition of the game industry and content industries as drivers of Finland’s growth. Business Tampere highlights games, audiovisual industries and digital content as areas with significant potential for scalable growth, exports and employment, and calls for stronger recognition of content industries in R&D funding, internationalisation services and national growth policy.
• Gamebadges Challenge Sprint is looking for participants for its second online pilot. The sprint runs 14–27 September, with selected participants submitting real Gamebadges applications using evidence from their existing work or portfolio. Applications are open until 9 September.

📰 Game Industry News, thoughts & discussions

• EGDF has published its 2024 European Video Game Industry Insights. The new report provides updated data and policy context on the European game industry and highlights the sector’s resilience in a challenging global market.
• Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen has joined the PGC Nordics speaker line-up. Hallikainen, who has led the Tampere studio since its founding in 2009, joins the conference taking place in Helsinki on 20–21 October. Session details will be announced later.
• Final reminder: Finnish Games Week Steam Event submissions close on 1 September at 18:00 CET. Finnish companies can submit published or upcoming Steam games for the event running 12–18 October, immediately before Finnish Games Week in Helsinki.

🎮 News from and about Finnish Game Studios

• Iceflake Studios is developing LEGO Skylines, revealed at gamescom Opening Night Live. The new city-builder from Tampere-based Iceflake Studios is being published by Paradox Interactive in collaboration with the LEGO Group and is coming to Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. No release date has been announced yet.
• Rovio is closing its Copenhagen studio following the cancellation of Sonic Blitz. Around 20 employees worked on the cancelled game. Rovio CEO Alex Pelletier-Normand said Sonic Blitz did not achieve the player retention required during soft launch; employees who cannot be reassigned to other Rovio projects will receive transition support.
• Finnish studio MiTale is exploring quantum computing in commercial game development through C.L.A.Y. – The Last Redemption. Quantum circuit simulations are being used in the upcoming RPG’s narrative and procedural systems, including story dynamics and environment generation. MiTale is showcasing the game at gamescom this week.
• Frozenbyte has delayed Trine 6: Together in Time from 17 September 2026 to 4 March 2027. Following feedback from its recent Private Playtest, the studio will use the additional development time to introduce a second puzzle experience and work further on combat, camera behaviour, onboarding and online multiplayer.
• CONTROL Resonant received a new gamescom trailer and another technology showcase. Remedy’s upcoming title was shown during gamescom Opening Night Live, and Nvidia separately presented new CONTROL Resonant gameplay demonstrating path tracing and DLSS 4.5. The game launches digitally on 24 September.
• Lohkare Games’ Last Drop reached #1 on Steam’s Finnish top sellers chart following its Early Access launch. The Jyväskylä-based studio released the 1990s Finland-set open-world game into Early Access on 18 August. Last Drop on Steam.

😍 NEW Finnish games released & upcoming releases

• Gladio Mori leaves Steam Early Access and launches in full on 16 September on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The physics-based fighting game is developed by Oulu-based Plebeian Studio.

💰 Funding

• AVEK DigiDemo funding remains open until 21 September. Demo and pilot support is available in fixed amounts of €10,000 or €20,000 and may cover up to 80% of eligible project costs.
• Supercell continues to invite game companies to approach its investment and partnership team.

📝 Jobs & Recruitment

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

👉 Upcoming Events

• 26–30 August – gamescom, Cologne
• 3–5 September – Siida Game Jam, Inari
• 8 September – IGDA Helsinki September Meetup
• 16–18 September – Thriving in Games Group Summit, Helsinki
• 23–25 September – Northern Game Summit, Kajaani
• 12–18 October – Finnish Games Week Steam Event
• 19 October – IGDA Finland Leadership Day
• 20–21 October – Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics, Helsinki – use discount code PlayFinland14 for 14% off.
• 22–24 October – W Love Games 2026
• 3–4 November – Game Research Days 2026, Jyväskylä
• 5 November – Finnish Game Industry DEI Summit