Home

Weekly News 46/26

Tags

Weekly News,

This week news about The Finnish Game Industry shows rays of light despite the time of year: Remedy’s CONTROL Resonant won Best Visual Design at the Golden Joystick Awards. And speaking of keeping the lights on, Supercell ranks second in Finanssiala and Deloitte’s group-level comparison of Finland’s 2025 corporate income taxes, at €216.4 million. There are new beginnings too, as Supercell and Remedy veterans launch Silent But Deadly with backing from Sisu Game Ventures. Finnish games also keep coming, with new releases, upcoming launches and projects taking their next steps below. But this week also brings difficult news: Playnest is ending its operations, and Rovio has cut around 20 jobs at Ruby Games in Türkiye. Our thoughts are with the people affected. Meanwhile, we have work to do on the conditions for making games: Neogames has published a statement warning that the EU’s Digital Fairness Act initiative threatens the industry’s competitiveness. Still, the holiday season is getting closer, and today it’s already time for XmasJKL.

★ HIGHLIGHTS!

  • Remedy Entertainment’s CONTROL Resonant won Best Visual Design at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026. See the award winners.
  • Supercell ranks second in Finanssiala and Deloitte’s comparison of Finland’s 2025 corporate income taxes, at €216.4 million. The comparison combines Finnish group companies’ figures. Read the comparison in Finnish.

📣 Neogames Dones & News

  • Neogames Finland warns that the EU’s Digital Fairness Act initiative threatens the competitiveness of The Finnish Game Industry. Its statement calls for proportionate regulation and clearer definitions affecting in-game purchases. Read the statement.
  • Get Funded 2026’s recording, summary and presentation materials are now available. Explore funding options, founders’ experiences and investor perspectives from the event organised by Neogames Finland and Xamk. Watch and read the materials.

📰 Game Industry News, thoughts & discussions

  • Green Game Jam 2027 applications close on 22 November. Studios are invited to create environmental activations around the theme Stories of Resilience. Details and application.
  • Sustainable Games Alliance hosts a communications meetup on 19 November, 14:00–15:00 EET. Experts from SYBO, Wooga and Rovio will discuss impactful campaigns and present a draft communications roadmap. Programme and registration.

🎮 News from and about Finnish Game Companies

  • Supercell and Remedy veterans have founded Silent But Deadly in Finland, backed by Sisu Game Ventures. Christin Matt, Phil Lockwood and Tristan Williams are developing a premium adventure game. Studio announcement.
  • Supercell has participated in Anorak’s $5 million pre-seed round, co-led by Play Ventures and Backed VC. The London- and Chengdu-based startup is developing interactive generative-video formats and a creator platform. Read the report.
  • Finnish publisher Bonus Stage Publishing will publish FLESHBAG, a physics sandbox by Berlin-based Industrial Technology and Witchcraft. Steam playtest sign-ups are open; testing will begin later. Publisher announcement and Steam.
  • Rovio has cut around 20 jobs at Ruby Games in İzmir, Türkiye. A smaller team will continue running the studio’s existing games; the studio is not closing. Read the report.
  • Helsinki-based Playnest has announced it will cease operations. Founded in late 2022 as Wonder Hive, the company says it published 12 games while developing a platform for interconnected mobile games. Company announcement.
  • Iceflake Studios’ first original Cities: Skylines II expansion, Park Adventures, arrives on PC on 2 December. It introduces modular parks, zoos, nature reserves and amusement parks. Developer and publisher announcement.
  • Pepperbox Studios has released Dice of Kalma’s Dicebound Destiny 2.0 update on Steam, iOS and Android. It introduces 11 reroll abilities, new skulls and seasonal events. Developer announcement.
  • Hapatus’ Antti Tiihonen has released a new Reconfigure gameplay trailer. The FPS/RPG/puzzle game’s core systems are functional, with development continuing on world-building, content and polish. Developer announcement and trailer.
  • MiTale is inviting sign-ups for forthcoming beta testing of Horsefly Games’ The Polar Darkness. Join the game’s mailing list for development news and testing opportunities. Sign up for updates.

😍 NEW Finnish games released & upcoming releases

  • Crawdeloch’s Dry Meadow entered Steam Early Access on 1 November. The Finnish-developed game is available for Windows. View on Steam.
  • Sebastian Aaltonen’s PETAFAB: Bot Invasion launched on 6 November for Windows and Apple Silicon Macs. The game has also added Steam Workshop support for player-created levels. View on Steam and read about Workshop support.
  • Kempton Games’ SPACE BUMPS: A Bad Space Day launched on Steam on 10 November. Published by Ewooks, the Windows sci-fi comedy is a point-and-click adventure set aboard a malfunctioning space station. View on Steam.
  • HypeHype’s Bandits: Live Laugh Loot became available on Android on 11 November, including in Finland. The free survival MMO supports up to 100 players in a persistent world, combining exploration, crafting, base-building and cooperative or competitive combat. View on Google Play.
  • VRKiwi and JetDogs’ Sunstone of Time launches on 25 November for Meta Quest, PlayStation VR2 and Steam. The VR adventure combines exploration and escape-room puzzles in ancient Tenochtitlan. Release announcement.
  • Sheep Meadow Road Games’ Horse Racing Manager leaves Early Access on 4 December. The horse-racing management game has been available in Early Access since October 2025. Release details on Steam.

💰 Funding

  • Creative Europe MEDIA has open calls and application support relevant to game companies:
    • Video Games and Immersive Content Development — 2 February 2027. Eligible narrative projects can receive up to €200,000, covering 60% of costs through the first playable prototype. Call details.
    • Application support: an English-language info session on 10 December, 45-minute application reviews bookable from December, and a Finnish-language budget workshop in January. Sessions and support.
    • Innovative Tools and Business Models — 14 January 2027. The call supports eligible audiovisual tools and business models, including games-related projects. Media Desk Finland’s info session is on 2 December. Call details and registration.

📝 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. Explore the resources.

👉 Upcoming Events

  • 13 November — XmasJKL 2026, Ilokivi, Jyväskylä. Programme and tickets.
  • 13 November, 17:00–20:00 EET — IGDA Lahti November Meetup, Fellmanni-talo, Lahti. James Shepherd and Jan Storgårds discuss AI for games; developers can also bring demos. Details and registration.
  • 13–15 November — GN! Jam #18, Espoo and online. Details and participation.
  • 18 November, 17:00–21:00 EET — IGDA Vaasa Demo Night, Startup Factory, Vaasa. Developers can register to showcase their projects. Details and showcase registration.
  • 18–19 November — Slush, Helsinki. Event information.
  • 19 November, 14:00–15:00 EET — Sustainable Games Alliance communications meetup, online. Registration.
  • 27 November, 11:00 EET — EACEA’s Innovative Tools and Business Models info session, online. Details and participation.
  • 28–29 November — Theme Park Finland 2026, Helsinki. Event details and tickets.
  • 1 December — Game Executive programme information sessions, online. Sessions at 12:00–13:00 or 19:00–20:00 EET. Programme and registration.
  • 2 December, 14:00 EET — Creative Europe MEDIA: Innovative Tools and Business Models info session, online. Details and registration.
  • 10 December, 14:00 EET — Creative Europe MEDIA: Video Games and Immersive Content Development info session, online. Details and registration.
  • 18–19 January 2027 — Pocket Gamer Connects London, The Brewery and Barbican Centre, London. Event details.

See also the Finnish game-industry event calendar and international industry events.

Subscribe to Neogames Weekly News and browse previous issues.

Best regards,
Neogames Finland