The Finnish games industry creates its own rules

The remarkable growth of the Finnish games industry in recent years is the culmination of two decades of development.

The arrival of game studio Remedy’s Max Payne video game made a global splash when it appeared on shelves in 2001, selling four million units globally. Several years later, the arrival of the iPhone and the App Store opened the floodgates.

The Finnish game industry has become an attractive investment target for foreign studios. The past couple years alone have seen 70 million euros of private investor money from abroad boosting the industry. This is without taking into account the dizzying figure surrounding the acquisition of Supercell.

The number of employees in games development is set to expand from its current total of 2,500, with Finland’s vibrant startup culture attracting talent from all over the world. The growth of the Finnish games industry is not forecast to slow down, either. More than 20 institutions around Finland currently provide game education at all levels.