THE AIM OF THIS STUDY is to provide an accurate overview of the Finnish Game Industry. To serve that aim, the Neogames' database, used as background material when compiling this study, contains only the studios that are active in game development.
However, maintaining a completely accurate database of all active game companies is virtually impossible for multiple reasons. Firstly, Finland's national statistical institute Statistics Finland has no definitive classification for game developer studios. Secondly, setting up a new game studio is relatively easy, which means that new studios can emerge rapidly. Thirdly, game developers may sometimes operate in stealth mode for years before going public. Lastly, some studios may discontinue their active business but still remain on active status in the business register.
According to estimates by Neogames, from 1995 to 2022, there have been around 650 Finnish game studios, with 232 of them active in game development at the end of 2022. This is approximately 30 more than at the end of 2020.
As a reference, Neogames' first study on the Finnish Game Industry covers the year 2004 and includes 40 active game studios. Out of those 40 studios, 10 (25%) are still active in game development today. The listing on this page indicates the number of active studios each year, clearly shows that the growth spurt of the Finnish Game Industry began after 2010, following the rise of mobile gaming. In the peak year of 2014, there were 260 active studios, with the vast majority of them developing mobile games. After that, the number of active studios declined, but in 2021 and 2022, the number of studios started to grow again.
A good sign of the vitality of the game ecosystem is that there are both first-round and second-round studios being established. Due to the process of updating the database, some of the studios Neogames added to the database before this study have been active already in 2020.
The Capital Region (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa) is the largest game industry hub in Finland, with almost half of the active studios located in the region. The other major game industry hubs, based on the number of active studios, are Tampere (36 studios), Oulu (20 studios), and Turku (17 studios). Additionally, there are vibrant industry hubs in Jyväskylä (11 studios), Kajaani (7 studios), and Kotka (8 studios).
Regional capitals outside the Capital Region appear to be hotspots of the game industry in their respective regions. This trend reflects the general development of Finnish society, where cities with higher educational opportunities, such as universities and universities of applied sciences, are attractive to a younger, more game-oriented generation. In terms of economic significance and financial value, the Capital Region is still well ahead of other regions in Finland. As much as 92% of the industry's turnover is generated by companies located in the capital region cities Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa (96% in 2020). However, all major Finnish industry hubs have companies with more than €1 million annual turnover, and all regions have one or several examples of successful game studios.
The number of people employed has increased slightly in almost all regions since the last study. Again, around 76% of all employees work in the Capital Region (79% in 2020), and all large companies employing more than 250 people are located in Helsinki or Espoo. The largest studio in terms of headcount outside the Capital Region is Fingersoft, which is based in Oulu, but now also has an office in Helsinki.
Profiles of of 68 game companies, all members of Suomen Pelinkehittäjät ry (Finnish Game Developer Studios Association), are introduced on the company profile pages.
A comprehensive, up to date list of active Finnish game studios can be found on the Neogames website.
