Helsinki’s Mobile Game Industry: A Thriving Ecosystem of Talent and Innovation

When you think of cities around the world that are hotbeds for innovative tech, you’re probably imagining Silicon Valley, Tokyo, or maybe Singapore. You might not be thinking of this place, but it’s these streets here in Helsinki City, just the size of Glasgow, that house some of the most innovative, influential, and successful mobile games companies in the world. This place is home to some of the best games talent out there, so how has this happened?

Nokia: The Big Name in the 1990s

Who better to start giving us answers than someone with over a decade of game-making experience? Well, Nokia is an obvious answer. The big name in the 1990s showed the example that we could spill something big from Finland or from Helsinki because we didn’t do it as I said like we didn’t really have any like big publishers or studios. We don’t need the connections with the publishers; we don’t need to travel the other side of the world; we can just do it from here. With Nokia’s support, there’s the fact that there was such a successful mobile product from Finland encouraged people from Finland to want to stay in that space. Yeah, of course, because I think that was the extra example like you can actually make it big.

Reactor: The Company that Helps Tech Businesses

We here do seem proud of the city’s success in mobile tech, always happy to chat about it in bars and cafes, but heritage and goodwill only get you so far. Well, this is really kind of where we have Reactor, a company that helps tech businesses, game studios included, make sure they have the right infrastructure in place to succeed. I think we’re just generally very interested in technology. I’m sure that you could also then say that that comes from some like war background or something back in the day, but then I think in very many ways it’s about the cultural sort of situation that we’ve had here, that essentially since we have this ability of, and it’s in the culture that we can try and then we can fail and then we try again. You don’t have to worry about failing, and when you don’t have to worry about failing, you’re obviously much braver. Also, the government is supporting gaming companies a lot. Nobody wants to come to Helsinki because of the climate, for example, so we have other reasons to attract people here. I’ve bought a new coat just for this trip, so that sort of says it all.

The Best Gaming Talent in the World

The latest figure suggested more than 30 percent of the developers who work in the game sector here have come to Helsinki from around the world, and attracting the best talent to the city is a key part of the plan to stay on top of the tree. So important, in fact, there’s an organization here whose job is to go out and attract the best gaming talent in the world. We have a good life here, and life is quite easy. All these soft values, they are coming more and more important. We don’t have those money incentives for many things, but actually, many people say that when people do their math correctly, you get more here because yes, we have maybe less salaries than in Silicon Valley, but you don’t have to pay for the schools so you don’t have to pay for the health insurance, and everything like that is covered, so actually, you have more money in your pocket in the end.

Blend of History, Public Investment, and Talent Chasing

This blend of history, public investment, and talent chasing is working for Helsinki. The 200 game studios here made 2.8 billion pounds in 2022. Now to put that into context, the games market in the UK was worth 4.7 billion in the same period, but that’s a country with a population 12 times bigger. Finland is punching well above its weight, but really it shouldn’t be a surprise.

The First Ever Angry Bird was Flicked Across the Screen of an iPad in This City

The first-ever Angry Bird was flicked across the screen of an iPad in this city. Last year, Netflix was setting up its first-ever internal games company here because it has some of the best talent in the world, and then there’s Supercell, a giant of the mobile game space responsible for some of the most famous titles in the world, and it’s a man from Scotland who’s in charge of arguably the most celebrated, Clash of Clans. Yeah, I think, you know, like many people remember playing snake on The Knockout 3310, not a game, and I heard that it’s a Finnish company, and you know, working in the mobile games industry in particular, you know can be aware of all these great companies that were based in Finland.

Finland wasn’t that wealthier country not that long ago. People had computers maybe, but not like consoles and things. So people were like just in the PC, and they may be weren’t the best computers at the time either, so it led to this kind of cool demo scene. I’ve tried to make the most out of these crazy hackers trying to figure out how to make the best. And then obviously when phones came out, you know, they were like very constrained in how powerful they were, and that led to, like, you had all these programmers who were really, really clever at getting the most out of not very much. People here know so much about the stories of companies like Supercell that have been very successful and really punching above the kind of weight for a country this size, so I think people know it’s more of a thing. You know, maybe back in the UK, when you sort of said you’re working in games, you get more of this obviously just play games all day kind of joke, and you’re like, and no, you know, I think people here respect it as an important industry.

The Future of Helsinki’s Mobile Game Industry

Helsinki’s mobile game industry is thriving, and with an impressive pool of talent and innovative minds, it is set to continue its growth and success. As technology evolves and new gaming platforms emerge, Helsinki is ready to adapt and lead the charge. The industry has come a long way from its humble beginnings, and its growth has been spurred on by a unique blend of culture, government support, and talented individuals.

Conclusion

Helsinki may not be the first city that comes to mind when you think of innovative tech, but it is undoubtedly a city that should be on your radar. Its mobile game industry has become a significant player on the world stage, with an impressive roster of successful companies and talented individuals. With a unique blend of culture, government support, and cutting-edge technology, Helsinki is a city that is poised to continue its growth and innovation in the years to come. If you’re looking for the next big thing in tech, look no further than Helsinki, Finland.