Over the years Gabriel Aimone has been a part of the rise of Supercell, Playraven and other gaming startups shipping over 10 successful mobile games. Currently, Aimone is the Director of Helsinki Games Capital Ry, a new association focused on helping the Games Industry in the capital area.
Aimone joins us for Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki Digital 2020 where he will be looking at the future of Finland’s games industry.
Before the event takes place next month, we caught up with Aimone to see what’s changed in the games industry since he joined, and what trends he expects to see over the next 12 months in the industry.
PocketGamer.biz: Tell us a bit about Helsinki Games Capital
Gabriel Aimone: We are a non-profit association that supports the capital area game industry's community, operations and culture.
What does your role entail?
My main job is to act as a connection point between games studios, individuals and the city of Helsinki. We help the games industry in the capital region through events, seminars and special interest groups, as well as on a one on one basis.
Why did you want to work in the games industry?
It has always been my dream to make my passion my profession.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into it?
Don't be afraid to ask questions, make sure you build a great network and don't give up your dream.
What are your thoughts on the industry in the last 12 months?
This past year saw a rise in new studios made up of very experienced individuals also thanks to new exciting VC coming into the scene. 5G definitely opens up new possibilities and I believe that the pandemic has given time to people to think if they are actually happy at their current job. I expect more exciting startups to appear in the next few months.
What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?
New generation of consoles, 5G and new app stores, will definitely make the market more competitive and it will open up more opportunities for everyone.
How has the games industry changed since you first started?
When I started, the mobile scene was still fairly calm, but with the introduction of the iPad and eventually of more powerful and bigger size phones, the industry had an exponential growth worldwide. These events gave life to new unicorns companies and made working in the games industry more accessible to everyone that wants to work in it.
Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?
The learnings from the past PGC have been really valuable, so I am eagerly waiting to learn more from the really interesting speakers and topics that will be covered.
