Jyväskylä city forms shared strategy for games sector development

• Jyväskylä’s city government, education institutions and Expa have signed an agreement that aligns a shared plan for its games sector development strategy.
• The agreement focuses on strengthening student employment, education pathways as well as international visibility and studio creation.

A new partnership between local education institutions, Expa Game Business Cooperative and the City of Jyväskylä aims to create a unified strategy for the Finnish city’s games industry. 

The new cooperation agreement, which came into effect on January 1st 2026, brings together Jamk University of Applied Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, and Gradia under a shared development framework focused on areas such as student employment and education.

According to the organisations involved, the strategy is designed to strengthen Jyväskylä’s position as a games hub as well as in digital technology and other related fields. 

The agreement turns Expa’s ecosystem work into a shared development programme, with its impact tracked through areas such as student employment, new companies and international visibility. 

Building games ecosystems

While Jyväskylä has been an active games ecosystem for the past decade, it has lacked a unified structure, which the agreement now appears to address.

Students will gain access to networking and recruitment initiatives, including Expa’s annual internships and employment event, which brought together 21 Finnish game companies and more than 150 students earlier this year. 

The organisations involved will also collaborate on industry publications, industry insights and international visibility projects while continuing to develop the city’s Digi & Game Center as a games hub.

Programme manager Sanna Laakso stated that Jyväskylä has “strong potential to become one of Finland's leading gaming hubs.” 

Expa Chair Valtteri “Wanda” Lahti added: “Jyväskylä has long had all the ingredients for growth - education, talent, companies and a strong community.”

For more from the Finnish games market Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics takes place on October 20th and 21st.