Small region, huge in games: why the industry is coming to Malmö this spring

• PG Connects Summit Malmö takes place on May 27th-28th - connecting developers, publishers, and investors for curated meetings and insights at the heart of the Nordic games industry.

Over the last two decades, the Nordics has become one of the global games sector’s most notable examples of a region punching above its weight. Plenty of factors across its countries, especially Sweden and Finland, have contributed to its success. 

In its 2025 report, Swedish games industry organisation Dataspelsbranschen highlighted two decades of striking domestic growth; from 71 companies to more than a thousand, the number of employees going from 715 to over 9,000, and revenue increasing from $59m to over $4bn.

Of course, long-standing successes such as King’s Candy Crush Saga and Mojang’s Minecraft, the best-selling game of all time, make up the lion’s share of the ecosystem. But Swedish developers across both major studios and indie teams keep producing and releasing high-quality games. 

Not just proving popular, those titles also vary significantly in terms of genre, style and audiences, showcasing how creativity and diversity underpin the Swedish games industry’s long-term strength.

"Finnish mobile games sector is still performing well"

Looking across the Baltic Sea, the Finnish games sector, especially mobile, also remains strong considering recent years’ headlines of restructuring, consolidation and layoffs. 

As Neogames Finland's Suvi Latva and KooPee Hiltunen describe it, “It's important to remember that the Finnish mobile games sector is still performing well thanks to our strong, seasoned mobile studios like Supercell, Small Giant, Rovio, Metacore and Fingersoft.”

Like Sweden, it’s resting on global breakouts, but the Finnish ecosystem is so much more, with creative startups working alongside veteran teams. 

Helsinki-based indie developer Dodreams CEO Erik Pöntiskoski says, “What’s special here is the strong culture of knowledge sharing, where studios openly exchange learnings and inspire each other to push boundaries.”

For its relatively small size, the Nordic games ecosystem extends further than individual titles or studios. Beyond the collaborative culture, it also has a huge impact on innovative business models. Standards like free-to-play and long-term live operations were pioneered in this region. 

Access the Nordic games ecosystem

For these reasons and more, games industry events in the Nordics serve as a strategic meeting point for the European and global industries, as well as cross-sector media and technologies. For international developers, publishers, and investors, they provide access to partnerships and a thriving local development scene.

Pocket Gamer Connects is hosting a two-day summit on May 27th-28th in collaboration with MeetToMatch powered by Xsolla. Taking place in Malmö at the strategic heart of the region during Nordic Game week, the event will bring together industry professionals for curated connections, partnership-building, and expert insight.

Malmö’s close proximity to Copenhagen and the wider Nordic ecosystem also makes it easily accessible for companies travelling from across Europe and beyond.

Register your Early Bird ticket today - starting at just £50 - via the official website.