Kickstarter's curious campaigns, Finland's new immigration rules, and why publishers love solitaire | Week in Views

Kickstarter's curious campaigns, Finland's new immigration rules, and why publishers love solitaire | Week in Views

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

Sensor Tower acquires live ops data platform Playliner

Sensor Tower acquires live ops data platform Playliner

Platform tracks in-game events, monetisation and player engagement in mobile games

Finnish Aliens Act amendment gives international talent just three to six months to find new employment

Finland's Foreign Workers

Finnish Aliens Act amendment gives international talent just three to six months to find new employment

"We must not close the door on the very people who help make Finland thrive," says Finnish games trade association Neogames

Games livestreaming platform Noice closes

Games livestreaming platform Noice closes

Company had raised $26 million in funding before new investment dried up

Supercell founder Ilkka Paananen named Power Player of the Year at Finnish Game Awards 2025

Winners Revealed

Supercell founder Ilkka Paananen named Power Player of the Year at Finnish Game Awards 2025

The awards ceremony also celebrated the 30-year history of the Finnish games industry

OP Financial Group joins Supercell to back tuition-free coding school Hive Helsinki

OP Financial Group joins Supercell to back tuition-free coding school Hive Helsinki

In five years Hive has helped 245 people launch tech careers in Finland

European Investment Fund pledges over $20m to boost Nordic game development

Funding For Games

European Investment Fund pledges over $20m to boost Nordic game development

The EIF is helping Behold Ventures attract more investors to reach its target of $48m

Finnish startup Seven Stars secures seed round to build “next-gen

February 25, 2025

Funding For Games

Finnish startup Seven Stars secures seed round to build “next-gen" puzzle games

Spintop Ventures and Behold Ventures co-led the investment with Sisu Game Ventures

Fingersoft COO exits company

February 18, 2025

Fingersoft COO exits company

Ville Rauma had been with the company for 11 years as it grew from a team of 12 to 100 staff

Epic Games recognises Expa and Digi & Game Center as Finland's first Unreal Training hubs

November 28, 2024

An Unreal Recognition

Epic Games recognises Expa and Digi & Game Center as Finland's first Unreal Training hubs

Groups aim to make Unreal Engine education accessible to a global audience

Former Supercell devs at Bit Odd raise $18m investment

November 14, 2024

Investment Round

Former Supercell devs at Bit Odd raise $18m investment

Funding round led by Griffin Gaming with participation from Makers Fund, Index Ventures and others

4 takeaways from Supercell’s Games First Helsinki 2024

October 31, 2024

Games First Takeaways

4 takeaways from Supercell’s Games First Helsinki 2024

We round up the insights from a day of deep dives into the industry and game design practices

Fingersoft lays off 14 staff after “substantial decline” in ad revenue

October 30, 2024

Fingersoft lays off 14 staff after “substantial decline” in ad revenue

"With this year’s substantial decline in ad revenue, adjustments to our cost structure became essential," says CEO

4 takeaways from Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki and Finnish Games Week 2024

October 3, 2024

4 takeaways from Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki and Finnish Games Week 2024

We look at some of the themes and trends to come out of a week of insightful sessions and networking

How Finland's games industry is weathering the storm

October 1, 2024

Finland's Future

How Finland's games industry is weathering the storm

Neogames Finland director KooPee Hiltunen discusses past successes, current industry problems, and what the future holds for the country's games hub

Finland’s games industry set to come together for a full week of events

September 28, 2024

Finnish Games Week

Finland’s games industry set to come together for a full week of events

Developers head to the home of mobile gaming for Finnish Games Week

Learn the state of play at the heart of the mobile games industry at PG Connects Helsinki

September 24, 2024

Learn the state of play at the heart of the mobile games industry at PG Connects Helsinki

Discover Finland’s hottest industry trends and gain valuable insight into the latest facts and figures on October 1st

Metacore ends Everdale development and returns IP to Supercell

September 18, 2024

Metacore ends Everdale development and returns IP to Supercell

Merge Mansion developer had also recently cancelled soft-launched title Sails of Fury

“Treating what we are building not just as a game but as a social platform is very rare

September 12, 2024

“Treating what we are building not just as a game but as a social platform is very rare"

Social First’s CEO Kim Soares on securing funds to fuel the development of a new cross-platform MMO title that champions social connectivity

Hot Five: Squad Busters breaks $50 million, EA’s mobile blueprint, and Finland’s

Hot Five: Squad Busters breaks $50 million, EA’s mobile blueprint, and Finland’s "survive to 2025" mantra

Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz

The state of Finland’s games market

The state of Finland’s games market

We speak with Finnish developers and executives about the Finnish games industry's challenges and the 'survive to 2025' mantra

Over 140 games being made in the Nordics right now

Nordic Spotlight

Over 140 games being made in the Nordics right now

We put the spotlight on the live games and new titles in development from the talented teams across Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland

Supercell's Squad Busters generated $1.1m on launch day

Supercell's Squad Busters generated $1.1m on launch day

The Finnish studio's first release in five and a half years picked up 8.8 million downloads on day one, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower

Gorilla Capital invests in Lola Panda educational apps developer BeiZ

Investment Round

Gorilla Capital invests in Lola Panda educational apps developer BeiZ

Funding set to help expand the educational apps, which have been downloaded over 40 million times, into new regions and languages

Stumble Guys dev Kitka Games soft-launches new mobile title Battle Guys: Royale

Soft Launch Guys

Stumble Guys dev Kitka Games soft-launches new mobile title Battle Guys: Royale

New title promises to be "most streamlined, easy-to-learn - hard-to-master" battle royale game of 2024

Supercell-backed HypeHype to give creators 100% of revenue from user-generated content

Supercell-backed HypeHype to give creators 100% of revenue from user-generated content

During the early access period, creators making games on HypeHype will earn all the net revenue from their creations

Supercell launches eagerly awaited new game mo.co in the US

October 25, 2023

Intriguing Invitation

Supercell launches eagerly awaited new game mo.co in the US

The Finnish studio has rolled out invites to US gamers to try out its latest game

Supercell has announced its latest game. Take

October 11, 2023

Welcome To Mo.co

Supercell has announced its latest game. Take "a leap into the unknown" in mo.co

The new monster-hunting game will enter beta testing in the USA in late October

Over 1,200 games professionals gather in Helsinki for the 40th Pocket Gamer Connects conference

September 15, 2023

Over 1,200 games professionals gather in Helsinki for the 40th Pocket Gamer Connects conference

Publishers, developers, indies and investors gathered to network, recruit and do business at the heart of the mobile games industry

IGDA’s Christopher Hamilton:

September 11, 2023

Igda Leadership Day

IGDA’s Christopher Hamilton: "The community here is just very special and truly amazing"

At IGDA’s Leadership Day Finland’s finest come together to discuss leadership in games

Check out the Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki Career Zone!

September 8, 2023

Check out the Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki Career Zone!

This dedicated recruitment space presented alongside Game Factory Talents could help YOU get your dream job in games

Razer’s Michael Mucci on alternative payments and Pocket Gamer Connects: “With Supercell, we are just getting started”

September 8, 2023

Razer’s Michael Mucci on alternative payments and Pocket Gamer Connects: “With Supercell, we are just getting started”

The head of account management at Razer tells us what’s going on with Gold and more

September 5, 2023

The Finnish Mobile Market Roundup: PGC Helsinki 2023 Edition

Before next week's show, get up to speed with the latest news from Finland’s famous mobile game development scene

September 5, 2023

Pitch Like A Pro

How to win at Pocket Gamer Connects' Big Indie Pitch

With PGC Helsinki coming next week we asked previous Big Indie Pitch winner Noah Rosenfield to give aspiring developers a few tips

Finnish developer Future Run aims to “redefine competitive gaming”

September 5, 2023

Competitive Gaming

Finnish developer Future Run aims to “redefine competitive gaming”

The Finnish developer has the backing of Supercell, one of the biggest names in mobile gaming

Finnish Focus: Supercell's pursuit of perfection

August 25, 2023

Helsinki Gaming

Finnish Focus: Supercell's pursuit of perfection

With Floodrush getting the chop after less than three months of release, we take a look at the company that's never afraid to fail

Sega to finalise Rovio acquisition next week

August 10, 2023

Birds Of A Feather

Sega to finalise Rovio acquisition next week

Sonic and Angry Birds to be one big family as Sega takes 96.3% of shares

Mentorship Interview

A culture of collaboration: an interview with Finland's LGIN mentoring network

"It doesn't feel like we are competing with each other. We are competing against the world,” says Suvi Kiviniemi of the Living Game Intelligence Network

Finland’s Neogames industry body weighs in on controversial new immigration law

Finland’s Neogames industry body weighs in on controversial new immigration law

The latest proposed reforms continue to draw strong criticism from companies who rely on foreign talent

Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen and other game execs decry Finland's

Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen and other game execs decry Finland's "catastrophic" new three-month immigration law

Finnish Game leaders call out new rules that would require unemployed skilled workers to leave the country

38% of Finnish gaming professionals identify as LGBTQIA+

Play With Pride

38% of Finnish gaming professionals identify as LGBTQIA+

The country had a higher proportion of LGBTQIA+ workers in the game industry than the worldwide average

Fingersoft appoints new CFO

Fingersoft appoints new CFO

Suni is an experienced CFO, but a newcomer to the games industry

Fingersoft CEO Jaakko Kylmäoja on the future of their hit Hill Climb Racing

Fingersoft CEO Jaakko Kylmäoja on the future of their hit Hill Climb Racing

Fingersoft focuses on staff well being as they gear up for future releases

Mobile is still Finland’s most popular platform, but PC is catching up

Finnish Games Report

Mobile is still Finland’s most popular platform, but PC is catching up

2021 and 2022 proved to be banner year’s for Finland’s gaming industry

Bad Piggies 2 comes to selected countries in iOS-exclusive soft launch

Bad Piggies 2 comes to selected countries in iOS-exclusive soft launch

Android release to come later

Finnish giant Metacore's CEO and co-founder Mika Tammenkoski reflects on a difficult year for the industry

Finnish Game Awards

Finnish giant Metacore's CEO and co-founder Mika Tammenkoski reflects on a difficult year for the industry

However, Tammenkoski remained bullish about the industry’s potential

Phantom Gamelabs joins Supercell’s family of investees

Phantom Gamelabs joins Supercell’s family of investees

The studio has received an undisclosed amount from the Finnish gaming giant

How did mobile do at the Finnish Game Awards?

Finnish Game Awards

How did mobile do at the Finnish Game Awards?

Mobile saw big success at the Finnish game industry’s biggest night with Pako Highway scooping game of the year

Rovio gives insight into its game analytics approach

Rovio Analytics

Rovio gives insight into its game analytics approach

The company’s director of analytics discussed the topic in a new blog post

After securing Scopely for $4.9 billion, what could Saudi games giant Savvy splash its cash on next?

Mena Investment

After securing Scopely for $4.9 billion, what could Saudi games giant Savvy splash its cash on next?

They may have made a sizeable acquisition this week but Savvy Games Group still has money to burn!