New Backers
Mobile UGC platform Hiber raises $15 million
EQT Ventures leads the investment
Making Of
How Huntdown looks to embody the best parts of 80s arcade shooters
"We're convinced these types of games don’t age..."
Crushed It
Stillfront acquires idle role-playing game Crush Them All from Godzilab
Deal signed and closed on June 7th, 2021
No Slowing Down
Embracer is looking to spend $2 billion on another 20 deals
Raised another $890 million in March
The Game Is Afoot
Qiiwi Games partners with All3Media for Midsomer Murders game
Now soft-launched in Canada, Netherlands and Sweden
Diy
Hiberworld crosses 1 million user created games
UGC platform growing fast
Mansion Life
Word Mansion surpasses one million installs
Word puzzle game launched in September 2020
Building
Hiber's funding hits $4.5 million, also adds Eros Resmini to board
Swedish UGC platform scaling
Jobs In Games
Self-taught dev Mikael Forslind on life as Elden Pixels CEO
Absolute freedom vs absolute horror!
Clash(ic)
Supercell soft-launches Clash Quest in Scandinavia
First of three Clash spinoff games in development
Done Deal
Hutch CEO Shaun Rutland - "M&A fails when people focus on money - and money alone"
Hutch's acquisition by MTG dissected
On The Rise
The Swedish games industry saw revenues of $2.21 billion in 2019
The number of jobs rose by 8% to 8,578
Helping Hand
DreamHack partners with Sweden Game Arena to support the Sweden Game Conference
"Coming together as a community is one of the key components of gaming culture"
Welcome Aboard
Rovio hires Andy Muesse to head up its Stockholm studio
"It's awesome to officially welcome Andy into the Rovio flock"
Funding
Hiber raises $2.25 million in a seed funding round for its creative platform
"Each of the new investors brings additional expertise and guidance to our business"
Building Blocks
LEGO partners with Monument Valley developer Ustwo for LEGO Super Mario app
Launching a "couple of days before" product line
Liftoff
Paradox Interactive's Stellaris: Galaxy Command blasts out of soft launch
The free-to-play sci-fi title takes inspiration from its strategy PC counterpart
118 Games In Development
Embracer Group's games division grows by 31% but total profit falls by 10% YoY
"I genuinely believe that we have one of the industry’s most exciting pipelines of upcoming games"
Testing Ip Impact
Rovio soft-launches turn-based RPG Angry Birds Legends
Available on Android in the UK, Sweden and Finland
Moving Up
Stillfront appoints Kixeye CEO Clayton Stark as new group chief technology officer
"Clayton has already contributed with his vast experience from the industry"
Talent Mag-net
King senior developer Egill Antonsson joins MAG Interactive
One of a number of hires from the company as of late
Slingshots Return
Rovio soft-launches Angry Birds Casual in the US for "early market testing"
Finland, Poland and Sweden too
Studio Closure
Swedish mobile games developer Strange Quest is shutting down
Almost three years since opening
Financials
MAG Interactive sees 17% revenue jump but a 40% drop in active users
Interim report detailed September to November 2019
Pgc London 2020
Mag Interactive head of ideation shares the when, why, and how of prototyping
Matthew Buxton's top tips for developers
Little Acquisition
Embracer Group acquires Little Nightmares dev Tarsier Studios
"Together with Tarsier, we want to invest in developing new projects, in the same manner they have done successfully in the past"
Changes
EA DICE veteran Magnus Holmström joins MAG Interactive
Takes up new head of production role
New Investment
Coffee Stain Studio invests in horse-centric mobile game outfit Kavalri
It's part of The Levelling the Playing Field Initiative
Reboot
PayDay: Crime War will shut down before being relaunched with a new publisher
Current version will cease operations on December 16th
Jobs In Games
Kiki Olofsson on building diversity and great art at Candy Crush Saga dev King
Dealing with the sweet and the sour
Constant Craving
Live ops and scaling are key to Stillfront’s growth, says CEO Jörgen Larsson
"We believe the winners are the ones that have the best content"
Wheelie Good Time
Sayonara Wild Hearts set to sparkle as Apple Arcade launch title
Also coming to PS4 and Switch
Industry Report
Sweden’s game industry grew 42% in 2018
New report shows revenue increased to EUR 1.9 billion
Third Time Lucky?
Starbreeze applies for third extension to reconstruction period
Follows acting CEO Mikael Nermark saying that his No.1 priority is "securing the long-term financing for the company"
Dark Days
Isbit Games closes after running out of funds
“We have been working very hard to fight for the survival of the studio”
Expansion
Zordix launches new indie-focused publishing division
“Zordix Publishing will be a key strategic move for us, and we look forward with great excitement”
Dead Or Alive
Candy Crush co-founder thought title would be “dead” within six months
Casual puzzle series has brought in over $4 billion in revenue
Stakes Are High
Nexon acquires majority stake in Embark Studios
Former EA chief design officer and DICE founder Patrick Söderlund heads up the studio
Finland X Sweden
Nitro Games partners with Avalanche Studios to utilise IP on new mobile title
New game expected to launch in 2020 on iOS and Android
Breakout Success
Prison Architect surpasses four million players globally
Console developer Double Eleven taking over the project following Paradox sale
Job News
King CEO Riccardo Zacconi steps down after 16 years
Will move to chairman role from July 1st, 2019
Job News
Snowprint Studios appoints Paradox and EA vet John Hargelid as new COO
Brought on to continue the company’s growth
M&a
Tencent acquires Malmo developer Sharkmob
“We view the future of online gaming the same way and Tencent being a leading internet and games platform gives Sharkmob the reach and resources to be a part of that future"
Jobs
Angry Birds VR developer Resolution Games names new COO
Dreber joins to help drive the AR/VR studio's business strategy and growth
Loot Boxes
Sweden to review consumer protection measures against loot boxes
Swedish Consumer Agency to conduct investigation into casino-like elements in games
Nordic Investment
Brawl Stars dev Supercell invests $3.8m in Malmo start-up Luau Games
Finnish developer adds to its investment portfolio once again with a studio founded by former King developers
Dual Listing
Atari starts trading on Nasdaq First North in Stockholm
Longstanding games company was already listed on the Euronext Paris, will maintain trading on both exchanges
Oh No
Swedish tax agency demands $370 million from Candy Crush Saga maker King
Skatteverket claims King owes substantial taxes after its acquisition by Activision in 2016
New Studio
New studio Wanderword to develop interactive audiobooks for mobile devices and smart speakers
Formed by Microsoft and Fatshark execs Peter Zetterberg and Thomas Lindgren
Big Indie Pitch
Legacy 3 reveals all its secrets to take the crown at The Big Indie Pitch at Sweden Game Arena 18
We check out the top 3 prize winners at this years Big Indie Pitch at Sweden Game Arena 18