A retrospective on Europe’s leading games conference

This spring, studios within the Arctic Game cluster were invited to express interest and apply for support to attend Nordic Game in Malmö alongside representatives from Arctic Game. The successful outcome was a shared booth and an invaluable opportunity for northern games to secure capital and partnerships from around the globe. 

Arctic Game’s delegation, led by representatives from Umeå, Skellefteå, Luleå and Boden, included studios from each city that stood to gain significantly from attending the conference. These companies ranged from seasoned game developers with new startups, studios showcasing demos in search of capital and launch partners, to those with newly released games aiming to reach a broader audience. Additionally, the delegation included companies providing diverse services to the global games industry. 

The participating companies were: Lunar Madness (Umeå), Crypto Rogue (Umeå), Off The Chain (Umeå), The Fine Arc (Umeå), Silent Factory (Skellefteå), Cold Sector (Skellefteå), Spinoff Games (Skellefteå), Blamorama Games (Luleå) and Northify (Boden). 

Five of the studios – Crypto Rogue, The Fine Arc, Silent Factory, Spinoff Games, and Blamorama Games – showcased their games in the joint Arctic Game booth, allowing visitors to play and provide feedback. They also engaged in discussions about potential partnerships and investments with interested publishers. Over the course of the conference, the delegation held more than 100 meetings, leading to new connections with event sponsors, speakers, mentors, publishers, and investors. They also formed partnerships focused on events for underrepresented groups and sustainability efforts. 

The studio Spinoff Games had a particularly noteworthy encounter with one of the Nordic Game organizers, who had an extensive network in disc golf. This led to a social media post with impressive reach, highlighting significant market potential for Spinoff’s game on PC and console. Silent Factory also gained significant attention by being selected as one of three game studios to pitch in the conference’s grand finale, attracting future potential investors. 

Harry Heath at Cold Sector took the opportunity to join the delegation to Nordic Game and he thought it was especially vital to be provided with such support in the current times where investments are hard to come by and studios need to be extra careful with their finances. 

– It was truly a fantastic initiative by Arctic Game to help support local indies present and pitch their games at Nordic Game.

On the question on what has been the most valuable part of participating at Nordic Game he gave this answer:

– More than anything, I felt that Nordic Game served best as a great morale boost, as it's always super validating to be around such an abundance of positive industry folk, who are as just as enthusiastic about videogames as you or I. Sometimes as a developer, you can get a bit stuck in your head after months of development under one roof, getting out and seeing people enjoy your creation can really turn that around. 

Of course, it was also wonderful to build up the network, make new connections, and hone some pitching skills. It was an especially successful event for us because it opened up our doors to such opportunities, and has already led to some exciting developments that would have never have happened otherwise! Said Harry Heath, Design Lead at Cold Sector.

Crypto Rogue Games showcased their game Crystals of Naramunz and their participation would not have been a priority without the invitation and support they received from Arctic Game.

– For us, the most valuable part of attending the conference was to showcase our game to the media, streamers and distributors. It was extra fun with the positive feedback on the game and the great interest from Asia. Said Åke André, CEO at Crypto Rouge Games.

Beyond these successes, the conference provided a platform for regional companies that had not previously met or shared ideas to do so in a highly inspiring environment. 

The Arctic Game delegation’s participation in the Nordic Game conference exemplifies the growing influence and potential of northern Sweden’s games industry on the global stage.