The Swedish Gaming Industry Continues to Thrive

Despite global challenges, Sweden's gaming industry remains optimistic, with rapid growth in the local development scene. Dataspelsbranschen spokesperson Per Strömbäck notes that the industry has expanded from 2,500 to 8,500 employees over the past decade, with a diverse range of titles being developed. However, the current economic climate has resulted in fewer job openings, and the industry faces challenges in finding funding and retaining investments. Strömbäck highlights the importance of riding out the economic downturn and maintaining investments. The Swedish gaming industry has matured significantly over the past decade, with a balance between AAA, indie, and mobile studios. Hazelight Studios and Midjiwan are two of the most successful developers, with titles such as It Takes Two and The Battle of Polytopia. Hazelight Studios COO Oskar Wolontis agrees that Sweden has one of the best game development talent pools in the world, with a unique combination of experience, innovation, and creative hunger. Midjiwan general manager Christian Lövstedt credits the industry's collaborative culture and ability to retain talent, as well as Sweden's strong tradition of engineering, which has fostered technical expertise in game development. The success of games like Minecraft has contributed to the industry's growth, and studios like Hazelight have utilized local talent to expand their development teams. However, recruiting locally can be challenging due to high demand for talented developers. The Swedish government lacks dedicated support for the gaming industry, with no tax breaks or subsidies available. Instead, general tax incentive programs for research and development are available, but difficult to use. The government does provide funding for higher education, including game development education. Lövstedt notes that there are too few graduate students to fill the industry's needs, and the lack of incentives for employment makes it tough for small studios to find footing. Wolontis believes that the Swedish government needs to recognize the contributions of the gaming industry and provide support for ease of business and talent pool growth. The success of homegrown games like The Battle of Polytopia and It Takes Two demonstrates the potential of the Swedish gaming industry, and the government should take note of these achievements to provide more support.