Games are Finland’s ‘most significant export’

Speaking to Develop, KooPee Hiltunen, director of Finland’s Neogames organisation, which promotes the nation’s games industry, has revealed how important entertainment software exports are to the country’s economy.

“Our industry is indeed mainly exports, and the reason for that is of course because Finland has quite a small domestic market,” says Hiltunen, before confirming that in 2007 the Finnish games industry exports reached around €69 million, and €75 million in 2008. “When we talk about our cultural exports, we can say that games are the most significant in Finland, money-wise.”

Hiltunen also described the way the industry is expanding in Finland – a country that offers a number of forms of financial support for games development.

“The games industry has developed fast here in the past ten years,” explains Hiltunen. “In 1999 there were only a dozen game companies in Finalnd, or perhaps less than that. Now we have more than 50 companies."

To read Develop’s in-depth look at the success of the Finnish Game industry, click here.