IGDA Lahti

Checkout event in Helsinki:

One week until the IGDA Helsinki March Meetup, and oh boy do we have a packed evening planned! Starting with MiTale and Dreamloop Games teaming up to demystify Indie Game Business in 2026!

We’ll also:
💡 Have an update on our IGDA Finland Grant
💬 Trial a pilot session for Café Lingua, a Finnish and Swedish speaking Cafe (17-17:45)
🪐 Introduce Ellarion Tales at the AMA session - come talk Sci-fi, live-action role-playing games (LARP) and immersive events

📣 No pre-registration is required to join our Meetup.

WHAT:
IGDA Helsinki March Meetup with MiTale and Dreamloop Games

WHEN:
Tuesday 17.03.
Doors open at 17
Program starts at 17:45

WHERE:
Maxine, Kamppi shopping center, 6th floor (Elevators can be found on the E-floor, between Jungle Juice Bar and Rax). Note that Maxine is a 18+ venue, hence you must be 18+ years of age to attend.

PROGRAM:
Indie Game Business in 2026! Natasha Skult (CEO at MiTale) and Joni Lappalainen (CEO of Dreamloop Games) will present their strategies in publishing, co-development partnerships and transmedia strategies that can elevate your indie success.

🕹️ Demo Corner will be open and filled with cool indie games and demos!

💬 Chat Corner will be open and ready for chatting!
We also have Ellarion Tales joining us for an AMA session! They are a storytelling studio that creates live-action role-playing games (larps) and other immersive experiences.

🗣️ We are also trialing Let’s speak in Finnish/Swedish - Café Lingua
Interested in practicing and improving your Finnish or Swedish language skills by chatting with native-speaking game industry professionals? Join Café Lingua at the March Meetup in Maxine between 17-17.45.

For more info on the evening, please see the website: https://www.igda.fi/new-events/2026/igda-helsinki-march-meetup

#igda #helsinki #peliala #gamedev #mitale #DreamloopGames

We had a fun event of playing different games. Thank you all for joining and presenters for their games.

Games that where playable:
"Kalewala, The Tale of Sampo" -board game by Tuomas Mansikka (Developer) + Annukka Repo (Art) + Sami Styrman (Publisher) SamsaGames
"Defenders of Kaiju Island" - board game by Jussi Kenkkilä
"Pirate Fight" -card game by Otto Schmitz

Other games are still work of progress, but Kalewala, the Tale of Sampo is available at: https://www.nukkarepo.com/taleofsampo

Defenders of Kaiju Island might be available to playing in the Ropecon 2026!

#lahti #gamedev #boardgames #cardgames #peliala #igda #igdalahti #kalewalataleofsampo #defendersofkaijuisland #piratefight

Roll into the new year with Digihub’s beginner-friendly online RPG. Want to hear the best part? You get to play as a bear! Due to changes to the schedule the event dates have been moved❗ Join us to play Honey Heist - very simple and super fun one-page RPG 🐻 🍯 You are going to undertake the greatest heist the world has ever seen. Two Things – One: You have a complex plan that requires precise timing. Two: You are a GODDAMN BEAR. 📆 Schedule: 13th of March: Session Zero (45min): Session to explain the game, create characters with everyone and answering all the questions. 22dn of March: Game session (~2 hours): Session where we will play the game. ⏰ Sessions start at 6:30 pm EET Sessions will be held on Digihub Discord server. 🎟️ Sign up for the event here! https://www.eventbrite.fi/e/online-rpg-by-igda-finland-digihub-tickets-1983202809991 #gamedev #peliala #igda #digihub

Checkout weekly Finnish Game Industry news by Neo Games!

"This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry is packed with various topics and an exceptional wave of studio activity. The Story of Hill Climb Racing – 13 Years of Neckflips had its premiere screening in Oulu last Friday, where Neogames’ Elina Tyynelä was present in the front row. The documentary is now available to watch on YouTube. Business Finland’s Creative Immersive Experiences programme is organising a Funding Clinic in March. Game education remains active with the Summer Days of Game Educators in June and new teams joining Game Catalyst. On the studio front, major updates arrive first as Cities: Skylines 2 and Gladio Mori roll out significant patches. New trailers follow for titles such as Frostrail, Second Stone: The Legend of the Hidden World, Drivers of the Apocalypse and Last Drop, alongside continued international recognition for Sektori. Looking ahead, more games are approaching release: THYSIASTERY by Dirga Games launches on Steam on 9 March 2026, and Part Time Monkey introduces its latest creation WARENA, coming to Steam. Steam Next Fest showcases a strong selection of Finnish demos, underlining the breadth of current development from tactical shooters to mythology-inspired adventures. New Finnish game releases continue as Nightsoil launches on Steam.

Lastly, an important note for job seekers: the Finland Game Talent Fair debuts in Helsinki on 23 April."

Full article: https://neogames.fi/weekly-news-9-26/

#gamedev #neogames #finnishgameIndustry

More Finnish game devs in news! "Kimmo Lahtinen (@gimblll@mastodon.gamedev.place) teki lähes yksin Sektor-pelin, jonka ulkomaiset mediat nostivat viime vuoden parhaisiin Riippumaton pelintekijä Kimmo Lahtinen toivoo, että Suomessa arvostettaisiin pelintekijöitä samalla tavalla kuin muita taiteilijoita." https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000011811204.html ($) #gamedev #indiegame #indiedev #peliala #kulttuuri #pelit

IGDA Lahti March Meetup - Board Games IGDA Lahti is not only about video games! Join us for evening of new card and board games! Games to try out: - "Kalewala, The Tale of Sampo" -board game by Annukka Repo (Art) + Sami Styrman (Publisher) SamsaGames - "Defenders of Kaiju Island" - board game by Jussi Kenkkilä - "Pirate Fight" -card game by Otto Schmitz Event is organized by IGDA Lahti in Fellmanni-talo. Doors open at 17:00. Event closes about 21:00. Notice that this event is on Saturday not on Friday like we usually have our events. If you have questions email: lahti@igda.fi. WHERE: Fellmanni-talo, Kirkkokatu 27, 15140 Lahti WHEN: Saturday 7th November, 17:00-21:00 Sign up now: https://pretix.eu/igdalahti/february2026/ #lahti #gamedev #boardgames #cardgames #peliala #igda #igdalahti #kalewalataleofsampo #defendersofkaijuisland #piratefight

Checkout weekly Finnish Game Industry news by Neo Games! "This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry highlights both results and resilience. Neogames Finland has published the annual list of commercial games first released globally in 2025 by Finnish developers, while Director KooPee Hiltunen noted on LinkedIn that the industry’s more than €3.5 billion in tax revenue is already significant for a small country and could grow further with the right investments. At the European level, EGDF gathered its members to assess the state of the industry in 2026, with President Hendrik Lesser concluding that “we must fight forward – we are not survivors, we are fighters.” Back home, creativity was on full display as 259 new games were created across Finland during Finnish Game Jam 2026, all now publicly playable via the Global Game Jam platform. On the studio front, Hologram Monster has released Ritual Party into Steam Early Access." Full article: https://neogames.fi/weekly-news-8-26/ #gamedev #neogames #finnishgameIndustry

Neogames is once again collecting the list of commercial games released first time globally in 2025 by Finnish Game Developers. Deadline for game list updates is 16th of February. This list will also serve as the basis for Pelinkehittäjät ry voting on some of the nominees for the Finnish Game Awards and Nordic Game Awards. Please note that in mobile, only games with global release for the first time should be included, but in PC / Steam early access games are also accepted. However, if Steam early access game is in the list this year, its not any more eligible for future voting after final launch. Link to list and guide for submitting games is here: https://neogames.fi/neogames-is-collecting-the-annual-list-of-commercial-games-first-released-globally-in-2025-by-finnish-game-developers/ #gamedev #neogames #finnishgameIndustry

GDC - 2026 State of the Game Industry Raportti! (Pelialan artikkeli)

Tammikuussa [GDC] Festival of Gaming julkaisivat heidän tekemänsä 2026 State of the Game Industry raportin.

Raportti sisältää näkemyksiä demografiasta, alan irtisanomisista, generatiivisesta tekoälystä, pelimoottoreista, alustoista ja ominaisuuksista, pelien liiketoiminnasta ja edunvalvonnasta.

Yksi mielenkiintoinen poiminta raportista oli, että "suurin osa pelialan työntekijöistä haluaisi liittyä ammattiliittoon". Meidän näkökulmastamme tämä on tärkeä ja erittäin vaikuttava lausunto, jota on datalla tuettu. Heidän tuloksensa osoittavat, että 82 % vastaajista kannattaa pelialan työntekijöiden ammattiliittoon järjestäytymistä. On hyvä pitää mielessä, että vastaajat olivat enimmäkseen Yhdysvalloista.

Voit ladata heidän raporttinsa heidän nettisivuiltan täältä. Löydät sen myös meidän infopankista.

https://www.peliala.fi/uutiset/gdc-2026-state-of-the-game-industry/

#gamedev #gamemakersoffinland #gamemakers #peliala #finnishgameIndustry

Checkout weekly Finnish Game Industry news by Neo Games!

"This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry is big: Supercell reported strong results, with operating profit before depreciation and amortisation rising six per cent to €932 million last year and contributing €220 million to the Finnish economy. Remedy Entertainment’s revenues continue to grow in 2025, reaching €59.5m, and the company has appointed former EA executive Jean-Charles Gaudechon as its new CEO. Neogames is compiling the annual list of commercial games first released globally in 2025 by Finnish developers and invites the community to help complete or correct it. On the studio front, The Last Care Taker gets excellent feedback and releases a trailer for The Final Frontier Update 2, 10tons released new videos of its upcoming title Dysplaced, Cornfox Brothers brings Oceanhorn 3: Legend of the Shadow Sea to Apple Arcade on 5 March, and a new gameplay trailer for Control Resonant showcases what may be Remedy’s most ambitious project to date. The event calendar remains active as Expa organises Internships & Employment Day 2026, LEADERBOARD 2.0 by Tampere Game Hub follows soon after, and the Nordic Game Conference 2026 calls for game executives. Students are reminded to apply for the Bit1 competition before 22 February. And finally, Finnish game jammers created 259 games across the country during Global Game Jam 2026 in just about 48 hours."

Full article: https://neogames.fi/weekly-news-7-26/

#gamedev #neogames #finnishgameIndustry

Game Developer featured in Yle!

Unemployment Simulator 2018 sets player in a boxers of lonely and depressed person. Game developer Samuel Lehikoinen put himself in the game and his old flat.

https://yle.fi/a/74-20205355 (Article in Finnish)

#gamedev #indiegame #indiedev

Read the Gmoffi Corner article from Game Maker's of Finland!

Starting a new job – what you should do and how to prepare!

You are in a situation where you have received a job offer. Before you sign the work agreement, you should first have the contract reviewed by a union expert, if you are a union member. If you are not a union member, review it with someone else who has experience and understanding of employment relationships and contracts. In the employee's best interests, it is best for the work agreement to be in writing. For example, if your supervisor or employer's representatives change, it is important that all agreed matters are recorded so that they cannot be disputed later.

Full article: https://www.peliala.fi/en/news/gmoffi-corner-starting-a-new-job/

#gamedev #gamemakersoffinland #gamemakers #peliala #finnishgameIndustry

EA is looking for Game Art Intern.

Contract: 12-month Internship (September 2026 start)
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Work Model: Hybrid (3 days a week in office)

Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.

https://jobs.ea.com/en_US/careers/JobDetail/Game-Art-Intern/212307

#job #gamedev #gameart #ea

FGJ Lahti had 12 games created! Go checkout them in the GGJ site: https://globalgamejam.org/group/31119/games #gamedev #peliala #igda #igdafinland #igdalahti #lahti #fgj26 #fgj #ggj #finnishgamejam #globalgamejam

Read the Gmoffi Corner article from Game Maker's of Finland! Gamebadges – Making Game Industry Competence Visible by Ria Gynther The game industry is built on highly specialised skills, rapidly evolving roles, and project-based work that do not always fit neatly into traditional job titles. A “designer”, “producer”, or “programmer” can mean very different things depending on the studio, project, or even platform. As a result, it can be difficult to clearly communicate what professionals and students are actually capable of doing, especially when changing roles, entering the industry, or working across multiple disciplines. Gamebadges was created to address this exact challenge by focusing on one central question: How can we make game industry competence visible and easily explainable? At its core, Gamebadges aims to make game industry skills more visible, understandable, and portable, supporting professionals at different stages of their careers and contributing to a more transparent and connected industry. Full article: https://www.peliala.fi/en/news/gmoffi-corner-gamebadges/ #gamedev #gamemakersoffinland #gamemakers #peliala #finnishgameIndustry

IGDA Lahti provided snacks for the FGJ Lahti SoSA! Hope you are enjoyed the game jam. If you got the spark of game development and want to keep learning more join as volunteer in IGDA Lahti: https://forms.gle/8dhH3a94xJ7KX2Wq8 IGDA Lahti is organization under IGDA Finland. We organize meetings about once a month with varying topics from stories from game developers or more chill meeting like our summer BBQ events. Goal of IGDA Lahti is to increase interest in game development in Lahti and support local developers. We are constantly looking for more volunteers to help plan and organize events. You can also use your skills or if you want to practice doing something like social media management, contacting speakers or what ever you like to do! With IGDA Lahti you can get contacts with people in the game industry and get to meet new people. You can also get free or cheaper tickets for bigger events like Pocket Gamer. You also get to join bonanza event that is a meeting with all IGDA Volunteers around the Finland! #gamedev #peliala #igda #igdafinland #igdalahti #lahti #fgj26 #fgj #ggj #finnishgamejam #globalgamejam

Checkout weekly Finnish Game Industry news by Neo Games! "This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry highlights how strong investments in education and coaching continue to support new game companies across the country. GameCity Kajaani keeps expanding its open learning offering with a growing library of free lectures from game design to legal, while the second Game Track programme is about to kick off in Jyväskylä, fuelling the pipeline from skills to entrepreneurship. On the game development front, there is once again good news as The Last Caretaker is selling well, with gross revenue of $7.6m less than two months from launch, and Jussi Loukianen has founded a new Finnish publishing company, Coyote Time Publishing. Finns have also made their voices heard in the regulatory discussion around games, with 59 368 people signing the “Stop destroying videogames” initiative. A high note to the end: game development and creativity in its purest form is celebrated as Finnish Game Jam weekend begins as part of Global Game Jam, with more than 20 jam sites across Finland, including the National Gallery." https://neogames.fi/weekly-news-5-26/ #gamedev #neogames #finnishgameIndustry

@finnishgamejam@mastodon.gamedev.place stream schedule is here! Ask your site organizer for the specific schedule for the site you attend! For FGJ Lahti SoSA Hybrid start time for the local event is Friday 16:00 at Mukkulankatu 19. Streaming will happen in: https://www.twitch.tv/finnishgamejam #gamedev #peliala #fgj26 #fgj #ggj #finnishgamejam #globalgamejam