Finnish mobile game company Supercell has been on news lately with following kind of headlines: Supercell raises another round of funding at $130M on a valuation of $770M, sees revenues of $2.4M a day. The latest flow of news started when Forbes praises this Finnish game company in Is This The Fastest-Growing Game Company Ever? article. Supercell has only two titles in Apple Store (Clash of Clans and a Hay Day) but it grossed $100 million last year and $179 million in the first quarter of 2013 alone (making more money on mobile games than game giant EA).
CEO of Supercell Ilkka Paananen says the best way to make money in mobile gaming is to stop thinking about making money. Think about fun instead. Paananen says that companies that place revenue above fun (we’re talking to you, Zynga) will ultimately fail.
Their products are fun for end users, because every day 8.5 million people play Clash of Clans and Hay Day. The games are free, but the players can use real money to get benefits for playing (that’s where to money comes in to company). Players pay the game back with money, time or both. The games attract players because they’re simple to play and chock-full of immersive details.
Another Finnish mobile game company that has made it’s break-trough earlier was Rovio with their Angry Birds game. Also this game attract players because it is simple to play and chock-full of immersive details.
It seems that Finnish gaming industry is at the moment doing very well having two huge success story there. The success did not come overnight, there has been a long history in gaming industry in Finland. Recreation Innovation: The Development of Finnish Video Games and the Video Game Industry gives you view of the history of Finnish gaming industry. Now is the time for success.
The Finnish game industry by Tekes on Dec 03, 2012 slide tells that the Finnish game industry is a true success story and keeps growing rapidly. Titles like Angry Birds, Clash of Clans, Alan Wake and Trials have sold phenomenally and are constantly followed by new game companies and great products. The Finnish game industry points out why Finland is the place to be for the global game industry. The Finnish gaming industry has formed a member-based non-profit game industry organization Neogames to accelerate, coordinate, connect and support the development of the Finnish game cluster.
It i interesting to see what is happening in the Finnish game cluster in the future. I know quite many people who work or have worked on this business in Finland.
50 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
With more than 44 million in taxes in Finland – Supercell is not engaged in tax planning
Supercell told me last night huimista growth rates, and a hundred million transaction in which the company sold 16.7 per cent of foreign investors.
The company paid last year in Finland taxes of € 9 million. This year alone for January-March, the taxes generated EUR 20 million. Sale of shares in the company’s founders paid taxes on the sale of about 15 million, Paananen says.
Received loans from Tekes Supercell has just paid back in full at one time.
“We have been helped and we have a big debt of gratitude such as Tekes. If we had not once had it for a few hundred thousand euros loan and YIC-program million, this would not have been possible. ”
Source: http://www.talouselama.fi/uutiset/yli+44+miljoonaa+euroa+veroja+suomeen++supercell+ei+harrasta+verosuunnittelua/a2180330
Tomi Engdahl says:
Angry Birds boosts the world for other Finnish brands
Rovio angry birds has become Finland’s major export product. Even better is the fact that the Angry Birds to fly the wings of the world now, there are other Finnish brands, such as Fazer and Lappset.
Partners praise openly Rovio, the game company seems to be in cooperation with the company about more than just the collection of royalties in the firm’s coffers.
Rovio’s new co-brands such as Iittala (mugs) and Reima (children’s clothes).
To the world it is difficult to push alone. Finnish companies’ cooperation with a hint of it can be done more easily. We need a handful of Finnish IT skills, a touch of professional brand building, high quality products and the growth: the success of the recipe is emerging.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/blogit/uutiskommentti/angry+birds+siivittaa+maailmalle+muitakin+suomalaisbrandeja/a895818?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-19042013&
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Tomi says:
To celebrate 50 billion downloads, Apple unveiled lists 25 most downloaded a paid and free iPhone app.
Rovio angry birds fared list anyway, and the birds nabbed a total of four places from the list. Angry Birds Seasons is a list of number 5, Angry Birds Space is ranked 10 and Angry Birds Star Wars is ranked 18.
Free softwares top 25 list hd Angry Birds is ranked 13th.
Lists does not appear in the App Store’s most profitable game from the house to keep the title of Super-hit Supercell games Hay Day is or Clash of Clans.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/nama+ovat+applen+ladatuimmat+sovellukset/a899636?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-07052013&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Games are in the minority, when Rovio Entertainment’s business focus is shifting offs.
The company’s marketing director Peter Vesterbacka believes that in the future more than half of sales come from outside the game. It means more, for example Angry Birds-themed t-shirts and toys, video
- We have a good number of downloads and committed to the users, but we are not a game company, Vesterbacka said the Global Mobile Internet Conference on Wednesday.
In the autumn Rovio announced plans to build more than a dozen small play park in the Shanghai area. Angry Birds-themed amusement parks have also been established in Finland, China and Britain.
Last year, Rovio’s sales amounted to approximately EUR 150 million. This 45 per cent came from outside the games.
Source: http://www.digitoday.fi/bisnes/2013/05/13/peliraha-jaa-kohta-oheistuotteiden-varjoon-roviossa/20136760/66?rss=6
Tomi Engdahl says:
Angry Birds Maker Releasing Third-Party Games Via ‘Rovio Stars’
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2418961,00.asp
The Angry Birds franchise has been a major hit for Rovio, but now the Finnish game maker is branching out and will boost its game lineup with selections from third-party developers.
The effort, dubbed Rovio Stars, is the first time that Rovio will release games that were not developed in-house.
“Being involved with Rovio Stars means that we have one of the best marketing teams behind us, as well as visibility to their vast audience. To a small indie studio like Nitrome this is all the backing we could hope for,” said Mat Annal, Nitrome’s managing director.
Jami Lae, Rovio’s executive vice president of games, said the launch of Rovio Stars was a “logical step” given that the company has developed into “one of the powerhouses of mobile entertainment” – with more than 1.7 billion downloads.
“We want to help our fans find quality entertainment among the more than 100,000 games available in app stores. That’s where Rovio Stars comes in,” he said in a statement.
Developers who want to be part of Rovio Stars can apply on the game maker’s website. These games should be in an “advanced stage of production,” meaning alpha or playable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
For Some Reason Angry Birds Is Going to Be a Movie
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/05/angry-birds-movie-2016/
Somehow, for some reason, Angry Birds is going to be a movie. Continuing in the grand tradition of Mortal Kombat (the movie) and Super Mario Bros. (the movie) soon there will be a cinematic feature based on the massively successful videogame about shooting birds at things with slingshots.
The film is being produced and financed by Rovio Entertainment, which releases the Angry Birds mobile app and, according to an announcement today, will be distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment and is scheduled to hit theaters in 2016.
Unsurprisingly, the Angry Birds movie won’t be live-action, but it will be an animated 3-D feature
Tomi Engdahl says:
Angry Birds developers were awarded
Angry Birds games known as Rovio has received prestigious Innovation Award in the gaming industry development.
The European Union’s Open Innovation Task Force OISPG’s cooperation with, inter alia, Intel Labs, DG Connect and the European Commission set up by the Innovation Award was presented this year in nine different categories.
Source: http://www.itviikko.fi/uutiset/2013/05/21/angry-birdsin-kehittajat-palkittiin/20137170/7?rss=8
Tomi Engdahl says:
Former huge gaming giant Zynga (company that tried once to buy Rovio) seems to be in trouble:
CEO Update
http://blog.zynga.com/2013/06/03/ceo-update-4/
Today is a hard day for Zynga and an emotional one for every employee of our company. We are saying painful goodbyes to about 18% of our Zynga brothers and sisters. The impact of these layoffs will be felt across every group in the company.
None of us ever expected to face a day like today
we’re making these moves proactively and from a position of financial strength
FarmVille franchise teams continue to innovate and deliver
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Rovio’s Partnership Chief to Leave
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323683504578565130313653230.html?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f
“Angry Birds” maker Rovio Entertainment Ltd. is losing another key manager, Andrew Stalbow, its U.S.-based head of strategic partnerships
His departure marks the latest in a recent series of high-level management changes at the company.
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Tomi says:
Rovio began exactly 10 years ago
Exactly 10 years ago, three of Helsinki University of Technology students Niklas Hed, Jarno Väkeväinen and Kim Dikert took part in the Assembly-game event for mobile game competition and won with game “King of the Cabbage World”.
The win men set up his own company Relude in the same year 2003. Since then, the company changed its name to Rovio Mobile in 2005 and continues to Rovio Entertainment in 2011.
Today, Rovio is known, of course, above all, Angry Birds, a hit game developer.
“The new Disney” wanting the company has been cooperating with for example, the U.S. space agency NASA, with the (Angry Birds Space) and LucasArts (with Angry Birds Star Wars).
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/miljoonayrityksen+merkkipaiva+rovio+aloitti+tasan+10+vuotta+sitten/a917809
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Tomi Engdahl says:
US mobile app dominance threatened by ANGRY BIRDS revolution
Non-US firms playing larger role in app market, study finds
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/29/flurry_global_app_survey/
The US is still a dominant force in mobile app development worldwide, but that could be changing, based on the latest data from app analytics outfit Flurry – and a certain Finnish firm could be leading the way for the rest of the world.
US-based developers produced 36 per cent of all active mobile apps as of June 2013, according to the Flurry report, leaving developers in all other countries to cut up the rest of the pie. But that figure was down significantly from the previous two years, in which the US produced 45 per cent of active apps.
Chinese-made apps have enjoyed some measure of success outside of the Middle Kingdom, having captured single-digit percentages of users’ time in Brazil, the UK, and the US. Even more interesting, however, is that some of the more successful apps are emerging from unexpected regions.
But there was one standout winner on the impact scale, and that was Finland. The Scandinavian nation’s impact rating was four times higher than that of the US, despite having 1/59 the population and a language with fewer native speakers than the population of New York City.
It’s tempting to pontificate about why this might be. Finland’s population is relatively tech-savvy, you might say, and Espoo, Finland–based Nokia once dominated the mobile phone industry. But no; Flurry measured none of those factors.
Based on Flurry’s metric of user engagement divided by total apps produced, it seems clear that Finland’s phenomenal showing in Flurry’s stats comes down to the success of one company: Rovio, with its blockbuster family of Angry Birds apps. In March, Forbes reported that gamers had downloaded Angry Birds products a staggering 1.7 billion times and counting.
Flurry notes that other non-US apps have enjoyed similar success, including Russian-made Cut the Rope and Australia’s Fruit Ninja.
Tomi Engdahl says:
In this new show Angry Birds stamps
In September, published the world’s first official Angry Birds stamps in Finland.
Itella Posti Oy publishes 9 September the world’s first official Angry Birds stamps, which depict a six popular game characters – five birds and one of the pig.
The stamps are designed by Rovio Entertainment Art Director Toni Kysenius
Source: http://www.iltasanomat.fi/kotimaa/art-1288595088295.html
Tomi says:
How Zynga went from social gaming powerhouse to has-been
Gaming giant has been on a wild ride in just 5 short years—while losing $600M.
http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/09/how-zynga-went-from-social-gaming-powerhouse-to-has-been/
In Zynga’s July 2011 prospectus to future shareholders, company founder and CEO Mark Pincus outlined his firm’s ambitious plan to take over the gaming world.
Will it? At the time, Pincus had ample reason for confidence. Zynga was riding high after several years of success. Since its July 2007 founding, Zynga raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital, launched massive hits like FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and CityVille, and turned a 2010 profit of $90.5 million. It was also on an acquisition binge, picking up 11 companies in as many months between 2010 and 2011.
But even as the prospectus was published, Zynga’s star was losing its luster. For one thing, profitability was an aberration; 2010 was the only year that Zynga made a profit, and since 2008 the company has sustained a net loss of just under $600 million.
“A lot of people internally at Zynga are jaded,” said Dave Dopson, a former Zynga principal engineer
“The whole company is very short-term minded.”
Zynga’s success has often been attributed to wholesale copying of other games.
“I don’t fucking want innovation,” an anonymous ex-employee recalls Pincus saying in 2010, according to the SF Weekly. “You’re not smarter than your competitor. Just copy what they do and do it until you get their numbers.”
But Zynga wasn’t without innovation of its own; the company turned the getting and monetizing of users into a science.
Staying with Facebook meant that Zynga had to play by Facebook’s rules, which got increasingly detailed.
Zynga went on a shopping spree, acquiring 11 companies in 11 months.
But by adding new studios, new titles, and new players, Zynga seemed to be concentrating on short-term gains rather than longer-term planning. I
“They earned a crap-ton of money really, really fast. They went from being a startup to being a huge company crazy fast”
by mid-2010 Zynga had reached a point where its traditional growth strategies were not working as they had.
“I think it was a surprise that it stopped as quickly as it stopped,”
“The impact is that you have a company that is mining a non-renewable resource [in the form of new, casual gamers] and presents itself as a growing game company, [when] in actuality that revenue capped and then declined,”
More importantly than the cash outlays, the company was beefing up its middle management.
“We always had long-term direction; unfortunately, our long-term direction would have to change every three to six weeks,”
As 2013 began, Zynga seemed determined to turn things around, largely by cutting costs.
“hey have a lot of great people, but they need to get out of their own way.”
Industry and financial analysts agree.
Just like Angry Birds brought Rovio back from game studio obscurity, Zynga could rocket ahead with one or two big titles.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Does Finnish mobile gaming shift from iOS to Android?
Supercel yesterday’s announcement bankable bringing Android shrugged game world. Although it is a major event, it is not an isolated case. Are in the forefront, as a maturing Android game market will start to make some money.
Android is the world’s by far the most common mobile operating system. Yet, it is remarkable that 76 percent of mobile transactions of sales are made in Apple’s App Store.
The remaining 24 percent are distributed as Android, Windows Phone, and the smaller schemes.
Now the matter is subject to change. Yesterday it was revealed that in Finland and throughout the world mobile game management and the Super-Star Clash of the Clans of the game for Android is already in beta stage.
Hiltunen estimates that this will make Android more and more interesting. Horizontal cup may begin to gravitate more and more in the direction of Android specifically of Supercell example.
Super-expanding Android has become possible because free to play game model is a breakthrough in Android. When Supercell have been from games in the appearance of more than two million per day iOS has, why not extend this to Android? Money moves to the author of the game within the game when making purchases or advertising displays, so Android as had previously been the piracy problem is not Hiltunen, cease to be very significant.
Importing games for Android has become significantly easier. An increasing number of Finnish authors use the Unity game development tool that makes the game easy transfer to other platforms. Hiltunen, still believes that a unified hardware and the moneyed like Apple’s Appstore Finnish developers continue to iOS involved.
Money home is still in iOS
All Finnish game makers do not like Super-money machines. Small Grey Area in Helsinki believes iOS reads. LBS and the recently discontinued Shadow Cities multiplayer was available only in Apple’s operating system. The company is currently working on a new game. Release the iOS platform is growing.
While Android is growing faster in Asia and to iOS: AA closed in almost all major markets, can Grey Area CEO Ville Vesterinen according to either build a substantial business in any large market.
- If the market by aiming at the Yankee, there will still iOS is stronger and has better turnovers per user. Grey Area-know iOS and it will go ahead. Android is a possible later, Vesterinen says.
The number of bins that many small flows
For some of the game elements in multi-platform publishing has been commonplace for many years. Tampere 10tons has just published a new Trouserheart-action adventure for iOS for. Other devices will follow suit.
- None of the vessels, even iOS, does not make us alone so well that the games have access profit very quickly. 3-5 with the most productive platform for co-channel or by selling the situation is significantly different, 10tons spokesman James Maaniemi says.
The company may be selling about 40 per cent of their income from iPhone, Android 30 percent and 10 percent of Windows Phone 8.
The differences in visibility on different platforms are big. Maaniemi commends Microsoft and Apple, whose stores 10tons games are very visible. Google Play visibility is just not the case, but the Amazon Android store in Tampere games are selling well due to close ties with the companies.
Source: http://www.itviikko.fi/uutiset/2013/09/27/siirtavatko-suomalaiset-mobiilipelaamisen-valtikan-ioslta-androidille/201313433/7
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Supercell EUR 1.1 billion deal – successful game company sold to Japan
The current owners sell their 51 percent stake in Supercel to Internet and mobile operator Softbank, and to game company GungHo, for $ 1.5 billion , or about 1.1 billion euros. Those companies are putting up a holding company to Finland: Softbank owns 80 per cent and 20 per cent GungHo .
Trade on the basis of the employee’s 130 game company’s current value is approximately EUR 2.2 billion. Super- value is approximately quadrupled since April , when the company’s holdings were reorganized last time.
Super- growth story is exceptional not only in Finland also on a global scale .
The company has risen to nearly two years out of the blue one of the world’s most successful game companies.
Super- games, Clash of Clans and Hay Day , have already been more than a year around the world ‘s most popular and lucrative mobile game ranks.
According to Paananen Softbank is well suited for Super- owner of the company management to share with supercel view that games and entertainment are increasingly adopting mobile devices and tablet computers in particular. GungHon games are popular , especially in Japan , and the most famous of them is the Puzzle & Dragons.
Source: http://www.hs.fi/talous/Supercellist%C3%A4+11+miljardin+euron+kaupat++puolet+pelimenestyj%C3%A4st%C3%A4+myyd%C3%A4%C3%A4n+Japaniin/a1381801230914
Tomi Engdahl says:
Supercell – ALL WENT AGAIN!
Computer blogger Ossi Mäntylahti tells the dramatic moods of the Finnish national landscape pride was sold to large foreign investors. In his article, Pine Bay consternation summarized in the sentence “Everything went again!”
It is entered according to the press the cold capitalist foreign company has bought back the Finnish national pride . This time, we lost a major international investors in the domestic sweat and blood grown in pride of Supercell.
A priceless national assets are bought by a Japanese telecom operator Softbank and its owned gaming company Gunho. The purchase price was EUR 1.1 billion, 51 percent of the shares held. Here’s how the Japanese value the company a little over two billion euros worth. The value is significant when you remember that Microsoft paid Nokia’s phone business 3.8 billion (EUR 1.7 billion in the rest of the patent acquisitions).
Such a transaction, the right to question what is happening now Finnish workplaces.
“What Paananen and Kodisoja created, it Masayoshi Son took”
Source: http://www.tietokone.fi/artikkeli/blogit/ossi/supercell_kaikki_meni_taas
Tomi Engdahl says:
Software Entrepreneurs CEO of Supercell, namely: “Incredibly tough role in the whole country!”
Finnish Software Entrepreneurs Association’s President and CEO Rasmus Roiha to keep the game company Super-billion trade strong proof of the Finnish start-up ecosystem functioning.
“That’s incredibly hard to the entire Finnish software industry. Testimoniaali for how long the work will pay off, “Roiha incense.
Roiha that Finland has managed to build an ecosystem that supports start-up entrepreneurs as soon as the school bench press up. Behind this success is, therefore, the whole scheme of performance badge.
“The underlying long-chain, and the chain would be broken at some point, so this would never have happened,” says Roiha.
“The software business is very scalable as it can be done well. This know-how we have in Finland ”
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/ohjelmistoyrittajien+toimitusjohtaja+supercellista+quotuskomattoman+kova+merkitys+koko+suomellequot/a938354
Tomi says:
Why the Finns games are hitting through the world? Because they are in relation to others ‘quirky’, says mobile and game industry analyst Tero Kuittinen.
If Rovio alone is not enough, after the supercel is sticking his slew of this year alone, the game companies established in Finland. I hope the success continues in this wave, says Kuittinen.
Finnish game industry is not born in a year or two – even if half of the start-ups and is cropped at this time.
10 successful Finnish game companies:
Super Cell (130 employees)
Rovio (700)
Remedy (approximately 100)
Bugbear (40)
RedLynx (ca 100)
Housemarque (50)
Sulake (about 70)
Fingersoft (11)
Frogmind (3)
Almost Human (7)
Source: http://yle.fi/uutiset/suomen_pelifirmojen_10_helmea/6884901
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Finnish software industry excited about the Super Cell selling
Finnish game company Supercell sold billions of euros in Japanese. Software companies within the scope of this is to be greeted with joy and at the same time coding compulsory school subject.
“The software supports the whole of Finland’s future. How do other specialties slog hundred millionaires in less than three years? This small nation should not waste the talent, so for me, even though the coding could be primary among the compulsory subjects “, Software Entrepreneurs Association’s President and CEO Rasmus Roiha says the Association’s newsletter.
An increase in foreign ownership in Finland is to see a ghost, but as an opportunity.
Source: http://www.tietokone.fi/artikkeli/uutiset/ohjelmistoala_innoissaan_supercell_kaupasta
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tero Kuittinen: Super Cell to become next Nintendo
Ilkka Paananen, playing the long game, and it is not too picky on SuperCell valuation ratio. The company is currently launching a “Clash of the Clans” in-game version of Android, which is a Huge gains in the world. Last week, the released game is already risen Google Play Top 10 sales lists for example Germany, in Australia and India.
But Supercell half-time was sold to Softbank for now. Super-half of the sales value is about three times the 2013 level of turnover – is it any bubble level. Clearly the aim is to create a company in a strong position in the Japanese gaming market
Very few of the game the company has ever lucky to conquer Japan, the U.S. and the European markets with the same products. Nintendo’s Mario empire is perhaps the most obvious example. Western companies in the Japanese market conquest has always been a very difficult challenge.
Supercell made in the summer very rare breakthrough in Japan – “Clash of the Clans” has been on the iOS terms of sales in the top-10 list already since June. This is a performance which left the rivals Electronic Arts, Zynga and King were not able to. At the same time, the game punched through China, and this week, Android is rapidly emerging as the South Korean market.
Asia has played an increasingly important sectors, as Japan and Korea have combined for bigger applikaatiomarkkina in terms of sales outside of North America. Japanese consumers are wasting an estimated 3-4 times more money per player purchases done within the game. Supercell became the first western company large-scale success in these countries this year.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/uutisia/tero+kuittinen+supercellista+seuraava+nintendo/a938788?s=u&wtm=tivi-17102013
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mulling over the globe: Why did Finland will be worth billions to game companies?
First, Rovio, now Super Cell. The world we are amazed Finnish gaming start-ups and the value of which has risen sky-high in the world market. Amongst the prestigious financial magazine Bloomberg wonders how the Finnish game company Super Cell can be more than two billion euros worth.
According to the newspaper our country has all the conditions to succeed, because Finland is a fertile ground for the company to set up mobile game firmoille. A recipe for success consists of three parts: the Finns are playing exceptionally high, the level of education is high and the technology is the best in the world.
In Finland, the video games are played about as much as in the United States. The survey found that two-thirds of playing games at least once a month. The biggest part of playing games on mobile devices. After all, it is natural, because the Finns have 1.8 mobile devices per person.
Also, Nokia’s success was positively impacted by the development of gaming companies, the company funded the gaming companies work on a particular Ngage and Symbian platforms.
According to Bloomberg, the Finnish higher education to increase the level of high-tech talent. Finnish technology employs the most people in the world in proportion to the number of employed.
About 40 percent of about 150 Finnish company About the game is set up in the past two years. Firms the advantage of an open community, which means, among other things, Linus Torvalds developed the Linux operating system.
Source: http://www.iltalehti.fi/digi/2013101817620346_du.shtml
Tomi Engdahl says:
These doubts were awakened already – Is Supercell just a one-hit wonder?
Supercell success, but for how long? In the Financial Times points out that a number of gaming companies have made only one successful game.
The magazine points out, for example, that Facebook games have developed Zyngan earnings plummeted when Facebook changed the rules for the game applications were allowed to operate online community. In addition, the company has not been able to expand computer games to browsers to smartphones.
In addition, the gaming industry is a tough international competition.
- No one has succeeded in developing a sustainable gaming companies, says SuperCell founder and CEO Ilkka Paananen
- It is our core mission. We really want to build a company that will last for decades.
Paananen says that Zynga and many other companies have made a mistake in that they strive to please too many investors. Because of this, companies have used dubious marketing tools, and games have tried to cash in too many players.
Paananen, the company is currently focused on the further development of the company’s already published by Clash of the Clans – and the Hay Day games.
For example, the Clash of the Clans, the game was released just last week on Android phones. It was before the game could only be played with Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.
The Financial Times interviewed by analysts, however, warn that mobile gaming field is evolving.
Source: http://www.iltasanomat.fi/digi/art-1288610906563.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Angry Birds needs more innovation, not stuffed toys, says ex-EA boss
http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/17/4849210/angry-birds-needs-more-innovation-not-stuffed-toys-says-ex-ea-boss
Former Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello
Speaking at the San Francisco event, he said that game brands, like all brands, need to be consistent and trustworthy, citing Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty and FIFA as good examples. But he said that some game brands need to do more to join those ranks.
Answering a question about Angry Birds, he said that Rovio needs to do more to innovate. “I don’t think branding has anything to do with making stuffed toys,” he said. “They are great ways to extend brands but they can also diminish a brand. They can counter relentless innovation and polish.
“Adding a Star Wars brand is not an innovation.”
Slush 2013 « Tomi Engdahl’s ePanorama blog says:
[...] has been a start-up talk boom in Finland recently. The reason is that there have been two super successful mobile game start-up cases recently: Rovio and [...]
Tomi Engdahl says:
Game industry gold finger Kristian Segerstråle: Stock may not be the right place for a game company
In particular, Rovio, the speculation about the company public regularly raising. Serial entrepreneur Kristian Segerstråle know that the stock market is not always the best place for a game company.
Kristian Segerstråle the first game company listed on the stock exchange in the United States and sold in the second game giant Electronic Arts to about EUR 300 million in 2009. The third time he hit a gold vein by placing supercel.
SEGERSTRÅLE listing, approaches, however, started to become a strong feeling that the strategy was wrong.
“I was surprised how much the listing will take management time. It takes a firm accumulation of products and this is a dangerous area that is rapidly changing all the time. The IPO process locks the firm’s strategy on track and will have the flexibility to change. ”
Glu Mobile’s games distribution was in the hands of telecom operators. “The distribution was more central role than it is, whether the game is good,” Segerstråle criticized.
“Most backward country in September’s IPO is that investors want to cash holdings,” he says. “You should expect that the back has a few ups and downs. Then in future cycles do not have to explain to investors so much. ”
“In particular, the game company should consider listing very carefully.”
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/uutisia/pelialan+kultasormi+kristian+segerstrale+porssi+ei+valttamatta+ole+oikea+paikka+peliyritykselle/a947986
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ex-Rovio kind of team established a licensing office: customers two new Finnish smash hit game
Three Rovio leaving a worker has set up your own business. This is a particular game studios, services, generating brand licensing agency.
5th Wave Brands help companies develop hahmoihinsa the game and the game world of ancillary products and commercializing them.
“Mobile Brands quickly gather fans from around the world, creating huge opportunities for licensing,” the county said.
Accessories and brand licensing will bring the game to the developer to extend the visibility and brand life cycle. At the same time it will provide additional revenue. For example, Rovio Angry Birds-licensing of products already imports about 40 percent of sales.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/uutisia/exroviolaisten+tiimi+perusti+lisensointitoimiston+asiakkaiksi+kaksi+uutta+suomalaista+hittipelia/a948526
Tomi Engdahl says:
Angry Birds Go Will Be Stuffed With In-App Purchases, Some As High As $100 – Gamers Cry Fowl
Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, News
http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/11/27/angry-birds-go-will-be-stuffed-with-in-app-purchases-some-as-high-as-100-gamers-cry-fowl/
The Angry Birds franchise has thus far been on the lighter side of the free-to-play model – the original game launched free and ad-supported on Android, and later versions added small charges for HD versions and a few in-app bonuses like the Mighty Eagle. But it looks like Rovio is pulling out all the stops when it comes to the upcoming kart racer, Angry Birds Go
It might seem obvious from the fact that Rovio has turned Angry Birds into a world-striding colossus of a mobile franchise, but they really don’t seem to care any more. Angry Birds Go shows all the symptoms of a game and a developer that are interested in wringing as much real cash out of gamers as possible.
It’s a shame, too: Rovio delivers rock-solid games with reliably balanced mechanics, and Angry Birds Go is their most ambitious technical project to date.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gamers spit feathers over Angry Birds Go in-app purchases
Owl much?
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2309847/gamers-spit-feathers-over-angry-birds-go-in-app-purchases
GAMERS IN NEW ZEALAND are going crackers over the costs of in-app purchases in Rovio’s ‘in case you missed Mario Kart’ title Angry Birds Go.
What has annoyed the Kiwis about the game is the cost of some of the additional in-app purchases that people can make. These include a car, presumably some sort of supercar, that costs AUS$129, or about £70 in the UK.
In-app purchases are not new, nor are they particularly cool. All sorts of freemium games have them, and so do some paid-for games.
We’ve read horrible stories about people being sucked into spending small fortunes on unicorn crap and pixie bows, so this perhaps should not come as much of a surprise.
You can pick up coins as you race, which is a popular lure into games’ in-app stores, and in the case of Angry Birds Go spend them on upgrading your car. You can also buy coins.
The more coins you have and use, the more the game unlocks itself for you.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Forecast bodes well for the Finnish game industry
The international gaming market growth figures augur well for the Finnish game industry.
French consulting firm IDATE ‘s recent study says that mobile gaming is expected to grow annually by 12.2 percent.
Figure reflects the Finnish game industry growth. The domestic game industry revenue is forecast to increase to 600-800 million. Last year, net sales amounted to EUR 250 million.
Grand crun gaming company CEO Markus Pasula says that international growth figures hardly new.
” Mobile gaming has been a bigger growth rates. Predictions have been , at least at that level ,” Pasula says.
Mobile gaming growth is the increase in the number of players , while smartphone and tablet use becomes more widespread. Most of the Finnish gaming start-ups and manufactures products specifically for smartphones and tablets.
According to the company console gaming 11.1 percent annual pace in 2017 . The online gambling is projected to grow by an annual 11.5 per cent.
“There’s always new models bring with them to grow ,”
According to the forecast , new designs manage to hold back the growth of the console side of the two digits in 2017 .
Pasula predicts that the mobile side will continue to grow for a long time the two digits .
Source: http://www.hs.fi/talous/Ennuste+lupaa+hyv%C3%A4%C3%A4+suomalaiselle+pelialalle/a1386473175408
Tomi Engdahl says:
Aalto University teaches: How to make money from mobile games
Successful mobile gaming is not just about technology, but the business model and marketing of construction is at least as important. It has proved particularly Supercell in a phenomenal success.
Aalto Ventures Program (AVP) to teach in the gaming industry factors drawn in lectures, how mobile games are made of money.
15 january 2014 six-week course can accommodate about a hundred students, selected applications and preliminary tasks. The course is aimed primarily at Aalto University ‘s students, but that can also apply for the other. The search has started on Tuesday, 10 December.
In Finland, there are games, programming, and design education in the various professional colleges and universities. AVP’s new course stands out from the concentration of business models.
Mobile games are free to share the trend of the so-called freemium games. Playing is free of charge, if the time, patience and skills are sufficient. However, multi speed up the advancement of the game by purchasing virtual money, which obtains weapons, and other building blocks to speed up the progress.
Lecturers such as Super- May Tahkokallio , Ubisoft in Teut Weidemann , Grand Cru ‘s Thorbjorn Warin and Seriously the Reko Ukko . Speakers and topics are presented in the course website .
It is planned that the first time organized in the course will be renewed later. Game industry companies employ Finland currently has about 2,000 people.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/uutisia/aalto+opettaa+nain+teet+rahaa+mobiilipeleilla/a953088
Tomi Engdahl says:
Angry Birds Go is strong to the Finnish
But will Rovio’s greed kill the birds that lay the golden eggs?
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2318462/angry-birds-go-is-strong-to-the-finnish
FINNISH SMARTPHONE GAME STUDIO Rovio has released the latest incarnation of its popular Angry Birds franchise.
Angry Birds Go! sees our feathered friends abandoning their flinging ways in favour of a variety of karts in an arcade romp somewhat akin to the popular Nintendo Mario franchise.
Either way, it means that to progress in the game at any kind of speed, users are required to make in-app purchases. With the most expensive kart clocking in at £49.99, Rovio seems to have shown no embarrassment in its decision to monetise the bird brains, and although early reviews have been good, this move into freemium has drawn some choice comments from players.
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Reasons Why Finnish Apps Are Beating American Rivals On US iPad Market
http://www.forbes.com/sites/terokuittinen/2013/11/22/5-reasons-why-finnish-apps-are-beating-american-rivals-on-us-ipad-market/
November 21 was another high point for Finnish app industry. FDG Entertainment’s “Oceanhorn” reigned as #1 iPad download in America and Rovio’s “Angry Birds Star Wars 2″ held onto #5 slot. Supercell’s two games were lodged as #2 and #3 grossing US iPad apps. This meant that three Finnish companies held more Top 5 positions in these two iPad charts than all US vendors combined.
In the past year, ten Finnish apps have hit Top 5 position on US iPhone charts, including rather exotic companies like Frogmind, Mountain Sheep and Fingersoft. Perhaps even more intriguingly, three Finnish vendors managed to hit #1 position on Japanese iPhone chart in 2013; a feat no other country has matched.
Why are Finnish app vendors so dazzling? This is a question I asked ten Japanese, Chinese and American industry experts at Slush 2013, a major start-up event held in Helsinki a week ago. Interestingly, all responses clustered around five arguments.
1) Creating a striking look. Many Finnish apps have a very distinctive vibe in both graphics and sound design.
2) Tight focus on Apple‘s preferences. Finnish companies tend to target Apple successfully for getting featured prominently. This involves intimate understanding of what sort of apps Apple likes to promote.
3) Relentless testing regime. Finnish app vendors tend to hone their apps for months or even a year in test markets like New Zealand or Canada. They adjust core loops and tinker with graphics until certain key metrics are met – such as 40% second day retention or 20 cents of average revenue per active daily user.
4) Creative pricing strategies. Everyone now says that only free-to-play works in the app market. But some Finnish companies are sharply contrarian.
5) Robust upgrade and expansion planning. Rovio pioneered the rapid and extensive upgrade strategy in 2010 by rolling out new levels at a furious clip for its original Angry Birds title in the year 2010. More recently, Supercell has managed to turn “Clash of Clans” and “Hay Day” into eye-poppingly perennial revenue machines by a carefully designed expansion plans.
Of course, many of these characteristics are not unique to Finnish vendors – they are evident in other Nordic countries.
As a massive wave of new new app start-ups is now building in Finland, the year 2014 is shaping up to be a decisive year for the country.
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Tomi says:
Finnish gaming companies are hiring more workers next year . Game industry association Neogames survey, companies are hiring in the next 12 months, approximately 300 employees , says Yle .
Now, the companies employ about 2 200 employees. In most village of Rovio company has more than 700 employees.
Director of the Association Koopee Hiltunen says that the game companies want to hire , above all, experienced workers.
New employees will be upgrading programs in the industry . Gamepro programs in other sectors working people get to know the area by working with companies. The money will come to training companies and the ELY- employment resources.
Almost all of the program selected people have been trained in all, and got a job.
Although the game industry grows next year, the masses , it does not employ very much. IT or telecommunications graduate engineers were unemployed at the end of October, more than 400.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/uutisia/yle+nokiainsinooreista+koulitaan+pelintekijoita/a955186
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Tomi Engdahl says:
A recent Finnish gaming company Fingersoft did in the first 14 months of account, during a total of € 15.5 million in net sales. It was an operating loss of EUR 12.4 million, that is a staggering 79 percent of sales. Hill Car Hill Climb Racing Game has been hit especially Android phones.
In 2012, Toni Fingerroos business consisted of a couple of mobile phone application, which he handled the sale of the company name. In October 2012 Fingerroos Fingersoft founded the company. It was the first 14-month accounting during a total of € 15.5 million in net sales.
Net profit was EUR 9.4 million.
Source: Talouselämä
http://www.talouselama.fi/Kasvuyritykset/suomalainen+makiautopeli+takoi+155+miljoonan+liikevaihdon++fingersoftin+omistaja+onhan+tama+aika+siisti+homma/a2229076
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish gaming company Next Games has amassed six million dollars in funding from venture capitalists.
Next Games, the company’s founders have worked in the past in Finnish Rovio and Super Cell-game companies, as well as Disney. The company is currently developing a mobile game based on The Walking Dead TV series.
Source: Itviikko
http://www.itviikko.fi/uutiset/2014/03/12/4-miljoonaa-euroa-suomalaiselle-the-walking-dead–kehittajalle/20143567/7?rss=8
Tomi Engdahl says:
Another Finnish gaming company is sold abroad:
Applifier is joining the Unity team!
http://blog.everyplay.com/applifier-is-joining-the-unity-team/
As we join the Unity team it is important us to continue to fully support Everyplay and GameAds on all game engines including Unity, open source, in-house engines and other commercial game engines and framework. We believe that Everyplay should be available for all game developers and are currently working on new SDK updates that will expand our game engine coverage substantially.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digits Show: Can Rovio Be the 21st Century’s Disney?
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/04/16/digits-show-can-rovio-be-the-21st-centurys-disney/
With two billion downloads since launching in 2009, Angry Birds mobile games are already the most distributed piece of game content in the world. Now Rovio, the Finland-based creator of the game, is looking for ways to expand the brand.
Rovio is gearing up for a 3-D animated movie with its characters to be released in 2016, as well as several activity parks based on Angry Birds themes
Tomi Engdahl says:
Game houses the U.S. Zyngan CEO Don Mattrick openly admits that the company was not awakened mobile games on time. Since Zyngan Farmvill did not have a mobile version, the road was open in his view, the Finnish supercel Hayday-game.
Zynga’s (ZNGA) CEO Don Mattrick Presents at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Technology Conference (Transcript)
http://seekingalpha.com/article/2253523-zyngas-znga-ceo-don-mattrick-presents-at-bank-of-america-merrill-lynch-global-technology-conference-transcript?page=2&p=qanda&l=last
Mobile devices are being used through smartphones, through tablets and we know that people love to have fun, love to be entertained and the number one time use case that’s occurring is with gaming. About 32% of time spend blended between smartphones and tablets is spent having fun. So that’s great.
I was struck with the fact that Zynga had an amazing collection of assets that had not made the transition, the migration to this multiple device world.
Sara says:
Finnish gaming company Next Games has successfully secured a funding of six million dollars from venture capitalists. The founders of Next Games bring with them valuable experience from renowned Finnish companies such as Rovio and Supercell, as well as from their work at Disney. Currently, the company is focused on developing an exciting mobile game based on the popular TV series, The Walking Dead.
Sara says:
Finnish gaming company Next Games has successfully secured a funding of six million dollars from venture capitalists. The founders of Next Games bring with them valuable experience from renowned Finnish companies such as Rovio and Supercell, as well as from their work at Disney. Currently, the company is focused on developing an exciting mobile game based on the popular TV series, The Walking Dead.