IGDA Lahti Finnish Game Awards watch party!

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Finnish Game Awards is happening right now! Follow the stream from: https://www.youtube.com/live/oBdFR-ePgYc

Congrats for Emma Vantaa, IGDA Lahti volunteer and Digi hub lead for winning IGDA Finland Lifetime Award!

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The Finnish Game Awards 2026 Watch Party

Join us for The Finnish Game Awards 2026 Watch Party on 21.5 18:00-21:00 at StartHub in Lahti! Stream starts at 19:00.

Finnish Game Awards 2026: https://neogames.fi/the-best-finnish-games-in-the-world-will-be-awarded-at-the-finnish-game-awards-2026-gala-in-may/
Details where StartHub is: https://www.starthub.fi/en/contact/#

The Finnish Game Awards 2026 gala will honor the best Finnish games of the last year and celebrate the Finnish games industry.
The nominees for Finnish Game of the Year 2025 are Amistech Games (My Winter Car), Channel37 (The Last Caretaker), Cornfox & Brothers (Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon), Hanki Games (Sledders), Kimmo Factor (Sektori), MiTale (Willow Guard), Next Games (Puzzled), Notovia & Dreamloop Games (I’m on Observation Duty 8), and Zaibatsu (Squishmallows Match). Short game descriptions and links can be found at the end of the release.

If you have questions contact: wawethewaras (Mika Savolainen) in IGDA Lahti Discord (https://discord.gg/328zTZfy9z) or email [email protected].

Event follows code of conduct of IGDA Finland and Finnish Game Industry:

IGDA Finland: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56114021e4b0f085582d7eff/t/5e41aaf212c7921f1a45376f/1581361907416/IGDA+Finland+Code+of+Conduct+2020+(1).pdf
Finnish Game Industry: https://neogames.fi/the-finnish-game-industry-code-of-conduct/

WHERE:
StartHub, Mukkulankatu 19, 15210 Lahti
WHEN:
Thursday 21th May, 18:00-21:00

Sign up now: https://pretix.eu/igdalahti/mayfga26/

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It is almost time to celebrate the awesome games by the Finnish Game Industry in 2025!
Who wins the title of the Finnish Game of the Year? Nominees have been announced – check more here.
The Finnish Game Awards 2025 gala event will be held on May 21st at Valkoinen Sali in Helsinki.
The event is exclusive to invited guests and ticket holders. TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE! Get your ticket(s) from Eventbrite (click this hyperlink). The sales end on May 7th, 23.30.
You can watch the ceremony also in YouTube as a livestream.
 
 
Thanks to our sponsors!
Gold sponsors: Housemarque & Small Giant Games
Silver sponsors: Dreamloop Games, Expa Game Business Cooperative, Fingersoft, Hanki Games, Kuuasema,  Metacore Games, Next Games – A Netflix Game Studio, Supercell, and Ubisoft RedLynx.
 
The Finnish Game Awards is organized by Suomen Pelinkehittäjät ry (Finnish Game Developer Studios Association) and Neogames Finland ry, powered by Liwlig.
The post The Finnish Game Awards 2026 appeared first on Neogames Finland.

Read full article: https://neogames.fi/the-finnish-game-awards-2026/

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The Finnish Game Awards 2026 gala will honor the best Finnish games of the last year and celebrate the Finnish games industry.
“The Finnish games industry experienced quite a renaissance last year in multi-platform and PC games, particularly as the visibility of games sold via the Steam store increased significantly,” says Joni Lappalainen, Chair of the Board of the Finnish Game Developers’ Studios Association. “More broadly, Finland saw an indie carnival, with small and mid-sized studios releasing games at a faster pace and also succeeding in the market. At the same time, the traditionally strong mobile segment remained robust, driven by Supercell. This year, major studios will also begin releasing long-developed PC and console titles.”
However, indie games were not the only success story of 2025. According to preliminary estimates by Neogames Finland, the Hub of the Finnish Game Industry, the overall revenue of the Finnish games industry grew despite a globally challenging year.
Award categories and nominees
The Finnish Game Developers’ Studios Association will present awards in five categories at the gala. A completely new category this year is Best IP Expansion of the Year, reflecting the industry’s shift from standalone game releases to long-lasting and expanding game services.
For the first time this year, Neogames Finland will also present its own Business Excellence Award.
The other categories are Finnish Game of the Year, Finnish Rookie of the Year, Power Player of the Year, and Creative Achievement of the Year.
The nominees for Finnish Game of the Year 2025 are Amistech Games (My Winter Car), Channel37 (The Last Caretaker), Cornfox & Brothers (Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon), Hanki Games (Sledders), Kimmo Factor (Sektori), MiTale (Willow Guard), Next Games (Puzzled), Notovia & Dreamloop Games (I’m on Observation Duty 8), and Zaibatsu (Squishmallows Match). Short game descriptions and links can be found at the end of the release.
Other industry organizations will present their own recognitions during the gala. IGDA Finland will award the IGDA Lifetime Award and IGDA Volunteer of the Year 2025. Finnish Game Jam will present the Jampion of the Year award, and W Love Games will grant the W Love Games Excellence Award for the best indie game. The Bit1 Game Award 2026 will also be presented to the winner of the Bit1 student competition.
The nominees and winners for Finnish Game of the Year 2025 have been selected through a member vote by the Finnish Game Developers’ Studios Association. Nearly 100 commercial Finnish games released in 2025 were included in the voting.
The winners and award recipients will be announced immediately after the ceremony on the Neogames website and via a separate press release.
Gala on May 21 at White Hall and on YouTube
This year’s Finnish Game Awards gala will take place at a new venue, White Hall near Senate Square in Helsinki, on May 21, 2026. The event is open to invited guests and ticket holders. Ticket are now on sale – get your ticket here.
The awards ceremony will be streamed live on YouTube from 19:00 to 20:30 at https://www.youtube.com/live/oBdFR-ePgYc. The broadcast will be hosted by long-time Finnish games industry influencer Teemu Haila. The event can be followed on social media with the hashtag #fga26.
The 2026 gala sponsors
Gold sponsors: Housemarque & Small Giant Games
Silver sponsors: Dreamloop Games, Expa Game Business Cooperative, Fingersoft, Hanki Games, Kuuasema,  Metacore Games, Next Games – A Netflix Game Studio, Supercell, and Ubisoft RedLynx
More information
Images: The Finnish Game Awards 2026
Neogames Finland / KooPee Hiltunen / +358 40 5324176 / [email protected]
Finnish Game Developers’ Association (Suomen Pelinkehittäjät ry)
The Finnish Game Developers’ Studios Association is a network representing game development companies in Finland. The association fosters collaboration between companies and advocates for the interests of the game development industry. It organizes events, shares industry information, and ensures that the concerns of game developers are considered in relevant decision-making processes. Notable initiatives of Suomen Pelinkehittäjät ry include the Pelimetsä project, monthly breakfast events, and the annual Finnish Game Awards Gala.
Neogames Finland Association
Neogames is a member-based, non-profit game industry association. Its task is to coordinate, accelerate and support the growth and development of the Finnish game industry, as well as to connect stakeholders across the sector and promote shared interests. More information at www.neogames.fi.
Finnish Game of the Year nominees
My Winter Car is a simulation game where players repair and customize their own car while experiencing Finnish winter life. https://store.steampowered.com/app/4164420/My_Winter_Car/
The Last Caretaker is a survival adventure where the player is a robot awakening after a long sleep to save humanity on a water-covered Earth. https://thelastcaretaker.com/
Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon is an action-packed dungeon crawler offering a fresh take on the popular RPG series. https://www.oceanhorn.com/oceanhorn-chronos-dungeon
Sledders is a competitive snowmobiling simulator full of speed and thrills, featuring both single-player and multiplayer content. https://www.sleddersgame.com/
Sektori is a fast-paced, adrenaline-filled action shooter set to techno rhythms. https://www.gimblll.com/sektori/
Willow Guard is an RPG that combines narrative-driven storytelling with challenging hack-and-slash gameplay. https://www.willowguard.games/
Puzzled is a collection of puzzle games offering a fun and fresh Netflix-inspired approach. https://www.netflix.com/tudum/puzzled
I’m on Observation Duty 8 is a horror game where players monitor surveillance cameras, spot anomalies, and try to survive. https://www.notovia.net/fi/iood8/
Squishmallows Match is a casual puzzle game featuring soft and adorable Squishmallows characters. https://zaibatsu.fi/#projects
The post The best Finnish games in the world will be awarded at The Finnish Game Awards 2026 gala in May appeared first on Neogames Finland.

Read full article: https://neogames.fi/the-best-finnish-games-in-the-world-will-be-awarded-at-the-finnish-game-awards-2026-gala-in-may/

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This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry starts with Neogames working together with Finnish game developers to strengthen Finnish game industry brand as part of an assignment from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. It is also the time when Remedy Entertainment published its Annual Reporting Package 2025, while BIT ODD released its eagerly awaited debut game Field Day into early access in Canada. WLoveGames has made sure that Finnish developers also have a strong opportunity to gain visibility again through the Finnish Games Week Steam presence (Oct 12–18), timed to maximise reach across two consecutive weeks. New games keep coming through; Gnomecraft is launching Snow War into Early Access on April 3, and Yarnhub’s Brass Rain has passed an impressive 100,000 wishlists, with a demo planned for June 6. The next generation of game developers is also coming forward as the Bit1 2026 finalists have been selected.

Read full article: https://neogames.fi/weekly-news-13-26/

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This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry starts on a positive note as Finland is once again ranked the happiest country in the world for the ninth time, with reflections also explored in a podcast on why international talent chooses Finland, featuring Shuhei Watanabe and KooPee Hiltunen. Next week, Natasha Skult will defend her dissertation at the University of Turku on interactive storytelling and quantum computing, exploring new design practices with emerging technologies. On the industry side, recent discussions highlight both lessons learned and continued ambition: Cities: Skylines 2 leadership reflects on overestimating engine capabilities, while at the same time Mikael Kasurinen discusses the high expectations for Control: Resonant, built with a €50m budget and a 200-person team. Looking ahead, Silver Legend Ltd has announced its debut title Grey Legend: Survivor for release in 2027. New Finnish releases continue with Turbo Dismount® 2 now fully launched on Steam and Orbital Overdrive by Horsefly Games also out on Steam. A quick reminder that Business Finland’s Creative Immersive Experiences programme and Neogames host a funding clinic on 25 March, and the joint application period to higher education closes on Tuesday.

Read full article: https://neogames.fi/weekly-news-12-26/

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This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry starts with Finland’s new Country Brand Strategy, which now includes a dedicated narrative for the industry developed by Neogames together with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The Finnish Game Awards is approaching on May 21, bringing the industry together onsite and via livestream, with ticket sales opening next week. For developers planning their next steps abroad, IGDA Finland is accepting submissions for gamescom 2026 until April 30.
On the studio side, Remedy has released Control Ultimate Edition for iPhone, and Alan Wake 2 is set to appear in Phasmophobia. Sega and Rovio continue to expand Angry Birds licensing through a new partnership with WildBrain, and indie developer Kimmo Lahtinen is preparing to launch Sektori on Switch 2 on May 14. Business updates also continue, as Nitro Games has published its annual report for 2025.

Read full article: https://neogames.fi/weekly-news-17-26/

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This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry starts with investment and strong industry milestones. Quicksave Interactive has secured new funding from HyperScope Ventures to develop Playables.ai, a platform enabling playable ads created through prompts. At the same time, Clash Royale celebrates its 10th anniversary and $4.9bn in player spending, with Supercell explaining the design changes behind the game’s recent resurgence. At GDC 2026, Remedy’s Control Resonant was showcased by Nvidia, demonstrating RTX features, DLSS 4.5 and path tracing technology. Browser gaming is also gaining momentum as Angry Birds Friends launches as a web browser title and Fingersoft discusses the technical choices behind the web version of Hill Climb Racing Lite. New Finnish releases continue as THYSIASTERY launches on Steam, Echoes of Myth arrives as a souls-inspired action roguelite by a Finnish solo developer, and Huippee Heroes releases its new mobile title Masterions on Google Play. On the event front, note that applications are open until 19 March for Supercell’s Games First event taking place on 4 June.  What comes to the regulation; PEGI will expand its classification criteria from June 2026 to better address online interaction risks in games. Also for future developers: the 2026 joint application period to Finnish higher education runs until 24 March (15:00). See Neogames’ Game Education in Finland overview and the Suomi Game Hub guide.

Read full article: https://neogames.fi/weekly-news-11-26/

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This week’s news from the Finnish Game Industry are about hands-on game development and business; Neogames hosted a workshop with industry professionals on how to tackle growth challenges in Finnish game companies as part of its AEL Foundation-funded project. Important reminder for Finnish PC developers: submissions are now open for the Finnish Games Week Steam Event 2026. Speaking of publishing, Coyote Time Publishing has expanded its portfolio to five games with new signings Warena and EMUUROM. On the studio side, good news includes Rovio Entertainment’s Angry Birds receiving the “International Classic IP Honor” at the 2026 Weibo Gala, while Gladio Mori has surpassed 100,000 units sold on Steam Early Access. Finnish game developers also keep delivering new releases and updates, with Snow War launched in Early Access and Channel37 delivering surprise Update 3.5: Shadow Drop for The Last Caretaker. Looking ahead to the coming weeks, the Finland Game Talent Fair debuts in Helsinki on 23 April, Silver Legend hosts its Skill Check event on 24 April, and later Way Forward Forum returns to Oulu on 5 June

Read full article: https://neogames.fi/weekly-news-16-26/

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