This newsletter shares the good news of the Finnish game industry once a month. The content is intended to be an interesting news roundup both for separate newsletter subscribers and for media representatives interested in games.
October was as busy in the Finnish gaming industry as expected. It was marked by several major releases, events, and industry developments. The long-awaited Pax Dei launched its official 1.0 version, and several upcoming games got demos or early access versions. The first Finnish Games Week held on Steam brought together 215 Finnish games. The Sustainable Games Alliance published the gaming industry’s first standards for environmentally friendly development, while Neogames warned that the EU’s planned consumer protection regulations could threaten the vitality of the industry. Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki gathered over 1,500 gaming professionals to share ideas and network with each other.
1. New Game Releases and Updates in October 2025
Pax Dei, published by Mainframe Industries and awarded at the Finnish Game Awards, has been updated to version 1.0. With this update, the game has now moved from early access to its full release, and all player characters have started over from the beginning.
Channel37 has released a demo of its first-person game The Last Caretaker and at the same time confirmed that the early access version will be released on November 6. The game combines survival and building elements, where players explore the game world, construct equipment, and fight against rogue machines.
Null Vector Studios has released a playable demo of its tactical strategy game Astro Protocol. The player can colonize planets, build space stations, assemble combat squadrons, and research science across three different branches.
Bad Janitor, developed by Mjau Media and published by Fennonauts Publishing, is now available. It’s a humorous simulation game in which the player takes on the role of a grumpy janitor.
All-Seeing Eye has released its Splittown agent adventure. The game, which was previously available as an early-access version, has received plenty of new content, activities, and dialogue options. The PC game also supports Steam Deck devices.
Fancy Raven Games will release its turn-based strategy game Interstellar Espionage Inc. on November 17. In the game, players lead an interstellar intelligence organization while exploring space, expanding their spy network, and working to destroy rival corporations.
Tensori will release its unique exploration game POOLS on the App Store on November 6. With this launch, the game will be available for iPhone and iPad mobile devices as well as Mac computers. The game offers a meditative and even surreal experience filled with fascinating sights, sensations, and environmental exploration.
Sektori, developed by Kimmo Lahtinen, is a fast-paced arcade game centered around classic shooting action. It will be released on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox on November 18.
Areena Games has confirmed that a new installment in the Areena game series, Runerock Arena, is coming next year. This strategy game combines elements of management and role-playing games as you equip and train a team of gladiators.
Part Time Monkey has released a challenging platformer called Stick With It. The game emphasizes difficulty and relentlessness, as its core focuses on precise controls and balance management with a jumping stick.
Hanki Games has released the It’s Almost Winter update for its snowmobile simulator Sledders. The update introduces a new map, a photo mode, graphical improvements, and general gameplay enhancements among other things.
iFeral Games will release its roguelike-inspired tower defense game Gem Miner TD on Steam on December 12. A new demo was also made available for Steam Next Fest. As the player works tirelessly in their diamond mine, enemies threaten them in many ways.
Upgrade Entertainment has released an early version of Concubine, an action RPG that combines dark fantasy with adult themes. During the day, events unfold in a harem setting, while at night players battle ancient enemies.
The horror game I’m on Observation Duty 8, developed by Notovia and Dreamloop Games, has launched a playable demo. In the game, the player works for a mysterious organization, monitoring security cameras in real time and reporting any anomalies that appear.
Rovio has brought the popular angry birds back to space in a limited-time game event. Running until November 21, the event sends the Angry Birds 2 mobile game’s birds into space exposing them to cosmic gravity.
Rovio’s newly released Angry Birds Flock Party makes the beloved bird game available to Amazon Prime members and Luna Premium subscribers. Players can control the Angry Birds directly from their smartphones and see the effects of their actions on the TV screen.
Fingersoft’s Hill Climb Racing games have been downloaded nearly three billion times. New Hill Climb Racing 3 cranks up the chaos with live, physics-fueled PvP racing. The Open Beta is now available in Finland, Norway, Sweden and the UK.
Sheep Meadow Road Games has released an early access version of its game Horse Racing Manager. Player manages own horse stables, breeds and trains future champions, competes on diverse tracks, balances finances, manages staff, and expands own legacy in the world of horse racing.
Cities Skylines II, developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive, got a new Bridges & Ports add-on. Discover a world of possibility where city meets sea and start building new bridges, customize your port, and dive into marine industries.
2. Sustainable Games Alliance announced sustainable game development standards
The non-profit collaboration project Sustainable Games Alliance (SGA) consists of game developers, universities, and associations. SGA recently announced the video game industry’s first standards for sustainable development, aimed at making game creation more environmentally friendly. A year after its founding, the initiative started by several Finnish game industry experts has taken significant steps forward and evolved from a mere idea into concrete actions. The project already includes over 30 members and partners, through whom the tools defined by SGA for measuring, monitoring, and reducing emissions are available free of charge. These tools cover the entire lifecycle of games from development to release and distribution, as well as the related infrastructure.
3. The first Finnish Games Week on Steam
The first-ever Finnish Games Week on Steam was held in October. The event featured 215 games from Finland, offering a wide range of genres, special discounts, livestreams, gameplay showcases, demos, and behind-the-scenes content. Finland has a proud history in game development from global hits to bold indie experiments. This event brought together a curated selection of titles that highlight the country’s unique style, culture, and talent in game making. Although the event has ended, the landing page remains available, making it easy to explore Finnish games on Steam.
4. The EU’s digital consumer protection regulation threatens the future of the gaming industry
Neogames (link only in Finnish) took a stance on the European Commission’s regulation concerning digital consumer protection. It has recently been a major topic in the gaming business. The regulation is currently in the consultation phase, and its official proposal is expected to be released next fall. Since this regulation also concerns the monetization of free-to-play mobile games, and thus a large part of the industry’s economic success, the regulatory decisions could have catastrophic effects across the entire gaming business. At the very least, stricter regulations would weaken the Finnish gaming industry’s performance and its potential for growth. As a side effect, gaming culture itself could suffer, and many jobs may also be at risk. Supercell’s CEO, Ilkka Paananen, also strongly commented on the matter in a LinkedIn post.
5. Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki gaming event brought together game industry professionals
In mid-October, the Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki gaming event was held in Helsinki. It brought together nearly 600 companies from the industry, over 150 speakers, and more than 1,500 visitors. The two-day professional event covered several different areas of the gaming industry. In addition to mobile games, these included the Big Screen Gaming Summit focusing on console and PC games, the AI Gamechangers Summit specializing in the opportunities of artificial intelligence, and the Beyond Games: Transmedia Summit examining various forms of creative expression across different media. Organized for the 12th time, the event proved to be an inspiring gathering where participants met many gaming professionals, drew on plenty of new ideas, and learned new things.