Teemu Haila is a prominent figure in the Finnish games industry and the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of game backend company Metaplay.
In 2018, he received the IGDA Finland Lifetime Achievement for his contribution to the local industry and is a regular host of the Finnish Games Awards. As the year comes to a close, we recently sat down with Teemu to catch up on his thoughts on the local industry.
How has the Finnish games industry performed in 2024?
In 2024, the Finnish games industry continued to show resilience, though it hasn’t been without challenges. We’ve seen a tightening in the availability of funding, which has naturally caused some hesitation, particularly for new studios trying to get off the ground.
That said, Finland’s mobile sector remains a global leader, with companies like Supercell and Metacore maintaining their positions as heavyweights. There’s also been growth in mid-sized companies, which is encouraging for the overall ecosystem.
However, the competition for top talent has intensified, with international players like Netflix offering salaries that are hard for smaller studios to match. This dynamic has certainly made hiring more difficult, but it also forces us to be more innovative in how we attract and retain talent.
What do you expect in 2025?
The phrase ’Survive to ‘25’ has been doing a lot of legwork in the industry this year – and it certainly feels as though we’re coming out of the other side of that now and, collectively, primed to thrive. To me, there’s an exciting new dawn just around the corner, which is also driven by some very significant changes on a macro-industry level.
One thing I’m particularly optimistic about is the potential for more diverse distribution platforms, thanks to the EU’s Digital Markets Act. If we can loosen the grip of the dominant app stores, I believe we’ll see smaller studios thrive by having more accessible routes to market.
Additionally, the live-service model, which has already become a cornerstone of the industry, will likely gain even more prominence. This isn’t just for mobile but also for cross-platform games. It’s an exciting time for the intersection of technology and creativity, and I believe we’ll see more innovation around how games are distributed and operated.
How has game dev education changed since you founded some of Finland’s earliest game dev communities?
When I founded the first game dev communities in Finland back in 2003, education in this space was far less formalized. It was very much driven by passion and experimentation, particularly within the “demo scene,” where we were pushing the boundaries of what was possible with technology, simply for the love of it.
Fast forward to today, and we see a much more structured approach. Universities have adapted to the industry’s needs, and there’s now a clearer pipeline from education to employment. That said, Finland’s relatively small population still means that we heavily rely on international talent to fill the gaps, but the groundwork for producing skilled developers locally has improved significantly.
Do you have other perspectives about the ‘state of play’ for the local games industry?
The Finnish gaming industry has been (and hopefully always will be) one of cooperation and innovation, which is perhaps one of its greatest strengths. The majority of our audience is out there in the rest of the world, and for that reason, it makes no sense to compete on a domestic level.
Instead, we focus on sharing our learning from international markets and audiences, and growing together. Established companies like Supercell and Rovio have been incredibly generous in sharing their networks and best practices with the next generation of studios.
However, the competition for talent is fierce, and that has created an environment where smaller studios need to be more strategic and resourceful to attract the right people. Despite these challenges, I see immense potential in the future of Finnish game development.
The rise of AI, along with more open distribution platforms, presents opportunities for smaller teams to experiment and create truly groundbreaking games. It’s a dynamic ecosystem, and while the competition is intense, it only serves to push the industry forward.
Teemu Haila
Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Metaplay
