Sweden Game Arena brings companies with fresh ideas to San Francisco

Last year, Iron Gate Studios took the world by storm with its smash hit Valheim. Now, the next potential game hit is waiting to be discovered, and eight companies get a unique opportunity from Sweden Game Arena: to go to Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco and pitch their latest projects at Sweden Game Pitch.

“The game companies work in a global market and international contacts are important. Both for raising capital and for reaching out with the games. Of course, it can be difficult if you don’t have a network, and that is where Sweden Game Arena can help the companies within our community. Among other things, by enabling them to come to these international contexts,” says Petri Ahonen, Project Manager at Sweden Game Arena, which is run by Science Park Skövde, among others.

Eight companies from the startup program within Sweden Game Arena will go to GDC for free, to make new contacts in the international games market. Sweden Game Arena also arranges a pitch event, Sweden Game Pitch, where the companies will pitch to a selected group of investors and publishers. One of the companies that will be pitching is the Gothenburg-based company Far Out Games.

“We are grateful for the support we receive from the startup program and Sweden Game Arena, which now enables us, a newly established game studio, to go to GDC. We see it as a great opportunity for us to connect with possible game publishers and investors. We believe that this is one of many steps towards our vision of a long-term commitment to developing interesting games,” says Lars Olsson, CEO of Far Out Games.

Venture capital important for Swedish game companies

The games industry is growing at a record pace. In just one decade, sales in Sweden have increased from about SEK one billion to almost SEK 35 billion. For continued development, more venture capital is needed, and today game companies are turning to both national and international financiers and owners.

Iron Gate Studios for example, which is behind the success of Valheim and has a past within the startup program, has become a part of Embracer.  Hiber, the company behind the platform HiberWorld that was also previously in the startup program, also raised just over SEK 160 million last year. In recent years, more than 10 of the companies within Sweden Game Arena’s community have raised capital.

“Skövde has become a world-renowned game city with Sweden Game Arena as a center, and we are seeing an increased interest from international investors and game publishers. More and more companies are raising capital, and it is easier now than ever before. For this reason, it is important that our affiliated companies have the opportunity to meet people who can give them the boost they need to create the next world success,” says Petri Ahonen.

About Sweden Game Arena

Sweden Game Arena offers individuals and companies an opportunity to develop through targeted community events as well as visualization and participation in the global games market. Sweden Game Arena is based in Skövde, and also has operations in Gothenburg.

In addition to having a close-knit community of professional game developers and aspiring game development students from Sweden’s biggest game development education programs, Sweden Game Arena frequently represents the Swedish games industry at international events.

Sweden Game Arena also organize Sweden Game Conference in Skövde every October for aspiring and professional game developers and startups.

Read more about Sweden Game Arena on swedengamearena.com.

Source：Game Arena