Mobile game studios in Finland, the country that built Supercell
Finland has 7 mobile studios in this directory, led by Rovio with about 550 staff and Metacore with 320. For a country of 5.6 million it has produced more globally successful mobile games than anywhere in Europe. The corporate rate is 20%, and the state supports development through Business Finland rather than through tax credits.
Türkiye refunds half of what a software company or game studio spends on advertising, app store commissions and hosting when it sells to customers abroad, and up to 70% when those customers are in one of twenty target markets. It is paid in cash, against invoices you have already settled. Try it with your own numbers.
01Which game studios are based in Finland?
Sorted by size, largest first. Tap the Founded or People columns to sort.
| Studio | City | Founded | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rovio EntertainmentA prominent Finnish video game developer and entertainment company based in Espoo, Finland. | Espoo | 2003 | 550 |
| MetacoreA Finnish mobile game developer based in Helsinki, with an additional office in Berlin. | Helsinki | 2014 | 320 |
| FingersoftA Finnish video game developer and publisher based in Oulu, Finland. | Oulu | 2012 | 97 |
| Futureplay GamesA mobile game development studio based in Helsinki, founded in 2015 by a team of experienced gaming… | Helsinki | 2015 | 70 |
| Critical ForceA Finnish mobile game company founded in 2012, specializing in competitive online multiplayer shooter… | Kajaani | 2012 | 45 |
| Lightheart EntertainmentA mobile game studio based in Helsinki, Finland, founded in 2019. | Helsinki | 2019 | 28 |
| PanzerdogA game developer behind Tacticool, a hot isometric mobile shooter Tacticool, named the Play Market's best… | Helsinki | 2016 | 22 |
Headcounts are third-party estimates and companies count staff differently. Apollo company data, exported 20 August 2026
02Why do studios base themselves in Finland?
What keeps them there
- An unusual concentration of experienced free-to-play operators, most of whom have worked at or near Supercell, Rovio or Small Giant.
- Business Finland grants and loans aimed at product development, which are practical for small teams and do not dilute anyone.
- A flat 20% corporate rate with straightforward administration.
- A culture of small autonomous teams that other countries keep trying and failing to copy.
| Corporate income tax | 20%source |
|---|
Finland's advantage was never cost. Salaries are high and the domestic market is tiny. What it has is a dense group of people who have shipped games that reached hundreds of millions of players, and who keep starting new studios.
Those studios then face the same wall as everyone else. Business Finland funds building the product. The money that finds players comes out of the company's own pocket, taxed first at 20%. In Türkiye that same spending is reimbursed at 50% to 70%.
What Türkiye would pay back on your spending
Türkiye runs a government programme that refunds part of what a software company or game studio spends on reaching customers abroad. It covers advertising, app store and platform commissions, and hosting. The refund is paid in cash against invoices the company has already settled, so it does not depend on the company making a profit. The standard rate is 50%, and it rises to 70% when the customers being targeted are in one of the twenty countries on the Turkish Ministry of Trade's target list.
Put your own yearly figures in below. The rates and the annual caps come from the same file as our full calculator, and the total updates as you type.
03Questions we get asked
Does Business Finland fund marketing?
Its instruments are aimed at research, development and internationalisation projects rather than at buying installs. Media spend is treated as a commercial cost.
Why does such a small country produce so many hits?
Density and repetition. A small number of studios trained a large number of people who then founded more studios, and the whole industry is close enough to share what works.
Is Helsinki expensive to hire in?
Yes by European standards, and the pool is small, which is why many Finnish studios hire elsewhere in Europe for support functions.
Why a consultancy keeps a studio directory
CyberScope Solutions is an Istanbul consultancy that manages Türkiye's IT export incentive claims for software companies and game studios. We track where studios are because the question we are asked most often is who else has done this, and a list is a better answer than an assurance.
- Every figure is sourced. Each number links to the page it came from and carries the date we last checked it.
- We do the filing. Claims run through DYS, the ministry's own system, and we handle the evidence pack, the deadlines and the follow-up questions.
- You find out early if it is not for you. The first call is thirty minutes and we will say plainly if your spend pattern does not suit the programme.
Turn that number into money
Send us the rough shape of your spend. You get back what it is worth, what setting it up involves, and how fast the first claim can go in. Companies already operating here treat this as routine, and the six month window means the clock is running on invoices you have already paid.
- A reply from a person within one working day
- No mailing list, no drip sequence
- Thirty minutes, and you keep the numbers either way
Got it.
We will read it properly and reply within a working day. If you would rather get it over with now, pick a time that suits you.
Book a 30 minute call04Where these numbers come from
- https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/eu/corporate-income-tax-rates-europe/ checked 2026-08-20
- Apollo company data, exported 20 August 2026 checked 2026-08-20