INTERNATIONAL FACTFILE: Finland

Like its fellow Scandinavian nations, Finland is a big country. It has a population of 5.4m spread around a large geographical area.

This means publishers need to work closely with retailers.The nation’s retail landscape bears several similarities to that of the UK and other European markets.

Specialist games retailers naturally have a strong presence, but there are also a number of hypermarkets and department stores with robust games offerings.

There is even a selection of electronic stores and online retailers that have a healthy video games business. There are more than 20 different chains that sell games, but despite all this variety the market is still led by a handful of companies.

Retail in Finland is very concentrated and a few players dominate the market,” said Thomas Westerberg, MD of Finnish trade body FIGMA.

For a publisher it is key to select distributors with strong key account management capabilities. Buyers prefer to do business in Finnish although language skills is not an issue as most speak good English.”

Koch’s Nordic GM Martin Sirc adds: Finland is just as complex as other Nordic territories. The best start is to find a local partner that fits with your own profile, has the resources to make the best success with your product in the territory.”

The development scene is even more crowded. Finland is home to over 70 studios, including Angry Birds creators Rovio and Ridge Racer Unbounded dev Bugbear.

Publishers have invested heavily in Finnish talent. Last year, Ubisoft acquired Trials HD studio RedLynx while Disney bought Rocket Pack.

MCV Nordic launches in mid-March. For more details, contact Christer.Engstrom@MCVnordic.com

THE FACTS

Population: 5,400,519
Currency: Euro
GDP (Per Capita): $44,488
Capital City: Helsinki
Language: Finnish

KEY RETAILERS
Anttila, cdon.com, Citymarket, Discshop, Expert, Gamestop, Gigantti, Hobby Hall, Krkkinen, Konsolinet, Musta Prssi, My Game Store, Pelimies, Prisma, Puolenkuun Pelit, Stockmann, Sokos, Tokmanni, VDP, Veikon Kone, Veljekset Keskinen, Verkkokauppa.com, Viihdepyskki

BEST DISTRIBUTORS
3HD, ALSO, AMO, Koch Media, Nordisk Film, Nordic Game Supply, PAN Vision, Plan 1

PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION
Activision Blizzard, Capcom, Codemasters, Disney, EA, Microsoft, Namco Bandai, Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Take-Two, THQ, Warner Bros

TOP DEVELOPERS
10tons Ltd., Aniway, Anyfun, Bugbear Entertainment, Casual Continent, Chat Republic, Colossal Order, Cowboy Rodeo, Frozenbyte, Futuremark, Grey Area Labs, Housemarque, Inaria, Interactive, Kajak Games, Kukouri, Kuuasema, Ludocraft, Minestudios, Moidogames Mountain Sheep, Nitro Games, Pixolane, Recoil, Redlynx, Remedy, Rocket Pack, Rovio, Secret Exit, Skyrocket, Songhi Entertainment, Star Arcade, Sulake, Sumea / Digital Chocolate, Supercell, Ticbits, Tripworks, Tuonela Production, Wirepunk, Virtual Air Guitar Company