The Greater Copenhagen Region and its leading players
The Greater Copenhagen Region is one of the densest game development areas on the planet, with more than 2000+ game developers and 250+ studios. These studios range from serious indie studios with global hits all the way to some of the largest AAA developers who are working on some of the largest entertainment IPs in history.
The most promising names on the Swedish side are Massive, King , Tarsier, Thunderful, Sharkmob, Avalanche Studios Group and Coffee Stain while the Danish side boasts of leading players like Unity, IO Interactive, SYBO, Ghostship Games, Triband , Betadwarf, and Tactile . And that is not all - there is an increasingly large range of companies from indies to AAA and everything in between.
What nourishes the game industry to grow in the region is the continuous support by the actors of the ecosystem, in the form of professional and social events, networking, business opportunities, education, and community building.
Rising game studio stars
The region is home to a multitude of successful and up-and-coming smaller studios with highly ambitious and experienced teams. These smaller studios, together with other supporting actors like educators specifically aimed towards educating game developers, and community organizations like Game Habitat and Copenhagen Game Collective work together to promote the many budding talents and early-stage studios.
Some of the more notable success stories are Frictional Games – makers of Amnesia and recently announced Amnesia: The Bunker. Triband – makers of comical and outrageous games like What the Car? Other successes are Bad North and My Friend Pedro. These are just some of the gems hidden in the Greater Copenhagen Region and many more remain to be discovered.
320 +
companies
2000 m €
approx. revenue
3500 +
employees
3
Major IPs: Star Wars, James Bond, Avatar
23 %
growth in revenue in the last 5 years
70+
nationalities in the industry
13%
annual employment growth the last 5 years
Few of the hottest IPs in the market
The growing interest in the gaming industry has led to the creation of successful IPs and games that attract more gaming business opportunities and talents in the region. A few bright examples include: Tom Clancy’s “The Division 2”, the Hitman franchise, My Friend Pedro, Sayonara Wildhearts, the Amnesia franchise, Ghostrunner, MovieStar Planet, and Subway Surfers.
Currently, there are three major entertainment IPs being developed into games in the region. Massive Entertainment is working with James Cameron to make games from the Avatar movies and with Disney to create a new open-world Star Wars game. IO Interactive has been tasked with making the new James Bond game, and given their history with the Hitman series, there is arguably no better studio to do 007 justice.
by Massive
by IO Interactive
by Massive
Nurturing our growing talent pool
Games are a creative endeavor that crosses multiple disciplines, from art to programming and more. Thus, every studio requires people with extraordinary skills and passion. To ensure an abundance of such talent in the region, the Greater Copenhagen Region not only attracts them from abroad but also develops them locally.
The region is home to 17 universities with various educations and even more specialized colleges. Denmark hosts a number of educational tracks at universities such as IT University of Copenhagen, Aalborg University as well as Higher Professional or vocational schools, such as Grenå Game College, VIA Animation Workshop, DADIU and CADA Truemax Academy. Sweden is known for Lund University, one of the 100 top-ranked technical universities in the world, but also boasts two of the best game developer schools in the world – The Game Assembly and Future Games. The Game Assembly itself has educated about 10% of all Swedish Game Developers. Combined, the region offers more than 52 courses and educational opportunities for game developers, building a diverse and highly skilled pool of talent.
Photo by Peter Sørensen
Greater Copenhagen Region is a place of endless opportunities for businesses and people alike. A place to live grow and evolve.
- Top-quality of life
- Great for doing business
- Highly educated population
- Excellent infrastructure
- Direct proximity to two markets
- Lovely pastries
Try it out!
Get 90 days of fully furnished office: free of cost!
Invest in Skåne, together with partners from the region, offers a unique opportunity for anyone interested in exploring the game development ecosystem in the region, to stay at Game Habitat's building for up to 90 days in a fully furnished office – and this is all free of cost!
Are you an investor/publisher looking for games/studios?
You will have the opportunity to meet new and old studios throughout your stay.
If you are looking to stay longer than 30 days, there is an opportunity to work with a partner that offers discounted rates for furnished apartments so that you do not have to look for a hotel or other accommodation options.
If you want to know more, have a look what some previous visitors have said here.
Get in touch
Olof Tedin
Business Development Manager, Invest in Skåne,
olof.tedin@skane.se
+46 724 65 96 84
Yan Yang
Senior Tech Investment Manager, Copenhagen Capacity,
yay@copcap.com
+45 29398138
About Greater Copenhagen Region
Greater Copenhagen Region stretches over the borders of Denmark and Sweden. With 4.4 million inhabitants and 17 universities, it’s the largest metropolitan area in the Nordics and a global hub for growth, sustainable solutions and innovation. The region offers world-class research facilities and a creative business environment. Outstanding infrastructure makes Greater Copenhagen Region highly connected via rail, road, air and sea. The two main cities of the region, Sweden’s Malmö and Denmark’s Copenhagen are just a half hour train-ride apart. Its strategic location makes Greater Copenhagen Region the link between 25 million consumers in Scandinavia and 125 million in Northern Europe.