New Game Companies Are Being Founded in Kajaani – Applications Open for Growth Program
Kajaani Game Catalyst is a free program for game developers, teams and game companies. Applications for the 2027 program are open until 22 November 2026.
In recent years, Finland’s game industry has been affected by layoffs and redundancies, leaving more skilled game developers available than there are open positions. In Kajaani, the response is to support game developers in establishing companies and building new game businesses.
– There is currently an enormous amount of expertise in the game industry that risks going unused as a result of layoffs. At the same time, internship and junior-level positions are extremely scarce. We have a great opportunity to address this situation by providing game developers with a concrete pathway to entrepreneurship and professional development, says Joonas Pylvinen, Project Manager at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences.
Kajaani Game Catalyst is a three-stage growth program. GameLAB brings individual game developers together into teams, the Incubator helps teams operate like a real game studio and establish a company, and the Accelerator supports existing game companies in growing into sustainable businesses. The program is free of charge and is delivered primarily online, making it accessible to applicants from anywhere in Finland.
– We support game developers throughout the entire journey, from team formation and studio creation to international business growth. The program strengthens entrepreneurial skills, which also benefit developers who ultimately decide not to become entrepreneurs. Working in a small indie studio provides a completely different perspective on business, production, and commercialization than working in large AAA studios. Our goal is to keep talent in the game industry, open up new career paths, and create the conditions for new jobs to emerge, continues Pylvinen.
The program has already produced visible results. Two new game companies have been established through the program, and three companies have relocated their headquarters to the Kainuu region.
– Our company operates in Kajaani because we want to grow in an environment that has genuinely been built for game industry businesses. Kajaani is open to new ideas, and in our opinion, it offers the best game industry education in Finland. There is a constant flow of new ideas, talented professionals and fresh perspectives that benefit the entire ecosystem, says Mervi Kemppainen, Producer at Seven Stars Oy, a company that has secured significant funding.
Game industry experts have been trained in Kajaani since 2006, and the game industry is one of the city’s key sectors. Kajaani Game Catalyst was created as part of the Kainuu GEMS project, which is co-funded by the European Union. The project is coordinated by Kajaani University of Applied Sciences.
More Information:
Project Manager Joonas Pylvinen, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, joonas.pylvinen@kamk.fi, tel. +358 40 485 9436
Content has been translated using AI.