Despite dark headlines and layoffs across the industry, new videogame studios keep popping up across the country and new customers are finding their way to Swedish games, according to a newly released report from Dataspelsbranchen, an industry organization.
After a surge in sales and hiring during the Covid-19 pandemic, growth has slowed down somewhat.
“The pandemic was a kind of doping for sales, for obvious reasons,” explained Per Strömbäck, spokesperson for Dataspelsbranchen.
Still, Swedish game companies increased their domestic net sales by 13 percent to €3.1 billion in 2022. This means the Swedish videogame industry has more than doubled its revenue since 2018.
The report, titled “2023 Game Developer Index,” highlights other several areas with positive outlooks — and some more concerning. The number of companies grew by 20 percent in 2022, and 44 percent of new recruits were women in 2022. However, the report notes that there is still a long path to gender equality in the industry, with women only constituting 23 percent of Swedish game company employees. 2022 also saw increased turbulence, with some studios in the country closing suddenly and a higher staff turnover than in previous years.
The Swedish game industry is well-equipped to handle any challenges that come its way, argued Strömbäck. The reason: diversity. Swedes of all ages and backgrounds play games. Also, the three most successful Swedish videogames of all time are all radically different. The Battlefield franchise, made by EA Dice, is a first-person military shooter; Minecraft, the world’s most popular videogame, is a sandbox game where players build with blocks; and Candy Crush Saga is a free-to-play mobile game.
“We have games in all genres, built with all kinds of different tools. This diversity is our strongest attribute,” he said. “I believe it is the best recipe for dealing with change.”
Working to close the gender equality gap remains an essential goal for Dataspelsbranchen in 2024. Another is to change perceptions of videogames and players.
“Negative attitudes toward videogames and playing is one of the biggest obstacles for continued growth,” said Strömbäck. “So, that is a pivotal question for us.”
