The thriving games ecosystem in northern Sweden

At this year’s Gamescom in Cologne, Hela, the upcoming co-op title from Umeå-based Windup Games, took home two prestigious awards: Most Entertaining and Most Wholesome. Alongside Windup Games’ award winning adventure, Skellefteå’s motion capture testbed played a small but important role.

Arctic Game is entering a new phase of development, and the games industry in northern Sweden is being strengthened through local hubs and continued collaboration.

Since 2018, participants from around the world have traveled to Boden to take part in Valkyrie Jam. Over ten intensive days, eleven experienced women and non-binary game developers gathered to create games, sharpen their skills, and explore new game technologies – with a special focus on motion capture.