A tale of two (gaming) cities: Malmö and Copenhagen

    This 5 part series of articles by Joseph Barron on pocketgamer.biz takes a detailed look at game development in Malmö and Copenhagen with interviews and thoughtful observation of the industry, the cities, and their inhabitants.

    Some call it a divide, others, a friendly relationship. Regardless, it’s led to healthy competition between major players on both sides, equally, a buzzing indie scene, and places to share like the Nordic Game Jam in Copenhagen (coming up this February) and No More Sweden events.

    Part one spurring each other to smartphone success; discusses how Malmo and Copenhagen are at the same time connected and opposing forces, with unique cultures and ecosystems in the gaming scene. Read about King‘s Kim NordstromSimogo‘s Simon FlesserOla Holmdahl of Tarsier Studios, and Lau Korsgaard ofKnapNok Games.

    Part two, Mobile in Malmö;
    focuses on King and Tarsier. Go behind the scenes and into the offices of these two very different studios.

    Part three, Why it’s no biggie when Sweden’s big boys struggle
    takes a look at Malmö as the ‘natural’ home of the Indie scene. Interviews here with Andreas Alptun of Illusion Labs and Simogo‘s Simon Flesser.

    Part four, the Copenhagen Collective
    , it’s over to the Danish capital with Dino Patti, CEO and co-founder of the studio behind Limbo, Playdead, and Lau Korsgaard, as creative director of Knapnok Games and vice president of the Copenhagen Game Collective talking about the scene, big and small across the Øresund Bridge.

    Part five, Sweden has the political will to succeed in the smartphone race; goes over the industry and how the gaming scene has grown in the region, particularly on the Swedish side, with an interview with Per Strömbäck, spokesperson of the Swedish Games Industry. This article covers the role of larger developers, government and the forces that shape the opportunities. Finally, more thoughts around ‘collaboration v rivalry’ of Malmö and Copenhagen.

    It’s quite a bit to read (hence it’s division into the series) but each article give us fantastic insights and multiple perspectives of life in the game developer world, and a great view overall. Check them out.

    Øresund bridge image by Shutterstock

    This article is in collaboration with Øresund Startups, originally by Kristina Persson. Øresund Startups is a news site focusing on startups in Copenhagen and the other cities around the Øresund strait; Malmö, Helsingborg and Lund. It was initiated by Karsten Deppert and covers news about startups and events from the startup scene. You can follow them at @Oresundstartups.