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This collaboration aims to showcase and leverage Finland’s global gaming expertise and India’s rapidly growing gaming market to co-create innovative, export-ready gaming experiences from India.
Mumbai, September 29th, 2025: Business Finland in India, Finland’s official government agency for trade and investment promotion, and WinZO, India’s largest interactive entertainment platform, and the Interactive Entertainment and Innovation Council (IEIC), a leading not-for-profit think-tank in the consumer tech space, have announced a landmark collaboration to strengthen ties between India and Finland in the gaming sector. This collaboration will learn from Finland’s exceptional success in building a globally competitive gaming cluster, talent pipeline, and world-renowned gaming titles to explore a partnership between Finland’s strengths in gaming exports and India’s fast-growing gaming ecosystem. As the first step of this collaboration, the partners are launching a detailed case study at the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi to unpack its success and create inspiration for Indian stakeholders.
Finland has emerged as one of the world’s most successful gaming economies, generating over USD 3.9 billion in annual revenue, with an impressive 98% derived from exports. Iconic successes such as Angry Birds (by Rovio) and Clash of Clans (by Supercell) have established Finland as the global benchmark for mobile-first, casual gaming innovation. This rise has been supported by progressive government policies, cutting-edge education in game design, and long-term public investment through institutions such as Business Finland. Today, over a billion players worldwide have experienced Finnish-developed games – an extraordinary feat for a country of just 5.6 million people.
India, home to over 600 million gamers and accounting for close to 20% of mobile game app downloads, is now one of the fastest-growing interactive entertainment markets globally. With a highly diverse player base, a thriving gaming content creator community, and increasing developer participation, India’s gaming industry draws deep inspiration from Finland’s path by building indigenous IPs for global export. Already a hub for culturally relevant gaming, India’s next frontier is to position itself as a major exporter of gaming innovation, learning from Finland’s success.
H.E. Ambassador of Finland to India, Kimmo Lähdevirta, said: “Finland consistently ranks among Europe’s top games hubs by turnover, and our gaming industry is world-renowned. In the gaming sector, Finland and India make a good match where India’s scale meets Finnish craft. We are happy to see the growing potential of Finnish Gaming IP to reach Indian consumers through trusted platform partners here in India.”
Rohit Kumar Singh, IAS, Former Secretary, Government of India and Chairman, IEIC, said: “This collaboration presents a unique opportunity to build a strong bridge between India and Finland. Finland’s experience provides invaluable lessons for India, and together, we can create an innovation corridor that empowers startups, developers, and creators in both countries to achieve global impact. Interactive entertainment has become a powerful tool for education, healthcare, and storytelling in today’s world. As our ecosystem innovates, we can leverage our connections and the power of interactive entertainment for the greater good. IEIC is on a mission to build export-ready games from India and a thriving esports ecosystem, and this partnership will go a long way in achieving these virtuous goals.”
Paavan Nanda, Co-Founder, WinZO, said: “India has all the ingredients to be a global leader of interactive entertainment – scale, diversity, and creativity. We at WinZO have always believed in India’s growth story, driven by culturally relevant, mobile-first, immersive & vernacular IP creation through content, be it for esports or microdrama. With Finland’s proven export model as inspiration, this collaboration will accelerate India’s journey towards building Indian content that is inclusive to cater to the global audiences.”
The far-sighted partnership will enable a dynamic exchange of knowledge and talent between the two nations, creating opportunities for cross-border partnerships, access to new markets, investor value, and co-creation of initiatives that extend gaming’s role into areas such as education, cultural exchange, and social good. Equally important, it will open space for structured dialogue between governments, regulators, and industry leaders to shape policies that support innovation and long-term competitiveness in interactive entertainment.
At its heart, this initiative envisions a sustainable and innovative bridge between India and Finland—one that empowers startups, developers, and creators to collaborate across borders, experiment boldly, and build globally relevant intellectual property. By combining Finland’s legacy of gaming excellence with India’s scale and cultural depth, the partnership aspires to establish a new standard of global leadership in gaming and interactive entertainment, driven by shared knowledge, creativity, and innovation.
WinZO: Launched in 2018, WinZO is India’s largest interactive entertainment platform, with 250 million users across India, the US, and Brazil. It offers 100+ social and esports games, along with short-form microdramas and audio stories through ZO Play, available in 15 languages. WinZO empowers 75,000+ creators from Tier II–V towns, pioneering global export of Made in India content. Backed by Griffin Gaming Partners, Courtside Ventures, and Makers Fund, WinZO has raised USD 100 million. WinZO also champions Gaming for Good initiatives, including Play to Prevent Cancer with Tata Memorial Hospital.
IEIC: The Interactive Entertainment and Innovation Council is India’s largest community-led body for esports and interactive entertainment, with 80+ members including studios, investors, and legal experts. IEIC drives programs like the Bharat Tech Triumph Program, mentoring top game developers to position India as a global hub for interactive entertainment exports.
Business Finland: Business Finland is Finland’s government agency for innovation funding and trade promotion. Finland’s gaming cluster is globally recognized for its export-driven model, talent pool, and policy support, which produced world-famous IPs like Clash of Clans and Angry Birds.
