Exploring the €3.1 billion Swedish Games Industry and HTML5's Place in It

In Sweden, the gaming industry has already eclipsed the €3 billion mark. In fact, according to October 2023 reports relaying 2022 data, the revenue generated by companies within Sweden hit €3.1 billion. It showcases an incredible year-on-year growth rate of 13 percent, but the income didn’t stop there. Swedish game companies collected a total of €8.1 billion when you combine international sales with the €3.1 billion of domestic sales.

While the Embracer Group did account for €3.5 billion on their own following a rampant acquisition spree, that still leaves €4.6 billion being generated by the country’s other gaming companies. So, it’s a thriving and growing market for game sales and game development, but which companies are leading the way, and does HTML5 development have a role to play?

Titans of the global industry

Sweden is home to several of the biggest and highest-earning game studios and companies in the world. The highlight act of the nation’s foray into gaming, though, is very clearly Mojang. In 2009, the Markus Persson-made Minecraft was released with its Java Version, and it rapidly caught on with gamers. Well over 300 million copies have now been sold across all platforms, and in 2014, Microsoft purchased the studio for $2.5 billion.

Next up is DICE. Their efforts with the Medal of Honor and, later, Call of Duty competitor Battlefield, which first arrived in 2002, sold millions of units. Again, a massive American company came knocking, with Electronic Arts paying $24 million to buy the studio. Perhaps the highest-earning Swedish gaming product, however, is Candy Crush Saga.

Launched in 2012 for the App Store, the Swedish-made game app’s creator, King, was also acquired by a US company. Activision Blizzard forked over a massive $5.9 billion for the app game creator in 2015, and that could be seen as cheap now. Earlier this year, Candy Crush Saga eclipsed five billion downloads and $20 billion in revenue, welcoming its 15,000th level.

HTML5’s place in Swedish gaming

HTML5 remains the standard to create games made for web-browsing players. Companies like Mobile Pie and the Sigma Software Group are based in Sweden and develop games in HTML5. As for available games, some of the best on Itch.io are made with a Swedish language option, showcasing the appeal within the Scandinavian nation. Easily the largest sector still leaning heavily on HTML5, however, is Swedish iGaming.

A couple of the most highly-respected developers used by the top-rated casinos online come from Sweden and are all-in on HTML5 development. NetEnt is one of the most storied developers, creating hits like Starburst and Gonzo’s Quest, while Play’n GO developed one of the most popular online slots of all time, Book of Dead.

In 2017, NetEnt announced that it’d convert to HTML5 upgrades, but in 2015, fellow Swede Yggdrasil Gaming launched its own HTML5 framework with the new slot The Dark Joker Rizes. Both NetEnt and Yggdrasil Gaming remain firmly entrenched in Sweden and continue to develop new slots for the millions of iGaming fans around the world and in their home nation.

Sweden owns huge names in video gaming and iGaming, allowing it a multi-billion stake in the industry, much of which is generated within its own borders. In the years to come, Swedish gaming only looks to become more prominent.

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