New Delhi- In a significant move to boost cross-border collaboration in the interactive entertainment space, WinZO, Business Finland, and the Interactive Entertainment and Innovation Council (IEIC) have announced a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing synergies between India and Finland’s gaming ecosystems. This landmark initiative focuses on co-creating innovative, export-ready gaming content from India, inspired by Finland’s globally acclaimed gaming success story.
The collaboration is set to harness Finland’s strengths in building a globally competitive gaming cluster and India’s scale and diversity in interactive entertainment. As the first step, a detailed case study on Finland’s gaming success will be launched at the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi, serving as both a learning resource and a blueprint for Indian stakeholders.
Finland’s gaming industry has become a global benchmark, with more than USD 3.9 billion in annual revenue, 98% of which comes from exports. The country has produced iconic games like Angry Birds (Rovio) and Clash of Clans (Supercell), backed by forward-thinking government policies, game-focused education, and long-term public investments through institutions such as Business Finland.
Meanwhile, India, home to over 600 million gamers and accounting for nearly 20% of global mobile game downloads, represents one of the fastest-growing gaming markets globally. With a rich and diverse user base, a thriving creator economy, and increasing developer participation, India is now poised to transition from being a major consumer of games to an exporter of culturally relevant and globally appealing gaming IPs.
H.E. Ambassador of Finland in India, Kimmo Lähdevirta, highlighted the synergy between the two countries, stating:
“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, added, “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, emphasized the opportunity for India to become a global content leader: “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 strategic alliance will also foster a dynamic exchange of talent, knowledge, and resources, opening up new markets, investment opportunities, and co-creation of initiatives across education, cultural diplomacy, and social impact. It will also establish a platform for structured dialogue between governments, regulators, and industry leaders, focused on policy frameworks that enable long-term innovation and competitiveness in gaming.
At its core, the partnership aims to build a sustainable innovation corridor between India and Finland—empowering developers and startups to collaborate, scale, and create globally relevant IP. By combining Finland’s legacy of creative excellence with India’s vast market and cultural diversity, this initiative is set to redefine global leadership in interactive entertainment.
