Stugan Announcement

Stockholm: 17 November 2014: Sweden’s most influential video game developers and entrepreneurs are supporting a new non-profit accelerator program for aspiring video game developers named Stugan. The initiative is being overseen and catered to by Sweden’s leading individuals in the games industry including participation from Oskar Burman (Rovio), Tommy Palm (King Digital Entertainment), Christofer Sundberg (Avalanche Studios), and developers from the likes of Mojang and others.  Stugan aims to assist the burgeoning community of talented yet undiscovered game developers across the globe.
 
The word Stugan means “the cabin” in Swedish and it is also a throwback to the name of the first Swedish commercial computer game made in 1978. Since then, the country’s revenue from video games has grown to nearly 1B USD (6.55B SEK). 
 
“Revenues in Sweden’s games industry grew 76 percent last year with employment growing nearly 30 percent,” said Per Strömbäck spokesperson of trade body Swedish Games Industry. “Talent is a big part of the secret to the success of Swedish games. Stugan is a brilliant concept, because it invests in talent, giving new developers new opportunities and adding to the good karma of generosity within the Swedish games community.”
 
“The Swedish games industry has catapulted into the forefront of game development over the last decade with some of the world’s most popular games including Minecraft, Candy Crush Saga, Just Cause and others,” said long-time games industry veteran Tommy Palm. “Stugan has been created to share the deep rooted insights behind these hit games, while inspiring and encouraging students and young designers from around the world so their ideas and talents can ultimately translate into blockbuster hits as well.”
 
Twenty aspiring game developers will be selected to spend eight weeks with all expenses paid in a traditional “Stugan” in the Swedish countryside, where they will be supported and mentored while building their games during the summer 2015. Top Swedish and international games industry thought leaders will visit the cabin and hold lectures and workshops around their respective areas of focus with an aim to inspire excellence. Unlike traditional accelerator programs, all participants will keep the rights to the games they work on.
 
Individuals or small teams can begin applying in January 2015. At the end of the project, the developers will present their work to potential publishers, sponsors and investors at an event in Stockholm. For more information visit www.stugan.com and on twitter: www.twitter.com/stugan_
 
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About Stugan:
Stugan is a non-profit organization that organizes the annual accelerator program for aspiring game developers. Stugan leverages the expertise of the established Swedish game industry and aims to provide opportunities for shepherding up-and-coming game designers and developers through development, publishing, marketing and more for ensuring a successful games launch. Stugan is supported by individuals including Oskar Burman, General Manager of Rovio Stockholm, Tommy Palm, Games Guru at King Digital Entertainment and Christofer Sundberg, Founder & Creative Director at Avalanche Studios.  For more information visit www.stugan.com and on twitter: www.twitter.com/stugan_
 
King Digital Entertainment and Candy Crush Saga are trademarks of King.com Ltd. Other trade names are trademarks of their respective owners.
 
Contact:
Paul Brady
Consort Partners for Stugan
Tel. 646-491-2777
paul@consortpartners.com