Celebrating 5 years among Malmö’s thriving gaming community
Five years ago, Danish game developer IO Interactive (IOI), renowned for titles like HITMAN World of Assassination, made a strategic move to expand their operations in southern Sweden and to be part of the growing game development scene in Malmö. At the time, Invest in Skåne supported them in the establishment process of a new game studio. Fast forward to 2024, as IO Interactive celebrates five fruitful years in Malmö and 25 years in the industry.
We talked to Sandra Smedegaard Mondahl, Studio Manager in Malmö, to uncover the secrets behind IOI’s enduring success and explore the impact of their Malmö establishment on the company's steps forward.
Five years in Malmö and 25 years in existence. That is a milestone. What's the secret behind your success?
From what I've seen over the past five years, the IOI-secret sauce boils down to transparency, trust in each other, and striving to fulfil our potential. We're not afraid to speak up with things get hard, nor are we afraid to ask for help or guidance when we're in unchartered waters. That's how we grow, it’s how we develop, and it is most certainly the recipe to create games in an ever-changing environment.
Our priorities enable us to set our team up for success with one unified goal for all our locations – which is to make impactful games! For me, this approach is most certainly what has made the first five years of IOI Malmö feel like an integral and integrated part of the group and collectively have an impact on both Project 007, Project Fantasy, our Glacier engine, and beyond.
Your establishment in Malmö seems to be a critical step on your path to success. What do you think makes Malmö/Skåne a gamedev hotspot?
The reason to open a studio in Malmö most definitely came from the huge local talent pool that is to be found here. The great other studios, the local schools, and Game Habitat are all catalysts for a great ecosystem. We wanted to get on that train and benefit from it as well, but also contribute to the growth of the Öresund region and the unique games industry community that can be found here across both Denmark and Sweden.
We're grateful to have assembled a fantastic team of ambitious, passionate, and boundary-pushing individuals who keep on delivering truly inspiring work throughout the development of the projects. At the end of the day, it is the talent, drive, and forward-thinking game developers under the roof of IOI who make it possible for us to deliver the exceptional experiences IOI is known for. Furthermore, seeing our developers across countries join forces in creating these experiences for our players by uniting their experiences and talent is in all honesty humbling.
