NAMIDA’s M&C Manager Antti Linnola goes super at Gametime with Google

The first annual Gametime with Google event at Kaivohuone, Helsinki, on the 1st of June pooled the combined knowledge of 100 top decision makers in Finnish mobile gaming industry. Guest speakers from mobile game company giants, such as Supercell, Seriously and Next Games, provided valuable insight to the invitees eager to pick the lecturers’ brains while the international squad of Googlers on site offered their own business solutions to game development and market growth.

The series of captivating lectures started off with a short and sweet introduction to the contemporary Finnish game industry by KooPee Hiltunen from Neogames. Everyone knows of Finland’s unprecedented success in the mobile gaming industry but only few dare to take an educated guess what’s going to be the next big thing in the industry. (The secret answer is e-sports!)

KooPee Hiltunen from Neogames is an unparalleled expert of the Finnish game industry

Jörkki Hyvönen, the Head of Analytics at Next Games, offered a peek into the alpha analyst’s brain to the awe and bewilderment of the audience. However challenging his Big Data mapping could seem to the less-mathematically inclined minds, Hyvönen estimates his team of “analyst infiltrators” have saved their company tens of millions of euros. This guy might be onto something really BIG!

What’s cooking in the brilliant mind of Jörkki Hyvönen?

Seriously Digital Entertainment‘s Chief Creative Officer, Petri Järvilehto, climbed onto the stage armed with a fiendishly engaging multimedia presentation about Seriously’s ingenious marketing strategy with YouTube influencers. Their early decision to target this previously untapped blue ocean marketing battlefield has certainly proven more than fruitful to the company behind the Best Fiends phenomenon gone global. It is not always clear what your output will be when you are herding cats, an analogy they playfully use at Seriously about working with YouTubers, but often the result is something truly beautiful, definitely original, and if you’re really, really lucky, viral.

Influencing Influencers 101 by Petri Järvilehto

The final guest speaker before the free networking “Bonus Level”, Jaakko Harlas heads Supercell‘s investment and business development activities and discussed Supercell’s business partnership with Google together with Google Play’s Business Development Manager EMEA Tobias Knoke. Pro tip for working with Google – get your data ready to back up your case. It helps. Together, you may even come up with mutually beneficial new innovations.

Tobias Knoke from Google Play with Supercell’s finance aficionado, Jaakko Harlas

Since Knoke is responsible for developing the ecosystem of Google Play Games in Western Europe, after the final lecture representatives from every game company lined up to get a word to the man how to get their mobile game featured on Google Play. You should already know the answer to this conundrum; the key lies within the data and in the right kind of data, to be precise.

The evening entertainment was provided by Miika Kenttämies and the other talented Yousicians proving that their app can really teach you how to take your musical skills to the next level. Yousician is the perfect example how often the most innovative new ideas start from a hobby or a need to improve and lead up to a successful business.

The key is at your fingertips

From behalf of NAMIDA, big thanks to the lovely hosts Yacine Samb and Juho Juhantalo and the other good folks at Google for inviting us to exchange thoughts with other top decision makers in the Finnish gaming industry. See you again next year when it’s Gametime!

The Googlers

 

This week, our Oulu branch moved into their brand new office on the recently opened Finnish game development campus. Representatives of other companies already settled on the campus welcomed our guys with coffee and cookies while discussing excitedly of upcoming chances to organize campus networking events. Seems like we picked the right spot for our new office!

The Oulu Game Campus was opened in 2016 through a joint venture by Finnish game development studio Fingersoft Ltd, known for their fast-paced Hill Climb Racing mobile games, and a local construction company, Rakennusteho. Fingersoft already occupies a part of the renovated campus and has invited many other pioneering game developers to do the same. The aim of the Oulu Game Campus is to establish a synergistic hub of like-minded companies and prove that the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts. Together, this nexus hive mind can accomplish more than any single entrepreneur and attract more business to Oulu.

What a place for fresh adventures!

Creating a solid foundation for any brand is important. We based NAMIDA on four distinct company values, guidelines to follow on our journey. We have big plans for this year but to establish our goals clearly, we wanted to define ourselves first. Namida Diamond Factory Ltd. comes equipped with a brand image, a vision, a mission and values that suit the company’s profile. The NAMIDA brand encompasses four color-coded core functions, each with their own slogan. In this blog post, we’re going to dive into the deeper meaning behind the colors and the words we associate with them.

CEO Daniel lays out Namida’s four core values to visitors of IGDA’s Game Day event in Oulu, Finland.

NAMIDA = FRESH ENERGY.

This sums up the spirit of our company and what we are: a vitalizing force to rejuvenate the game industry. We have made great changes and have been empowered with fresh energy, willpower and a powerful emotional link towards all our endeavors.

Red symbolizes all this because it is the color of deep emotion, passion and love, things we want to evoke in people through our actions.

DIAMOND = ALL BRILLIANT.

We want our company to create brilliant games by polishing them closer and closer towards perfection. This way of thinking applies to everything we set out to do. Our products stand for high quality, attractive design, reliability and uncompromising will to create diamonds.

Blue is the color of the sky, the only limit for our top notch games.

FACTORY = ROCKING TRIBE.

People are the key element of our operation. Whether it be gamers or our own employees, each one of us has a distinct role to play. Together, we are able to pool our unique resources together and develop internationally successful games.

The yellow color symbolizes creativity, happiness, light and warmth that comes from the joy of cooperation.

LTD. = GAME CHANGER.

We presented the game industry a brand new operational model that will change the nature of designing and producing games. By merging two startups into a seasoned corporation, we have created a company that is greater than the sum of its parts and can make our wildest dreams into reality. Now, we are empowered with diverse experience, bold vision and the vitality of startup culture.

Green is the color of our constantly reforming and developing company.

So there you go, these are the values that light Namida’s path. Our values remind us where we came from, why we are here, and where we want to go. We hope you too will share in our success story and enjoy the ride. Game on.

Loaded with fresh energy, our rocking tribe will be the game changer of the game industry and publish all brilliant games.

 

At Namida, we’re all on the same boat and many hands are required to keep our vessel steady and its sails full. At our game studio in Oulu, we have managers, designers, artists, writers, coders, and coordinators working hand in hand to reach new worlds. At the helm stands our esteemed captain, Daniel, with his hands wrapped firmly around the steering wheel. Occasionally, capable crew members are recruited and welcomed to climb aboard. Sometimes, even ships may join forces to ride the tide together. This autumn, we got the privilege to witness such a grand event.

About a year ago, the ever-expanding mobile game company Namida Games was founded in Oulu, Finland. To commemorate this occasion, today we unveil Namida Blog, a place where our dedicated writers can share their thoughts about the industry, and life overall.

The first update shall be about Namida Games’ roots, which go deep into the fertile land of Japan. Namida (kanji sign 涙) is Japanese and means “teardrops”. Japan has an incredibly rich culture with a plethora of myths and beliefs. One creation myth in particular has inspired Namida in their path towards immortality and that is the tale of Izanagi (The Male Who Invites) and Izanami (The Female Who Invites).

When the Earth was still young, these two supreme gods looked down from the heavens and began to create life to where there was none. Into the primeval ocean, they stirred life with a jeweled spear. When Izanagi and Izanami lifted the spear, drops of enchanted water fell back to the surface of the ocean and formed the very first land on Earth, the island of Onogoro. This reflects the real-life existence of Pangaea, the supercontinent from which all other continents originate. On Onogoro, Izanagi and Izanami built their temple and got married. Soon after, Izanami gave birth to eight children, who became the first islands of Japan.

Later on, Izanagi and Izanami created more gods to populate Japan. Among these was Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun. Male and female deities formed the undulating mountains, flowing rivers and soothing winds. But the birth of Kagutsuchi, the god of fire, burned Izanami badly. As she lay dying, even more gods were born from the tears of the grief-stricken Izanagi.

Like this creation myth, also Namida’s origin story is meant to be written down. These stories are born, live on, and finally spiral outwards to spawn even more tales of wonder. Thank you for being part of our ongoing journey!