Sweden’s First Walk of Game Inaugurated in Skövde

On October 3, 2024, Skövde unveiled Sweden’s first and only Walk of Game, a unique installation celebrating the city’s prominent role in the video game industry. Located on Rådhusgatan in central Skövde, this gaming-focused version of the Walk of Fame pays tribute to the city’s remarkable achievements in game development.

Skövde has established itself as a major player in the global gaming scene through the focused and long-term efforts of Sweden Game Arena. Over the years, more than 100 companies have emerged from the Sweden Game Startup program, with some achieving significant success and selling millions of copies of their games.

Criteria for Inclusion

To be featured on Skövde’s Walk of Game, games must meet the following criteria:

• At least 3 million copies sold or 15 million downloads for free games
• Majority of the game (at least 50% of work hours before release) developed in Skövde
• Original concept

Games Honored

Five Skövde-developed games are now immortalized with bronze plaques on Rådhusgatan:

• Goat Simulator (Coffee Stain Studios, 2014)
• RAFT (Redbeet Interactive, 2022)
• Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios, 2024)
• Valheim (Iron Gate, 2021 early access)
• V Rising (Stunlock Studios, 2024)

“The gaming industry is an important piece in Skövde’s development, and we are very proud of the global successes our Skövde companies have reaped. I am both happy and proud to inaugurate Skövde Walk of Game today,”

Theres Sahlström, Chairperson of the Municipal Board in Skövde

Per Strömbäck, spokesperson for the Swedish Games Industry, who moderated the inauguration, commented:

“I have seen many attempts around the world, but nowhere has succeeded in what Skövde has: building a hit machine for games. The world gapes in amazement. However, the games have strangely difficult to take place in the public space. I hope that Walk of Game changes that.”

The inauguration took place during the ongoing Sweden Game Conference in Skövde and was officiated by Theres Sahlström. Visitors also enjoyed music from the games Valheim and V Rising performed on cello by Silia Hahne.

Tau Petersson, game destination developer at Next Skövde, expressed enthusiasm for the project:

“We are thrilled to have this manifestation of video games in central Skövde so that both Skövde residents and visitors can physically see the successes that Skövde’s video game companies have had over the years. We hope, of course, for further successes and that we will be able to expand with more bronze plaques in the future.”

Sweden Game Arena, which supports this initiative, is a platform offering a unique ecosystem for video games in Sweden, Västra Götaland, and Skövde. It brings together game education, research, entrepreneurship, and community with the goal of creating a growing and thriving Swedish gaming industry.

For more information about Skövde’s Walk of Game and the city’s gaming industry, visit Skövde Walk of Game and Sweden Game Arena.

Source: Next Skövde Press Release