Vesa Raudasoja
Vesa Raudasoja | |
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| Nationality | Finnish |
| Citizenship | Finnish |
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| Website | linkedin |
Vesa Raudasoja is an awarded Finnish game industry ecosystem developer, community builder, and business advisor with nearly two decades of experience. His extensive work has contributed significantly to building and nurturing the Finnish game industry,[1] promoting international collaboration, and establishing long-term structures that support innovation, inclusivity, and entrepreneurship in games and culture.
Early Career
Raudasoja's professional journey began in hands-on game development.[2] While studying game development, he co-founded his first studio, working on an episodic interactive story game, which marked his entry into the industry as both a creator and a team leader. He took on roles in quality assurance, production, and coordination. At Remedy Entertainment, he was responsible for black-box testing on AAA titles Alan Wake and Alan Wake: American Nightmare for the Xbox 360. He continued to broaden his production experience at Kyy Games, where he worked as the producer of a multicultural team developing three simultaneous game projects, including Cabals: The Card Game, released across multiple platforms. These formative years provided Raudasoja with a practical foundation in both the technical and creative dimensions of game development, laying the groundwork for his later work in business advisory and ecosystem strategy.
From there, he worked as Associate Producer at Aritunes Ltd, where he led a video production team of ten professionals and contributed to business development for a podcast initiative. His work across platforms and production types gave him a deep understanding of both the creative and technical dimensions of game development. This led to the co-founding of Dev.tv in 2017, a multimedia company focused on creating services and educational content for game developers.
These early years equipped him with the operational knowledge and leadership experience that would later support his shift toward ecosystem development, startup consulting, and international collaboration.
Ecosystem Development and Business Advisory
Raudasoja has long been a driving force behind regional, national, and international game industry development. From 2019 to 2022, he served as a Business Advisor at NewCo Helsinki, where he supported early-stage startups—particularly in the gaming and creative technology sectors—through practical mentoring, ecosystem coordination, and public sector cooperation. He played a key role in organizing developer meetups and strengthening Helsinki’s position as a game startup hub.
In 2022, Raudasoja was recruited to Saudi Arabia to serve as Business Development Lead at Nine66, a subsidiary of Savvy Games Group, a national-scale initiative aimed at transforming the Kingdom into a global gaming powerhouse. There, he spearheaded strategic efforts to map the local game development landscape, advise emerging studios, establish an IGDA chapter, and foster international partnerships. His work helped build foundational infrastructure for Saudi Arabia’s growing game ecosystem.
After returning to Finland in 2023, he rejoined Business Helsinki, where he currently advises creative industry entrepreneurs, with a continued focus on games and transmedia. He supports founders in areas such as business modeling, funding navigation, and internationalization, while also contributing to the organization of key industry events and public-private collaboration projects.
International Work and Game Industry Diplomacy
Raudasoja has been a prominent advocate for using games as a tool for international collaboration, cultural exchange, and soft diplomacy. He has represented Finland in numerous cross-border initiatives, helping to shape dialogue around games and creative industries on a global scale.
As a consultant and mentor in EU-funded programs such as Game Camps, he facilitated transnational startup teams and supported entrepreneurial cooperation between Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Sweden. His work enabled emerging developers to build sustainable businesses that crossed both cultural and geographic boundaries.
Between 2019 and 2020, Raudasoja took part in a pioneering educational project in Uganda, led by Finn Church Aid. The initiative introduced game development as a means of teaching digital literacy and entrepreneurial thinking to youth in Kampala. This project exemplified his belief in the transformative power of games in education and development contexts.
He has also provided strategic guidance to emerging game ecosystems in Africa and the Middle East, advising on ecosystem design, community building, and policy development. Raudasoja’s ability to connect developers, institutions, and policy actors across borders has made him a respected voice in global discussions on games, innovation, and international cooperation.
Leadership and Advocacy in the Games Industry
A tireless community organizer, Raudasoja has held numerous leadership positions in the Finnish and international game industry. Notably, he made history as the first non-U.S. Chairperson of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA HQ), the world’s largest volunteer organization for game developers.[3][4]
In addition to his leadership roles, Raudasoja has mentored countless startups and developers throughout his career, offering guidance in areas ranging from game production and business development to ecosystem strategy and international growth.[5][6]
- Active Member, IGDA Finland (2006–present)
- Board Member, International Game Developers Association HQ (2016–2020)
- Chairperson, IGDA HQ (2018–2020) — first non-U.S. person in this role in the organization’s history[7][8]
- Co-founder & Vice-Chair, Finnish Game Jam Association (2013–present)
- Board Member, Neogames Finland (2017–2021)
- Co-founder & Vice-Chair, WLoveGames Association (2019–present)
- Co-founder & Lead Organizer, IGDA Riyadh (2022–2023)
- Jury member, Game Developers World Championship competition (2017-2021)
Awards and Recognition
- Suomi-palkinto (Finland Prize) – Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture (2018)[9] Awarded in recognition of cultural contributions through Finnish Game Jam and the broader impact on Finland’s creative sector.
- Lifetime Achievement Award – IGDA Finland (2015) Honored with a personal award for his long-standing and transformational role in building Finland’s game development community.
- Sensation of the Year – Finnish Game Awards (2015) Granted to Finnish Game Jam under his leadership for its innovation, inclusivity, and grassroots influence on the industry.
Personal Life
Outside of his professional pursuits, Raudasoja is known for his curiosity across disciplines—from systems thinking to speculative fiction. He enjoys traveling, exploring new cultures through local cuisines, and playing video games with friends. A lifelong learner, he regularly attends industry conferences and academic seminars even outside his field of expertise. Raudasoja is also an advocate for sustainable living and supports various civic initiatives related to digital literacy and youth empowerment.
Gallery
References
- ↑ "IGDA Finland Blog – Tag: IGDA". IGDA Finland. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ↑ "Vesa-Matti Raudasoja". MobyGames. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ↑ Ropponen, Juho (4 March 2016). "Suomalainen valittiin kansainvälisen pelijärjestön johtoon". Iltalehti. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ↑ Takahashi, Dean (4 December 2018). "Why the game dev group will benefit from non-U.S. board chair". VentureBeat. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ↑ "Aalto Creative Demo Day". Aalto University. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ↑ "Uusi videosarja suomalaisista pelintekijöistä". Pelit. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ↑ "Kansainvälisen pelinkehittäjien järjestön johtoon suomalainen Vesa Raudasoja". Visionist. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ↑ "IGDA Appoints New Chair Vesa Raudasoja". Variety. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ↑ "Alumni Paola Suhonen ja Finnish Game Jam -yhdistykselle Suomi-palkinnot". Aalto University. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2025.