Game Makers of Finland

What Game Makers of Finland does

Game Makers of Finland (legal name Peliala ry) is a non-profit trade union founded in December 2017 in Helsinki, Finland, and the world's first labor association dedicated specifically to game industry workers. The organization serves Finnish game industry professionals across all roles — developers, designers, artists, producers, QA, audio, and other functions — as well as students pursuing IT or games degrees, regardless of educational background. Through its affiliation with Tietoala ry and Insinööriliitto (Union of Professional Engineers in Finland), GMoF delivers collective bargaining representation, legal advice, career coaching, unemployment insurance via KOKO, and salary benchmarking, and now covers approximately 20% of the country's roughly 4,300 game industry professionals.

The union operates on a subscription membership model with differentiated pricing: €38/month for standard full membership (2026), €36/year for existing Insinööriliitto members adding GMoF, €30 for a five-year student tier followed by €30/year until graduation, €120/year for pensioners, and application-based discounted rates for unemployment, family leave, or conscript service. Distribution is digital self-serve via a Webropol application form, with customer service outsourced to Insinööriliitto. GMoF supplements its core representation services with proprietary content products including an annual Salary Survey, the bi-weekly Gmoffi Corner article series (Industry Highlights, Gmoffi Insight, Game Maker Spotlights), a Game Industry Guide co-published with Insinööriliitto and SEUL, and a Member+ discount platform.

The organization has only six employees and is led by Executive Director Milla Pennanen, who simultaneously serves as ED of Tietoala ry, with a 17-person volunteer board providing governance and functional specialization (DEI, entrepreneurship, eSports, communications, member procurement, student affairs). GMoF generates no technology IP, has no funding rounds, and is structurally reliant on Insinööriliitto for institutional infrastructure; its competitive position is anchored in first-mover status as a game-industry-specific union and in its embedded regulatory position within Finland's broader professional engineers' union framework.

Name

Game Makers of Finland

Legal name

Peliala ry

Website

https://peliala.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Union Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

NIL Representation & Compliance Services (Student-Athletes) (MPAKAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

Keywords

• Trade union services
• Labor representation
• Professional membership
• Industry advocacy
• Career services

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues fund the union's operations, member services, and advocacy work. The membership fee of €38/month (2026) includes Game Makers of Finland, Tietoala ry, Insinööriliitto (Union of Professional Engineers in Finland), and KOKO unemployment fund membership. For existing Insinööriliitto members, GMoF membership costs €36/year. Student membership is €30 covering five years plus €30/year until graduation. Pensioner membership is €120/year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Game Makers of Finland (Peliala ry) is the world's first trade union for game industry workers and students, providing membership-based labor representation, collective agreement negotiation, legal advice, career coaching, salary surveys, unemployment support via KOKO, and professional networking. Members receive access to Insinööriliitto services, content publications (Gmoffi Corner articles, Salary Survey, Game Industry Guide), and member discounts through the Member+ platform. Membership is open to all professionals and students in the Finnish game industry regardless of role or educational background.

Product overview

Game Makers of Finland (Peliala ry) is the world's first trade union for game industry workers, offering membership-based services rather than a software product. The organization's service portfolio consists of professional membership with labour representation, career services through Insinööriliitto partnership, annual Salary Surveys for industry research, Gmoffi Corner article publications, educational guides on game industry employment, and event materials. Members receive access to legal advice, salary counselling, unemployment support, comprehensive insurance, professional networking, and training for personnel representatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Game Makers of Finland Membership Comprehensive membership providing professional security, career support, labour law assistance, and union representation for game industry workers and students in Finland. Includes legal advice, salary counselling, unemployment support via KOKO, comprehensive insurance, professional networking, and access to Insinööriliitto services.
• Annual Salary Survey Annual research publication gathering data on game industry wages, working conditions, and other relevant topics in Finland, serving both as a member engagement tool and as publicly available industry benchmarking data.
• Gmoffi Corner Bi-weekly article publication series covering Industry Highlights (partner/organization spotlights), Gmoffi Insights (practical guides on rights, work issues, career), and Game Maker Spotlights (member profiles) for game industry professionals.
• Game Industry Guide (Pelialan opas) Comprehensive educational guide developed in cooperation with Insinööriliitto and SEUL (Finnish esports federation) to help game industry professionals understand contracts, regulations, and employment relationships.

Quantifiable outcome

• Covers approximately 20% of Finnish game industry employees
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tietoala ry (Association of IT Sector Employees)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2017Game Makers of Finland is a member association of Tietoala ry, which is the IT sector employees' association within Insinööriliitto. This affiliation provides GMoF members access to the full range of Insinööriliitto services including legal advice, career coaching, salary surveys, and collective agreement representation.
• Insinööriliitto (Union of Professional Engineers in Finland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2017Through Tietoala ry, GMoF is part of Insinööriliitto, Finland's leading union for professional engineers. This provides members with unemployment insurance (KOKO), legal services, comprehensive insurance coverage, and institutional bargaining power. The membership invoice is issued by Insinööriliitto.
• We in Games Finland ry (WiGFi)minorOthersWiGFi is a non-profit promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Finnish game industry. GMoF cross-promotes with WiGFi and both organizations share aligned missions. WiGFi published office accessibility guidelines that GMoF promotes to its members.
• IGDA FinlandminorOthersFinnish local chapter of the International Game Developers Association, connecting game developers and promoting professional development. IGDA Finland co-hosts Finnish Games Week alongside W Love Games and GMoF's partner organizations.
• Sustainable Games Alliance (SGA)minorOthersSGA is a non-profit working to make games the most sustainable form of entertainment. GMoF is listed as a member of SGA. SGA's mission aligns with GMoF's interest in long-term industry health and responsible practices.
• NeogamesminorOthersThe umbrella organization for the Finnish game industry, advocating shared industry interests and providing reliable data. Neogames publishes industry reports (salary data, turnover figures) that GMoF references and links to on its website.
• Finnish Game Jam (FGJ)minorOthersNon-profit organizing game jam events across Finland for hobbyists. FGJ supports the game-making community and shares a broad audience with GMoF's mission to support those entering or working in the industry.
• W Love GamesminorOthersFinnish non-profit promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in global game development through programs and an annual Helsinki conference. W Love Games co-hosts Finnish Games Week and is featured in GMoF's Industry Highlights content series.
• NeogamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed alongside other Finnish game organizations. Neogames is the national umbrella body for the Finnish game industry providing data, advocacy, and networking that benefits GMoF members.
• Member+ (memberplus.fi)minorOthersMember+ is a benefits platform through which GMoF (and Insinööriliitto) members access everyday discounts and services including Cryptic Cargo (10% off games), Roberts Berrie (10% off), Eversheds legal advice, and leisure/hotel benefits.
• Cryptic CargominorOthersEscape room entertainment provider offering 10% discount on games to Insinööriliitto/GMoF members using code Ilry2021.
• Roberts BerrieminorOthersOnline retailer offering 10% discount to Insinööriliitto/GMoF members on their web store.
• Eversheds AsianajotoimistominorOthersLaw firm providing private legal advice services to Insinööriliitto/GMoF members as part of the union benefits package.
• Suomen elektronisen urheilun liitto (SEUL ry)minorOthersFinnish esports federation developing and promoting competitive gaming. GMoF collaborated with SEUL on the 2023 Game Industry Guide covering contracts, regulations, and employment relationships.
• KOKO Unemployment Insurance FundcoreOthersUnemployment insurance fund included in GMoF membership. Members can join KOKO through their GMoF membership, providing income security during unemployment. Particularly important for contract-based game industry workers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SAG-AFTRA: SAG-AFTRA is the large US entertainment union representing performers and media professionals in film, TV, and increasingly interactive media/games — a broader incumbent offering a relevant model of unionized representation in creative industries that has begun extending to game performers.
• Writers Guild of America: The WGA is a major US creative-industry union representing writers, including writers in interactive media — comparable to GMoF as a specialized union model for creative-industry workers that has expanded into the games space.

Emerging players

• Finnish Game Jam: Finnish Game Jam is a non-profit organizing game jam events across Finland for hobbyists and aspiring developers — an emerging player in the Finnish game-making community with overlapping audience and a community partnership with GMoF.
• W Love Games: W Love Games is a Finnish non-profit focused on DEI in global game development through programs and an annual Helsinki conference — operates in the same Finnish game industry community space as GMoF with a related but narrower mission.

Others

• Tietoala ry: Tietoala is the IT sector employees' association within Insinööriliitto and the immediate parent body of GMoF — comparable as an associated member organization providing industry-specific representation, though covering the broader IT sector rather than games only.
• Insinööriliitto (Union of Professional Engineers in Finland): Insinööriliitto is Finland's largest professional engineers' union and the parent organization that issues GMoF invoices and delivers core services (legal, KOKO, career coaching) — an upstream enabling partner rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Neogames Finland: Neogames is the umbrella industry organization for the Finnish game sector, providing industry data, advocacy, and networking — overlapping with GMoF's mission of advancing the Finnish game industry, though focused on studios rather than individual workers.
• IGDA Finland: IGDA Finland is the Finnish chapter of IGDA serving the local game developer community through events and networking — a directly comparable Finnish game industry community organization with overlapping event and educational activity.
• International Game Developers Association (IGDA): IGDA is the global professional association for game developers, focused on advocacy, professional development, and community for game industry workers — the most direct international analog to GMoF's mission of supporting and representing game industry employees.
• We in Games Finland (WiGFi): WiGFi is a Finnish non-profit promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Finnish game industry and is an explicit GMoF cross-promotion partner — a mission-aligned peer operating in the same Finnish game worker ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8VPXNlkMMbD4xBdWLaJtcA
• Facebookfacebook.com/gamemakersoffinland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/game-makers-of-finland
• Instagraminstagram.com/gamemakersoffinland
• TikToktiktok.com/@gamemakersoffinland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Game Makers of Finland