Iceland is still a relative newcomer to the video game industry. While Japan, Europe, and North America have been producing juggernaut gaming franchises since the 1980s, Iceland rose to prominence in the gaming world a few decades later, withCCP Games’EVE Onlinebeing the nation’s first major video game hit in 2003.EVE Onlinehas continued to grow over the last 22 years, but it’s still one of the only major successes Iceland has had in the video game landscape. That’s whereIGIcomes in.
Releasing its first detailed report in 2019, theIcelandic Game Industry(IGI) is a company dedicated to promoting Iceland’s rapidly growing video game scene. IGI currently works with 20 separate Icelandic game studios, each one producing an assortment of promising titles. Game Rant recently had the chance to see six of these titles, and as IGI Chairman Halldór Snær Kristjánsson put it during our time there, Iceland’s gaming industry could be “on the cusp of greatness.”
Kards - 1939 Games
Release Date - Available Now
While the rest of the games are still in various stages of development, 1939 Games’Kardshas been out for quite some time. Initially released onSteam Early Accessin April 2019,Kards - The WW2 Collectible Card Gamehad its 1.0 PC release in April 2020 before coming to iOS and Android devices in June 2023.Kardsis afree-to-play CCGthat sees players collecting a range of WW2-inspired vehicles and infantry units, which they use to duke it out in 1v1 battles against AI or real-life opponents.Kardssits at an 80 on Metacritic.
1939 Games was founded by former CCP CEO Ívar Kristjánsson and former CCP Project Lead Guðmundur Kristjánsson. The vast majority of IGI’s studios contain at least one developer who used to work for CCP.
Pax Dei - Mainframe
Release Date - Available Now in Early Access
One of the more high-profile IGI games in development,Pax Deiis a social sandbox MMObeing developed by Mainframe Industries. Much likeEVE Online,Pax Deioffers players an immense open-world sandbox and encourages them to form social connections and work alongside one another to create memorable experiences.Pax Deiis currently available on Steam Early Access, with no official word yet on when it might fully release.
Dig In - Vitar Games
Release Date - TBA
The Icelandic word for “lighthouse,” Vitar Games was founded by Baldvin Albertsson, a professionally trained theater actor and director who decided to make the bold leap into the video game industry when he came up with a unique idea for aWW1 game. Albertsson longed to make a game that merged the brutality of war with optimistic humanity, one that allowed players to create their own sprawling network of trenches.
Dig Inis the result of that desire. Described as “RimWorldmeetsCompany of Heroes,“Dig Inwill see players commanding a battalion of WW1-era soldiers as they attempt to gradually push the Axis forces back. Players will need to dig trenches, set up defenses, and coordinate large-scale assaults. Unlike mostRTS games,Dig Inrequires players to plan their commands carefully, as issuing an order isn’t instantaneous, with Runners needing to deliver the message in real time.
Dig Inis still in Pre-Alpha, but Vitar Games already has some big plans for its future, including eventual Steam Workshop support.
Island of Winds - Parity Games
Release Date - 2025
Currently set for a 2025 release,Island of Windsis an adventure puzzle gameinspired by 17th-century Icelandic folklore. Players take on the role of Brynhildur, a Balance Keeper who needs to use her magical abilities to cure her homeland of a mysterious blight. Rather than kill the assortment of folklore-inspired monsters that come after them, players will need to cure or avoid their adversaries and exercise empathy at all times.
Walk of Life - Porcelain Fortress
Release Date - Q3 2025
Back in February 2019, Porcelain Fortress released a fast-paced, board game-like life-sim titledNo Time to Relax, in which up to four players compete to achieve the best life possible. Players need to manage their hunger, health, and happiness, while also ensuring they have enough cash to satiate their character’s needs and wants.
No Time to Relaxearned quite the cult following a little while after it was released and, after a few years of working on other projects, Porcelain Fortress is ready to return to its frantic life-sim format. Set to release in Q3 2025,Walk of Lifetakes the foundations ofNo Time to Relax’s 4-player chaosand refines it, delivering an even more vibrant art style, even more irreverent humor, and even more ways to mess with friends' lives.
Gang of Frogs - Aska Studios
A four-player co-op shooter,Gang of Frogssees players take on the role of an amphibious gunslinging pirate who’s tasked with extracting some precious goo from a planet’s surface. MuchlikeVampire Survivors, defeated enemies inGang of Frogswill drop orbs. Picking up these orbs will increase the player’s XP, and once they hit a new level, they’ll be able to unlock an instant upgrade for their character or weapon.
Between levels,Gang of Frogspresents players with a card store where they can purchase powerful new abilities and upgrades. With some punchy audio design, aTreasure Planet-inspired art style, and some responsive shooting mechanics,Gang of Frogsis certainly one to keep an eye on.
