Sweden’s First Walk of Game Inaugurated in Skövde
Photographer: Lisa Mikko/upplevskovde.se
On October 3, 2024, the Walk of Game was inaugurated in Skövde. This installation is one-of-a-kind and the only one like it in Sweden. Located on Rådhusgatan in downtown Skövde, it offers a Swedish version of the Walk of Fame — dedicated, of course, to video games, a perfect fit for Skövde!
A focused, long-term effort through Sweden Game Arena has put Skövde on the world map in video gaming. Over the years, more than 100 companies have been launched through Science Park Skövde’s startup program for games, Sweden Game Startup, and some of these have achieved major success, with games that have reached millions of players.
Five Skövde-developed games are now honored with bronze plaques on Rådhusgatan. To be included in Skövde’s Walk of Game, games must meet the following criteria:
- At least 3 million copies sold or 15 million downloads (for free games)
- At least 50% of the game’s development time completed in Skövde
- An original concept
"The video game industry is a vital piece of Skövde’s development, and we’re immensely proud of the global successes our local companies have achieved. I’m thrilled to be able to inaugurate the Skövde Walk of Game," said Theres Sahlström, Chairperson of the Skövde Municipal Council.
The games honored for their success are:
- Goat Simulator (Developer: Coffee Stain Studios, Release Year: 2014)
- RAFT (Developer: Redbeet Interactive, Release Year: 2022)
- Satisfactory (Developer: Coffee Stain Studios, Release Year: 2024)
- Valheim (Developer: Iron Gate, Release Year: 2021 Early Access)
- V Rising (Developer: Stunlock Studios, Release Year: 2024)
Per Strömbäck, spokesperson for Dataspelsbranschen, who also acted as moderator at the inauguration, commented:
“I’ve seen many attempts around the world, but nowhere has managed to accomplish what Skövde has: to build a hit-making machine for games. The world looks on in amazement. Yet, these games rarely find a place in public spaces. I hope Walk of Game will change that.”
The inauguration was held during the ongoing Sweden Game Conference in Skövde and was led by Theres Sahlström, the Chairperson of the Municipal Council. During the unveiling of the bronze plaques, visitors were treated to music from Valheim and V Rising, performed on cello by Silia Hahne.
"We’re thrilled to see this celebration of video games take shape in the heart of Skövde so that both locals and visitors can experience the success Skövde-based video game companies have had over the years,” said Tau Petersson, Destination Developer for video games at Next Skövde. “We hope for continued successes and the chance to add more bronze plaques in the future.”