The company behind the globally successful Angry Birds video game has chosen London for the site of its first game studio outside Scandinavia, shrugging off any concerns over the future of the City’s tech industry in the face of Brexit.
In a statement on Monday, Rovio said that it aims to build a team of over 20 in London over the next two years.
The studio will be the Finnish developer's fifth. The company currently has three in Espoo, Finland and one in Stockholm, Sweden.
“Our business is profitably growing and London is the most logical place for us to found a new studio,” said Antti Viitanen, a senior vice president for studios at Rovio.
He added that having a presence in the city would “complement our overall global mix of internal and external developers.”
Technology was flagged as one of the Britain’s industries that would suffer most in the wake of the Brexit vote. Leading tech firms and start-ups expressed concerns after the June referendum, with some warning that restrictions on the movements of people could make London less attractive in the long term.
However, months after the referendum, the sector has received a significant boost. Several companies have increased their investment in the capital.
Snap, the company behind the messaging app Snapchat, said last week it would make London the home of its international operations.
Google said in November that it would hire another 3,000 engineers and other staff in a £1bn investment in London. Sundai Pichai, the company’s chief executive, admitted at the time to having reservations after the referendum verdict, but said he would not be dissuaded from establishing a new campus in King’s Cross.
Around the same time, Facebook said it would hire another 500 employees in the UK, boosting its British headcount by 50 per cent. It is also preparing to open new London offices this year.
