If you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed that Sweden has been stepping up their entertainment game. We’ve been seeing Swedish actors rise to the top in Hollywood, Swedish authors writing the next best-seller and all kinds of other forms of entertainment being dominated by the Swedish component. It’s truly their time in the spotlight, so let’s talk a bit about the growing entertainment industry in Sweden and what that means, internationally.
Swedish crime novels are in
When it comes to literature, there is one name that’s currently on everyone’s lips: Stieg Larsson. Famed crime author, Larsson has been making waves with his Millennium trilogy – “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2005), “The Girl Who Played with Fire” (2006), and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest” (2007).
All three best-sellers were published posthumously, due to the author’s 2004 death. Although it’s been cut short (initially having been planned to be a 10-novel series), the series put Sweden on the international map as far as crime fiction goes and generated a new interest for Swedish literature.
Cinematography is gaining traction
The same popular trilogy also inspired some extremely well-received films, all launched into cinemas in 2009. The most popular of the series remains “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. In addition to the Stieg Larsson inspired flicks, other notable mentions are Pioneer (2013), Northwest (2013) and The Hunt (2012), but also TV dramas like Borgen, Beck, The Killing, or Wallander. Cinematography is one of the niches to keep an eye on.
Swedes enjoy video games – and they’re good at them
And speaking of quality entertainment, gaming is gaining more and more traction among all age groups and sexes as one of the primary modes of entertainment of the new generation. Whether using a PC, an X-box, other gaming consoles, or just a smartphone, everyone is spending time playing games lately, and some of the most popular releases are coming from Swedish brands and developers.
The giant hit Minecraft was released by Mojang before being acquired by Microsoft in 2014, for a whopping $2.5 billion. But this wildly popular game isn’t the only success story coming out of Sweden. Swedish developers also gave us EA Dice, and according to recent statistics presented by Seattle Times, the Swedes have a massive concentration of video-game studios per capita. They’re in second place worldwide, with only Finland surpassing them. But video games aren’t the only games Sweden has an appetite for. Companies like Mr Green casino bring the casino experience to the everyday man and follow a trend that can be observed worldwide.
People are more and more interested in gambling right at home and companies like this make a wide range of games (around 700) accessible to them, from well-known casino games brands including Realistic Games, Extreme Live Gaming, Microgaming, Push Gaming, Playtech, Core Gaming, Evolution, NetEnt, Inspired Gaming, Iron Dog Studios, IGT, Big Time Gaming, and several others.
As you can see, the entertainment industry in Sweden is really booming. From literature to cinematography and gaming, the industry is developing in every direction, making Sweden a real contender on the international scene.