DreamHack 2025: When Visibility Becomes a Strategic Asset for Early-Stage Game Studios
Blog post by Leslie Alfredsson, Cluster Developer, Press Start Game Hub
“When more than 60,000 people gather in one place, visibility becomes one of the most important strategic resources for early-stage studios.”
DreamHack Stockholm is not just a festival. It is one of the few occasions in Sweden where audiences, creators, and the industry move within the same space at the same time. In 2025, DreamHack set a new attendance record with over 60,000 visitors at Stockholmsmässan in Älvsjö, with attendees coming from 70 countries, according to the organizers.
For an early-stage studio, this is not only about energy and inspiration. It is an opportunity to make visibility measurable. Wishlists that build a pipeline ahead of launch. New followers who become a community. Testers who provide honest feedback. Relationships that strengthen the next step, both creatively and commercially.
About Press Start Game Hub
Press Start Game Hub is based in Flemingsberg and is an ecosystem for studios and entrepreneurs in games and game tech. We bring together community, testbeds, networks, business development, and playtesting under one roof, enabling teams to find the right people, receive early feedback, and move faster.
We welcome entrepreneurs from across the Stockholm region who want to create, test, and scale in an environment where creativity meets knowledge and business in practice.
Press Start spans both game development and game tech. We support entrepreneurs building technology, serious games, and entertainment games—covering the full spectrum where games meet innovation, education, health, behavior change, and the digital experiences of the future.
What did you do at DreamHack?
At DreamHack, we were on site together with studios from the Press Start ecosystem. Dandelion Developers, Studio Onira, Glimeria Studios, Coyote Time Productions, and Super Seeded represented the breadth of our community—from creative game experiences to teams building with a clear ambition to grow.
Our focus was on creating visibility and concrete next steps for each studio. The teams met audiences, showcased their games, tested live, and received direct feedback on gameplay, pitching, and presentation. We actively worked to make it easy for visitors to take the next step on site—adding games to their wishlists, following the studios, and continuing the relationship after the festival.
DreamHack became both a stage and a real-time test environment where our studios could refine their offerings, strengthen their positioning, and bring clear insights back home.
What goals did you have for attending DreamHack, and what messages did you bring?
We had three goals.
First, to create measurable traction for our studios, particularly through wishlists, followers, and new testers.
Second, to establish relationships with potential for long-term collaboration, business development, and continued dialogue with relevant industry stakeholders.
Third, to position Flemingsberg and Press Start as a place where games and game tech are developed with both creative and commercial excellence.
Our message was clear: Press Start is an ecosystem that makes it easier to build, test, and scale—through community and professional support, and through an environment where ideas meet reality early.
Flemingsberg’s role in the future game scene in the Stockholm region
Flemingsberg has strong potential to become a key engine in the game and game tech scene in Stockholm and the Nordics. Here, academia, research, education, and entrepreneurship converge in one place. This creates an environment where more people can move from idea to team, from team to studio, and from studio to a company capable of growing internationally.
Through Press Start, we are building an ecosystem where talent, studios, and companies naturally connect. Students can step into real productions. Studios can find playtesters, partners, and business support. Companies can connect with skills and research to jointly create new products, services, and ventures.
We also believe that Press Start will soon be a place where the next generation of game tech companies are born and grow rapidly. With the right context, the right support, and the right networks, we are creating the conditions for the next major breakthroughs—and, in the long term, for game tech unicorns emerging from Flemingsberg.
Leslie Alfredsson
Cluster Developer Press Start Game Hub
leslie.alfredsson@flemingsbergscience.se
leslie.alfredsson@drivhuset.se
072 302 24 12
