Great games don’t grow in toxic offices

Text and photos: Petri Kangas / Business Tampere

A snapped ankle during a basketball game in his early twenties changed the career plans of Dreamloop CEO Joni Lappalainen.

Having just completed the Reserve Officer School, he had applied to and been accepted into the National Defence University of Finland.

But a six-month ban on physical activity and the physically demanding military curriculum led Lappalainen to apply instead to Oulu University of Applied Sciences during the autumn supplementary intake.

“In the early 2000s it was a big deal that students received a free laptop. I did not go to the National Defence University. I learned to code instead,” Lappalainen says.

From military service, officer training and ambitions of a defence career, one key lesson remained, he says, regardless of the industry:

“A leader serves the team. Leadership means removing obstacles and challenges that prevent people from achieving their best results. I have not taken additional leadership courses because I believe the Reserve Officer School teaches leadership better than expensive one-day seminars.”

In the Tampere region and the Finnish game development scene, Lappalainen is known as a forthright industry figure. He lists half a dozen positions of responsibility and trust, and he was among those founding the Platform 6 startup hub. He is also one of the driving forces behind the Leaderboard 2.0 event, which takes place on 27 February at Pinni B on Tampere University’s city centre campus. The programme features talks and lectures on leadership for both professionals and students.

A lighter legacy

Lappalainen highlights three elements he considers essential to leadership.

First, employers must be able to support employee wellbeing comprehensively.

“In our company, employees always come first. We offer extensive cultural and wellbeing benefits, from dental care to therapy, as well as monthly HR and staff meetings. We want to provide support in every aspect,” he says.

As a leader, he considers it crucial that people have the opportunity to talk, whether at the office or remotely.

“Finnish culture can make it difficult to say that something is bothering you at the moment,” Lappalainen says.

Third, he believes leaders must help employees take ownership of their work.

“Leadership often goes wrong when decision-makers take up all the space and air in the room. With experienced professionals, you can spar and ask questions, giving them room. With younger colleagues, it is more about mentoring, helping them see the bigger picture.”

According to Lappalainen, the relative youth of the game industry is an advantage. It does not necessarily carry the burden of heavy hierarchies or entrenched traditions.

He describes the game industry as a creative field combining entertainment, film and technology. Throughout his career, he has encountered cases where the most technically skilled individual was not necessarily the most suitable leader.

“It is vital that we maintain an atmosphere where employees are not frustrated. Nothing kills creativity like workplace resentment. The elastic band of mental resilience should be kept as loose as possible,” Lappalainen says.

This is also why Leaderboard 2.0 places strong emphasis on students.

“When it comes to leadership, we also want to support those being led. Graduating has always been a challenging transition into working life. It is often not about competence but about mindset. Everyone wants the best possible talent coming out of university. For student juniors, the event offers accessible international content and brings CEOs together with project and department heads from major companies,” he says.

Big things on the horizon

Founded in 2015, Dreamloop Games employs around 30 people. Its turnover reached €1.5 million in 2024.

“We built our company from junior developers who are now seniors and among the best in Finland. Our so-called boomerang rate is about 80 per cent. Most who leave eventually return. They have worked at large studios but have come back,” Lappalainen says.

He adds that Dreamloop is Finland’s leading specialist in porting, transferring games from one platform to another, such as from console to PC.

As for Dreamloop’s near future, Lappalainen hints that something substantial is underway.

“I cannot reveal much yet. I can say that the upcoming collaboration ranks among the most ambitious game projects in Tampere. A large share of our team will begin working on it, and we are recruiting, including a senior-level producer,” he says.

The claim is bold. Tampere is home to globally recognised examples such as Cities: Skylines, developed by Colossal Order and published by Sweden’s Paradox Interactive in 2015.

Lappalainen is an active participant in industry events, with 18 international engagements in his calendar this year.

“I have just returned from the Philippines. In Asia, South Korea is also an interesting market for games. And so is Sweden. Twenty per cent of Steam’s total gross revenue comes from games developed in Sweden. We decided to pause activity in the United States this year due to uncertainty,” Lappalainen says.

Leaderboard 2.0 game industry event in Tampere on Friday 27 February 2026.