ABOUT

ALWAYS FUN AND ALWAYS GAMES.

Aim on Game!

Koukoi Games is a mobile game company located in Oulu, Finland. Koukoi was founded by and with people who share a vision of what good games are and how to create together the ultimate game studio that lasts for decades. Excellence at all ends ensures that the focus and vision is targeted far into the future.

Koukoi believes in raising the common standards of mobile gaming and breaking the presumptions and preconceptions of the industry.
Everything at Koukoi serves the purpose of creating lifelong experiences and surpassing the increasing needs of ever more demanding players. Mobile games that stand out from the crowd and offer unique lifelong experiences – games you love to play and get back to playing.

Koukoi develops wide-appeal hybrid core games that offer a lot to play around with and grab the player into their world. The courage to renew and mash up genres and just purely stand out uniquely from the crowd with polished games separates Koukoi from other players on the mobile game market.

Koukoi was founded by and with people who share a vision of what good games are and how they should be developed. Breaking the presumptions and preconceptions of the industry with our team is possible due to strong commitment and passion for games. The Koukoi team consists of talents with experience of game development and publishing, entrepreneurship & engineering from major companies in the field. Koukoi believes in raising the common standards of mobile gaming.

At Koukoi, trust and flexibility go hand in hand. Taking one for the team enables you to pursue the dream together. Working for a common cause sets off an epic endeavor that just cannot be curbed. One of the best attributes of our team is the amazing creativity combined with the ability to kill our darlings (when necessary) early on, if the games are not meeting our standards, and then starting over on something even better.

Because we aim together for excellence, there is enough space, time and dedication for mobile game development – a formula that Koukoi believes yields the best results. Independency and functional assignment of roles with decision-making capability ensures that everyone can focus and put their full effort into the things they do best – making games with passion. In the end, it is seeing our mark on the products and watching our visions come to life that thrills us – which we’ll be supporting for years.

Vision, strategic planning and strong execution that extend long into the future separates Koukoi from other actors. Nothing is done by summarily or by chance – we are playing the long game. Hitting a home run in the terrain of mobile games can be obtained by luck, but at Koukoi we believe that you can affect your own chances by working hard and wisely. Success for us is an intended destination, not a random coincidence.

Successful execution and business development from the get-go tells its own story. Investors, VCs and strong partners have been eager to get involved in creating a dream game company with our founders and making the best possible games together. As a result, Koukoi has built strong networks around its business – from Finland to global markets to Asia to Hollywood and other markets.

Thanks to the trust that we have earned from our supporters and partners, the control over everyday work remains in the hands of our founders and the Koukoi team, who possess the know-how and talent to run the business – with independent and focused game teams. Our focus on getting things done and going after our mission and vision is realized in our everyday work. We keep this clear in our mind in everything we do, which enables us to achieve sustainable base for growth.

With solid experience and professional guidance in the background, we can compete with global giants with our feet firmly on the ground but our heads way up in the clouds.

THE KOUKOI TEAM

Koukoi Team is built around experienced & talented members who share a vision of creating a dream game company together.

Antti Kananen

Antti Kananen

Chief Executive Officer & Founder

M.Sc. (Tech.) and experienced entrepreneur with strong IT industry background. Bringing innovation, technology, startups and games to life. Strong knowledge of technology and business, and passion towards building super talented and passionate teams that make great things happen. Knows that the best game experience is when you spend the whole day playing the game you love and you want to get back to playing it on the next day.
  • Aimbot 87% 87%
  • Passion 100% 100%
  • Business Hustling 79% 79%
Jani Pohtila

Jani Pohtila

Technical Director

Leading a room full of skilled coding professionals – it is a tough job but somebody’s got to do it. Specialized in speaking with coder-dialect, a skill achieved by working a decade at Nokia. Believes that great games are made by great people who together come up with great ideas that hold no boundaries and bring those ideas to life with ultimate passion. Likes to go with the expression: “We did not make this game because it is easy but because it is hard.”
  • Fatherhood 85% 85%
  • Civilization IV 75% 75%
  • Holding the Coffee Cup 10% 10%
Oskari Hyvönen

Oskari Hyvönen

Art Director

Graphic designer from Lapland and Bachelor of Culture and Arts. Experience with freelancing from numerous projects with producing 2D & 3D graphics and poster illustrations as well as designing and implementing card games. Is responsible for the so called creative vision and cohesion of graphics. Believes that a good game is whole, functional and entertaining, has spot on audiovisual elements and gives you a new point of view to the life itself.
  • A Bit of Everything 72% 72%
  • Crafting 80% 80%
  • Sisu 91% 91%
Markus Tuppurainen

Markus Tuppurainen

Creative Director

Has always loved crafting stories in every media. Making games was the logical next step, but as the game industry in Finland was still in its infancy, Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design was the next best solution. Yet, he hasn’t worked a day in advertising, but rather making games for most of the 21st century. “When playing, one can actually feel the passion that has gone into making the game. There is no better way to engage the player.”
  • Storytelling 83% 83%
  • Finding The Fun 76% 76%
  • Dropping Features 18% 18%
Sami Koski

Sami Koski

Production & UA Director

Bachelor of Computer science from Raahe institute of computer engineering back in the days. Coding own game projects since early Commodore 64 days. Seasoned Nokia Product Manager for over 12 years and founder and CEO of (now bankrupted) Meizi Games Ltd. for 6 years. Passion to create fun & profitable mobile games. Ambition to keep people motivated on their work. Aiming to reach maximum potential what I can give to people & society.
  • User Acquisition 90% 90%
  • People Management 85% 85%
  • Gym & TRYING to Eat Healthy 100% 100%
Anssi Paaso

Anssi Paaso

Game Artist

Bachelor of Culture and Arts from Lapland UAS. Has been playing games from a young age. Enjoys working on all aspects of the art pipeline from concept paintings to finished 3D models with rigging and animation. Dives into a zen state when working on retopology and UV mapping. Believes that a good game keeps you in its grasp with the story and in the end leaves you with a roller coaster of emotions.
  • Table Drumming 65% 65%
  • Nanomachines 100% 100%
  • These go to 11 50% 50%
Niko Tauriainen

Niko Tauriainen

Lead Programmer

Bachelor of Engineering with an interest on everything that has something to do with technology. Actually, lets just put it this way: addicted to information technology. Years of experience with front-end and mobile development and eager to sketch own projects. Says that the best games are replayable, have a sensible learning curve and possess clear UI & controllability.
  • Music enthusiast 75% 75%
  • Extroversion 80% 80%
  • Counter-Strike 100% 100%
Jani Alatyppö

Jani Alatyppö

Lead Programmer

Dedicated and tireless programmer with fear of non-black clothing. Bachelor of Science at Oulu University of Applied Sciences. Back-end and bit devouring guru. Believes that in a good game player can pass time and that a great game is a game where player can self-improve a lot over time.
  • StepMania 100% 100%
  • Short-spoken 60% 60%
  • Chill 70% 70%
Antti Katajamäki

Antti Katajamäki

Lead 3D Artist

Studied at Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences. Experience from game industry at local and global level. Works on all 3D related content and is at his best at character modeling and animation. Believes that good game experience is when you lose yourself into the game world and forget that you are not Arch mage level 69 in real life.
  • Night Stalk 78% 78%
  • Zero Gesture Perform 65% 65%
  • Support 97% 97%
Mira Maijala

Mira Maijala

Lead 2D Artist

Studied visual art at Liminka Art School, The Vocational College Lappia and Lapland University of Applied Sciences. Loves drawing and learned to sketch before walking. Was introduced to the game business while working at companies of the branch in Oulu and Ireland. When playing, she spends hours to create and modify characters. “Adventure and exploring the corners of the world are the best part of gaming, but at the same time you need to be able to let go of your everyday life and relax.”
  • Treats 97% 97%
  • Spam 100% 100%
  • Snooping 57% 57%
Martti Similä

Martti Similä

Lead Artist

Holds master’s degree in information processing science. However felt that programming was boring and chose to do art instead. With previous experience from Rovio Entertainment, current job as a lead artist at Koukoi allows Martti to do what he likes the most: drawing and painting. Believes that a good game has to have a mighty amount of immersion. “The best games are the ones you continue playing for one more level and have absolutely no clue how much time has passed.”
  • Fire Magic 91% 91%
  • Creativity 100% 100%
  • Losing his keys 55% 55%
Matti Luonua

Matti Luonua

Product Manager

Master of Arts in English with a bit of comms on the side from the University of Oulu. Believes honesty is the best policy. Also believes in correcting typoös & grammar. Plays all sorts of games on PC & mobile but the ones that offer good immersion are the best.
  • Proofreading 88% 88%
  • Pedantry 76% 76%
  • Heavy Metal 69% 69%
Verner Holappa

Verner Holappa

Game Programmer

Determined video game enthusiast who enjoys programming and developing games. Strives to create high quality experiences for players that are fun and engaging. Has studied information processing in both Oulu University and Oulu UOAS. Likes efficiency and is always looking to improve upon things. Enjoys games with interesting challenges and high replay value.
  • Dungeon Crawling 90% 90%
  • Striking the Earth 80% 80%
  • Good RNG 50% 50%
Risto Ihalainen

Risto Ihalainen

Game Programmer

B.Sc in Information Processing Science. From early childhood I wanted to make art into games, but have since converted to a full fledged programmer. Fields of interests: Shaders, different gameplay mechanics, game design.
  • Caffeine 100% 100%
  • Grumpy 90% 90%
  • Rogue-lite 100% 100%
Ilpo Alatalo

Ilpo Alatalo

Game Programmer

What started with The Games Factory and QuickBASIC in elementary school, eventually led to his calling in programming through a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology. Never fully content with any single field though, he dabbles in art, music, writing, animation and other hobbies.
  • Jack of All Traders 80% 80%
  • Dungeon Master 75% 75%
  • A Man of Culture as Well 90% 90%
Teemu Kettunen

Teemu Kettunen

3D Artist

Bachelor of Culture and Arts from Oulu University of Applied Sciences. Has been very passionate about creating and modding games since the early childhood. Likes to think ideas outside of the box and constantly pushes himself to find new ways to improve techniques and workflows for creating art.
  • Baking 99% 99%
  • Covered in Cat Hair 75% 75%
  • Blood-toCoffee Ratio 50% 50%

Invest in Koukoi

Koukoi Games creates original and licensed entertainment and game IP based F2P mobile games that stand out from the crowd and renews the mobile games market through unique hybrid core approach – while the company does business with Hollywood studios, TV-networks, known game studios, global entertainment companies and successful IP owners. This is an approach that makes Koukoi being unique player in the mobile games market – unicorn to invest in. Let’s discuss about investment and partnership. Contact us now for more info!

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