Danish Game Industry Timeline
This timeline outlines key events and developments in the Danish game industry from the early 1960s to the present. It highlights the onset of formal legislation and state recognition of games in Denmark during the late 1990s, while acknowledging that game creation has a much longer history, dating back at least to the 1963 publication of NIMBI.
The timeline was originally put together for our own research purposes but we soon realised that it could benefit many others, too. It is a work in progress that is used as a discussion piece and to guide our research. We hope that it grows into a resource that can be used in the academic context and the game industry alike. It can inform policymaking and support the study of Danish game maker culture.
In its current state, the timeline has the initiation of key cultural policies, funding opportunities, legislations, industry associations, educations, reports, and events included. As such, it presents the sector infrastructure of the overall Danish game making ecosystem. Still, we acknowledge that while we have been able to add many events, establishments, publications and other important dates on it, there are others that are equally important but missing. We also acknowledge the responsibility for making sure the right entries are put on the timeline.
The timeline below is our second version, v1.1 from April 2026. From having shared the first version of the timeline (v.1.0 from December 2025) in both academic seminars and with the game industry, we have received generous feedback and guidance from the community. This has led to a major overhaul of the timeline. Especially, we have been able to expand the 2000s with many new entries.
Thank you Allan Christophersen, Emil Lundedal Hammar, Helena Sokol, Niels Wetterberg, Sarah Maria Sander, Per Rosendahl, Jonatan Korsbek Yde, Miguel Sicart, Jesper Juul, Ida Schrøder, Christopher Gad and Annakaisa Kultima!
Our results are deeply informed by the experts in the Danish game maker scene, and we continue to pursue this collaboration with industry for critiquing our data and uncover new and better information. We have also collaborated with Games Denmark and the WIKI-Skrivestue #2 to bring the timeline to anyone interested in the history of the Danish game industry. Others have also conducted academic research into the Danish game industry that our work leans on (see for example Thorhauge 2018; Hjorth 2018; Larsen, Mailand and Larsen 2018; Sokol 2021; Hammar, Debus, Juul and Canossa 2023).
If you have relevant information or insights, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We value your help.
Currently, this timeline fits into Mark Poulsen's PhD project that investigates the entryways and early-career workforce in Denmark. Mark's research will be fully completed sometime in the second half of 2027.
On this website and on the parallel spiltidslinje.dk (TBA) you can find updates and further versions of the timeline. We make sure to credit everyone who contributes and make changes visible. Eventually, the full timeline will be available in both Danish and English on these two sites. This should happen well before Mark is a full doctor. ;)
For a high quality version, download the PDF file.
Key Features of the Timeline
Historical Exploration
This timeline (1963-2025) collects landmarks and events to present an overview of Danish digital game development. It showcases the formation of Danish game development from early grassroot networks and state inquiries to, among other things, the Law of NIMBI GameLab - Denmark's Institute for Game Development coming into effect in 2025.
Cultural Significance
A key influence for sparking this timeline was the legislation of a cultural institute for game development NIMBI and the concurrent restructuring of the local game industry ecosystem. The timeline showcases the chronological order of events and activities for better understanding what influences more recent events in the Danish game industry.
Notable Milestones
Historically, games have been legislated as an important Danish cultural sphere since 2007 (Film Agreement). Industry associations, meanwhile, have systematically collected data covering the field since 2009. In recent years, industry revenues have increased drastically and paved the way for restructuring of the sector at an institutional level (Law of Nimbi Gamelab 2024).
Development Process
How do we continue to develop the timeline
Research and Documentation
This timeline is part of several ongoing research projects that aim at investigating different aspects of the Danish game industry, today and in the past years. It is thightly linked with Mark Staun Poulsen's PhD project "Seeing the Danish Game Industry: Inquiries into early-career workforce and game entrepreneur living" and his co-authored works with his PhD supervisor Hanna Wirman.
Design and Visualization
The visual presentation of this timeline is nowhere near final. Alongside this static timeline, we are working on a dynamic one where the user can toggle visible and invisible content such as reports, key events, establishment of institutions... Currently we focus on content.
Review and Feedback
If you think something is missing from this timeline or would like to have a chat with us about it, we would love to hear from you. We hope to be in an open dialogue with other researchers in the area, with industry actors, with policymakers, educators and with the general public. We would also like to hear if you find the timeline useful or use it for something or cite it, for example.
Publication
Key versions of the timeline will be published here on this website in English as well as on spiltidslinje.dk in Danish (later on). The timeline is a living document - time simply goes on. ;) But we aim to have a near final version that documents the past by the end of 2027. Some examples of our ongoing research are Poulsen and Wirman 2023 and Poulsen and Wirman 2024.