Sponda to develop one of the largest gaming headquarters in the Nordics for Housemarque, part of the PlayStation Studios

Housemarque, Finland’s oldest gaming company, employs over 100 people at its current headquarters in Sponda’s premises at Kasarmikatu. The move will see the company relocate within the same area as it aims to attract the world’s best game makers to its new facilities.

“Globally, the gaming industry is bigger than both the film and music industry combined, which presents an exciting opportunity for Finland. Our new office will play a key role in attracting talented individuals who want to work in an environment that inspires creativity and innovation. We are delighted to be working with a professional and responsible partner in Sponda, to help realise our vision of developing a world-class facility that attracts the very best talent as we continue to grow and develop,” explains Housemarque’s Brand Director Mikael Haveri. 

Movie theatre, experience lift and floating audio studios

The office space solutions are designed based on the staff's preferences. Spanning over 3,000 square metres, the new facilities will include a movie theatre, gym, yoga studio, a podcast studio, café, two floating audio studios, an experience lift and high-technology meeting and team rooms, among other things. The brand look will be realised through impressive visualisations and movie-like design elements.

“We appreciate the fact that the owner of the facility is one of the world’s most responsible companies in its industry. We will prevent electronic pollution by recycling our devices as efficiently as possible and encouraging our personnel to choose sustainable transport methods,” Haveri says.

The development will place an important focus on ESG considerations. LEED Platinum certificate will be applied to the redeveloped Sponda building, which will utilise 100% green energy and be completely carbon-neutral (Scope 2) in terms of energy consumption. The EU taxonomy will guide the planning stage and there are plans to capture waste heat from the server room in the future.

Sponda’s Office Leasing Director Harri Autio sees Housemarque as a good example of a modern global growth company that operates responsibly and sees its facilities as a competitive factor and a reinforcer of the employer brand.

“Rapidly growing companies, such as Housemarque, are heavily investing in location, services and sustainability of their offices. This is particularly visible in the city centre of Helsinki where the demand for high-quality and energy-efficient facilities is in high-demand. We are excited to partner with Housemarque to build an inspiring new workplace that will attract world-class talent to Finland and strengthen the company’s position as a pioneer in the global gaming industry,” says Christian Hohenthal, CEO of Sponda.