Yrdvaab Ltd, an indie recreation studio based mostly in Oulu, has secured over €130k in new funding from the Centre for Financial Growth, Transport and the Setting of Northern Ostrobothnia to proceed the event of its house technique recreation Ephemeris.
The grant, sourced from the European Structural Funding Funds, marks an important milestone for the studio because it pushes towards an anticipated early entry launch on Steam throughout the subsequent yr.
The brand new funding provides to a €200,000 personal funding spherical closed earlier this yr from unnamed German backers, enabling the small group to not solely hold improvement alive however develop its technical capabilities.
“Whereas this yr has been difficult for the sport business usually, now we have been fairly lucky,” says Tuomas Pöyhtäri, the lead designer and programmer for Ephemeris. “Earlier within the yr, we acquired a considerable quantity of personal funding, which is now supplemented by this assist from the EU. We have now already been in a position to rent a second programmer, permitting us to take a large leap forward in recreation improvement.”
This yr has seen a number of studios and platforms shut notable rounds: Extremely (Estonia) raised €10.8 million to broaden its group and platform; VOYA Video games (Germany) secured €4.4 million to launch its debut title; Studio 42 (Cyprus) obtained €3.2 million to fund improvement; and Hoora (France) raised €1.1 million to construct a cellular game-discovery platform.
On the know-how facet, TILKI (UK) introduced in €1.8 million for its AI-powered creation platform, whereas Common Instinct (Switzerland) closed an distinctive €114 million spherical bridging gaming, robotics and drones.
Altogether, these rounds symbolize roughly €139.6 million in new capital throughout the sector to this point this yr. Yrdvaab’s mixed €330k complete, although smaller in scale, displays the rising relevance of blended public–personal funding fashions for early-stage studios in Europe.
Not one of the 2025 EU-Startups studies have featured one other Finnish developer, highlighting Yrdvaab’s distinctive place throughout the Nordic indie scene as EU-backed regional assist continues to play a stabilising position in a risky gaming market.
Yrdvaab started work on Ephemeris in 2021. The sport is about to supply a hybrid gameplay expertise, merging a basic 4X construction (discover, broaden, exploit, exterminate) with real-time, three-dimensional tactical fight. Drawing inspiration from style heavyweights akin to Grasp of Orion, Homeworld, and Complete Conflict, the sport goals to face out by way of its dedication to realism – most notably through Newtonian physics, which govern all ship motion and interactions in fight situations.
The group beforehand tried to crowdfund the mission in October 2024 by way of IndieGoGo, setting a minimal goal of €30k with hopes of reaching €100k. Regardless of receiving solely €8,400 from 157 backers, the studio attracted consideration from German buyers shortly after, securing the much-needed €200k to maintain improvement.
In keeping with the studio, lack of worldwide media protection hindered the crowdfunding marketing campaign, though the title did acquire traction in Germany – possible contributing to its success in securing funding there.
Now revitalised and working with private and non-private backing, Yrdvaab has recommitted to launching Ephemeris through early entry. Initially accessible for Home windows, the sport is already listed on Steam for wishlisting and updates.
Along with the lifelike house physics and the variability in ship scales, Ephemeris reportedly features a player-friendly interface designed to take away the burden of micro-management, even when controlling expansive interstellar empires. The know-how tree and numerous universe settings are procedurally generated with every playthrough.
Regardless of a rocky begin, Yrdvaab has now re-established a steady path towards launch, combining European public funding and worldwide personal capital to carry its imaginative and prescient to life.
The case of Ephemeris highlights how regional EU assist schemes can function important bridges for small studios navigating the risky gaming ecosystem, significantly when conventional funding sources akin to crowdfunding fall quick.
With contemporary funding, an expanded group, and a prototype already drawing consideration, Ephemeris seems to carve out a distinct segment amongst house technique lovers – offered it continues its ahead momentum and avoids future funding turbulence.
The ultimate launch timeline stays depending on improvement progress, however the studio seems assured about reaching early entry inside a yr.
