Spawn Point Trondheim Accelerator — Learning the game industry at hyper speed
By John Hauge on 2026-05-12
First, thanks to Spawn Point Trondheim and everyone involved with the program, especially Linn Søvig, who is the one behind the wheel making it all possible. And thanks to Filmkraft, who made it possible for me to attend the accelerator up in the far middle north.
Spawning
Five teams of developers spawned into the accelerator for the second round of the program:
It was a real honor getting to know all of these wonderfully talented people, and a true inspiration to witness their progression throughout the program.
The accelerator runs over a period of 6 months with one workshop per month and multiple online sessions. The workshops are focused on how to run a sustainable game development studio.
(Video : Nikol Herec)
Sustainable game development means reducing risk in a highly competitive, hit-driven industry by learning how to better position yourself to run a commercially viable company.
I have divided this post into 6 different "chapters"—one for each workshop—and they are all based on my notes from attending the program.
If you are curious about Spawn Point Trondheim, head over to their website:
1 : Hello Trondheim
This workshop was all about getting to know the other participating studios through vigorous pitching.
We were accompanied by Jon Grande, who has over 30 years of experience on the publisher side of the game industry, giving us priceless feedback on our pitch decks and how we could go about improving them.
The first workshop also introduced us to the nature of the pitch training we would experience throughout the program, where Linn and the other studios would also actively give feedback on each other's pitches.
All the decks were pulled apart and put under the microscope in a very constructive workshop that left us with a ton of stuff to work with. For some reason, this session felt especially valuable in terms of improving the deck. This is most likely because there was so much to improve upon at the start; these flaws would naturally lessen as the program went on, gradually maturing our decks to be ready for pitching to publishers and investors alike.
2 : Financial Strategy
The second workshop focused on strategic growth and financial planning and was led by the wonderful Andreea Chifu from Bright Gambit.
We talked about different types of investment strategies for game development projects. Through this, we gained great insight into angel investor funds that do project investments with a similar recoup to what you would get from a standard publisher deal. The workshop also highlighted the importance of a healthy and strategic budget for a game project.
3 : Game Marketing
The third workshop focused on game marketing and was led by the wonderful Susie McBeth, Chief Marketing Officer at Raw Fury.
We kicked off by reviewing the pitches and presentations we will be delivering to potential investors and publishers in January, receiving invaluable feedback from both Susie and the rest of the group. Susie also shared a highly informative presentation on professional game marketing and how these processes operate within a publisher.
We gained deep insight into marketing strategies and were equipped with practical resources, including a tailored marketing plan template that we can utilize if we choose the self-publishing route.
The workshop also included dedicated 1-on-1 sessions, which were incredibly useful for getting direct feedback on our existing marketing strategy. We received concrete advice on how to strengthen our plan and better position the game for the market.
4 : The Great Pitch
The big pitch day was finally upon us. All our preparations were put to the test as we stepped on stage in front of an audience and a panel of industry expert publishers. The panel provided great feedback on our pitches, and later decided which team would go home with the prize of 20,000.- NOK. The prize went to the very talented pitching duo from Adventales, who have unmatched charisma and a very fun, enticing game in development called Lemonade Apocalypse.
(Photo: Elin Kristensen)
I also got to unveil the new international title for our game: Northgale. Up to this point, the project had been titled 'Dragebarnet. The day after the big pitch, we had individual 1-on-1 meetings with the publishers present at the event, gaining very insightful feedback from all of them.
Due to severe weather conditions and closed airports in the Netherlands, the expert panel was unfortunately a bit reduced, as three out of seven publishers were prevented from traveling. Thanks to Linn, we got the chance to pitch to all the missing publishers digitally later.
This workshop was one of the peak experiences of the entire program. The buildup toward the event was perfectly paced and served as a massive motivator to refine and improve our pitch through multiple iterations. Opportunities like this are incredibly rare in Norway, if any others even exist.
5 : Reality Check
This workshop covered business strategy and reflection. We analyzed the response from publishers and investors we have contacted and pitched to so far.
We also put together a presentation of these changes to share with the other participants, while mapping out our trajectory for the next six months. This was a highly rewarding exercise for me personally. It prompted me to reach out to Validé Haugesund, which led to me joining the national founder incubator, Gründer Academy.
This workshop felt very fulfilling as it made us focus on our long-term survival through a challenging period where the project isn't funded, forcing us to evaluate our situation and prepare ourselves for different outcomes such as pivoting and what a pivot could look like.
6 : The End & The Beginning.
The final workshop of the program shifted the focus from our games to our actual studio. It challenged us to map out our ambitions for the next 5, 10, and 15 years, prompting deep discussions about our current situation and reflections on where our journey will take us after graduation.
A major focus of the workshop was narrowing down our target market, a difficult task when you are deep in the trenches of development. However, it’s an incredibly valuable exercise to practice regularly, ensuring that what you are creating actually resonates with an audience, rather than just yourself or your team.
We also had the opportunity to pitch our company to Knut Eilif Halgunset from SpareBank 1 SMN. With his extensive experience in both large-scale enterprises and startups, his feedback on what outside investors look for was incredibly valuable. It can be tough to step back and pitch your vision in a way that is digestible to someone outside the gaming world, making his perspective a true highlight.
Some final thoughts
Applying to the accelerator originally felt like a shot in the dark, especially since I wasn't even sure I’d have the funds to attend a program in Trondheim. Looking back, getting accepted has proven to be one of the smartest, most strategic moves I could have made. Not just for our game, Northgale, but for Myte Interactive as a whole.
The experiences and opportunities provided by Spawn Point Trondheim have given us deep insights into how the games industry operates on an international level. Building up that same depth of knowledge on our own would have taken years.
Spawn Point Trondheim is an accelerator program I would highly recommend to any startup and even veteran game studios. Given how incredibly valuable it has been, it is absolutely worth the journey.