HOME ABOUT GAMES NEWS BLOG FORUM SUPPORT OPEN POSITIONS Interview with Mikko Kähärä, COO of Nitro Games February 11, 2016 We recently interviewed our COO Mikko Kähärä to find out more about him. In Nitro Games, Mikko is an important piece of the puzzle taking care of keeping the team strong together. In his day-to-day life, he is a father of two and a gamer at heart. We discussed his background, inspirations, role in the production of Raids of Glory and more! Enjoy! ”Many of my tasks relate to making sure that our team is motivated, creative and enjoy their work. In general, making sure that we work smart, produce kick-ass stuff every single day and have a lot of fun doing that.” Tell us a little bit about your background and previous studies! My background is mostly from the mobile industry and specifically product management and development of new services for mobile operators. I have worked with a number of major international mobile brands around Europe either directly, or through my own company. I have studied telecommunications in Aalto University and business administration in Lund University, Sweden. I lived, worked and studied around Europe for 8 years and moved back to Finland in 2010. Me, my 5 year old daughter, 3 year old son, and my wife live in Kotka. How did you end up in the games industry? What did you do before Nitro Games? After moving back to Finland I started to work with the regional development company, Cursor. My job there was about developing the games industry scene in the region and helping start-ups get on their feet and develop. During that time, I worked with a number of game companies in Finland and abroad and got good leap in understanding the business. How would a typical work day look like for you? That varies a lot. I go through our KPI’s on daily basis, have correspondence with our partners and work with the team in planning, problem-solving and just exchanging ideas. Many of my tasks relate to making sure that our team is motivated, creative and enjoy their work. In general, making sure that we work smart, produce kick-ass stuff every single day and have a lot of fun doing that. What has been your role in the creation and production of Raids of Glory? I joined the team shortly after the global launch on iOS, so my main focus with the team has been on the updates, new features, improvements and new platforms. Understanding and working with the numbers behind the game and the community has been a key role for me since. ”I love to travel. Getting out of the everyday routines and seeing the world from different perspectives, surrounded by different cultures, especially in big cities with a lot of energy – That inspires.” Who is your favourite RoG character and why? Madam Juju – She brings the mystical voodoo element to the game. There’s so much more to her than meets the eye! In day to day life, are you a gamer? If yes, what are some of your favourite games? I’m a gamer and have been for the past 35 years. Starting from the 80’s, my first favourite was Pac Man on Atari 2600… Followed by Zelda, Metroid and the other NES greats. PC was the thing in the 90’s. Civilization was the thing, along with the LucasArts’ and Sierra’s adventure games. For the past 15 years, the grand strategy games from Paradox have taken a considerable chunk of my free time. On mobile, Raids of Glory – of course. Clash Royale is also a lot of fun right now. Who are your role models? I think there’s too many to mention…. Do you have any mottos that you guide yourself after? No mottos. I think first you need to be very wise and weathered to lock down a motto… What inspires you? I love to travel. Getting out of the everyday routines and seeing the world from different perspectives, surrounded by different cultures, especially in big cities with a lot of energy – That inspires. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I think in 10 years a big chunk of my attention will focus on raising two teenagers… Other than that, I believe I will be working with super cool stuff in games that right now we can’t even imagine. KOTKA OFFICE Juha Vainion katu 2 48100 Kotka FINLAND HELSINKI OFFICE Hämeentie 15 A, 3rd floor 00500 Helsinki FINLAND P +358 44 082 2268 info@nitrogames.com © 2014 Nitro Games Ltd. All rights reserved Privacy Policy