Swedish Game Studio Slash Interactive Secures Investment from Industry Heavyweights

Botinator is a first-person action adventure with co-op multiplayer, where players explore a mysterious facility filled with robotic enemies, destructible environments, and physics-based challenges. The game combines combat and problem-solving in a world where almost everything can be influenced by the player’s actions. (store.steampowered.com)

The studio was founded by David Westerberg and Erik Älvestam, who met through the game development program Valla Game Education. David developed the technology behind the game’s advanced physics, while Erik focuses on business development and company building. Together, they have assembled a team of four developers.

The founders have also participated in East Sweden Game’s startup program, Game Startup Lab, and have been active members of the game development community for several years.

“For us, this is about more than funding. We now have the opportunity to continue developing the studio with support from people who truly understand the games industry. It gives us the ability to think long-term and build something that can make an impact internationally,” says Erik Älvestam, co-founder of Slash Interactive.

For East Sweden Game, the investment represents a particularly important milestone.

“This investment is a clear sign that our regional ecosystem has reached a new level of maturity. When we started East Sweden Game nine years ago, our goal was to create a sustainable cluster where new game studios could grow and thrive. Today, we are seeing one of our early success stories reinvest in the next generation of game developers,” says Tomas Ahlström, Head of East Sweden Game.

Pugstorm, the studio behind the international hit Core Keeper and the upcoming title KYORA, sees the investment as an opportunity to support the next generation of game entrepreneurs.

“The team has enormous potential. For us, it is important to give back to young game developers and help them reach their full potential. We know how much the right support can mean at an early stage,” says Fredrik Präntare, CEO and founder of Pugstorm.

The investment marks Peter Barkland’s second game studio investment. Barkland, an entrepreneur and investor based in Linköping, previously invested in Cutting Corner Games. Together with Pugstorm’s involvement, the investment demonstrates how the regional games industry has reached a new level of maturity, with earlier successes helping to build the next generation of game studios.

About Slash Interactive

Slash Interactive is an independent game studio based in Linköping, Sweden, developing physics-driven action and adventure games. The studio was founded by former students of Valla Game Education and is part of the East Sweden Game community.