The Nordics, comprising Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway, might be small, but they have had an outsized impact on global entertainment. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the world of heavy metal.

Let's take just one example, Finland, a country of 5.5 million people. Somehow, this tiny nation has given us some of the biggest metal acts of all time, including Children of Bodom, Nightwish, and Apocalyptica.

Meanwhile, neighboring Sweden has given us the likes of Candlemass, Meshuggah, and Europe. While all of this is well-known, few people might be aware of the other entertainment exports this region has given the world. Let's dive in and find out what these are. 

Online casinos

The online casino industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in global entertainment. Here too, the Nordics have made an outsized contribution. To take just one example, the country of Sweden has given us one of the largest iGaming brands on the planet - Mr Green. Founded in Stockholm in 2007 by Fredrik Sidfalk, Henrik Bergquist, and Mikael Pawlo, Mr Green offers slots, poker, and live casino gaming to customers in multiple countries.

Mr Green frequently pulls in more than $100 million in annual revenue from its global user base and has, along the way, been at the forefront of technological advancements within the sector. For example, a few years ago, Mr Green established a partnership with Swedish game developers NetEnt in a bid to move forward with a 3D live casino project. 

With a keen eye on emerging gaming trends, Mr Green has gone above and beyond to provide their users with an immersive, state-of-the-art gaming experience. Competitors would do well to study the success of the Swedish, in this respect.

Mobile games

The mobile gaming market is another white-hot sector that is rapidly reshaping global entertainment as we know it. On this front, too, the Nordics occupy a leading position. Within the Nordics, Finland is the clear leader. Its most famous export is, of course, Angry Birds, the smartphone game that has been downloaded more than 4.5 billion times, and has even been played on the International Space Station. Other leading Finnish mobile games include Clash of Clans and Badland. 

Streaming platforms

There is no shortage of industry gurus willing to tell you that streaming is the future of entertainment. If this is the case, then the epicenter of that future is the Nordic countries, which have produced a number of globally successful streaming platforms. Chief among these is the music streaming platform Spotify, which boasts a staggering 422 million users across 183 countries and territories, making it the most successful platform of its type in the world today. Other major Nordic streaming platforms include Swedish Viaplay, which broadcasts Nordic TV shows to users around the world and boasts millions of subscribers. 

Video games

When one thinks of the video game industry, Silicon Valley and Japan come to mind. However, many of the most popular titles ever have been produced in the Nordic countries. Some of these titles have tens of millions of players worldwide and include Cities Skylines (Finland), Max Payne 3 (Finland), the Europa Universalis series (Sweden), Through the Woods (Norway), and the smash-hit Kane & Lynch series (Denmark). Much of this success can be attributed to the thriving tech sectors in all of these countries, supported by ample investment and a huge pool of talented local developers and coders. 

As we can see here, the Nordics have a lot more to offer the world than death metal. Have you tried out any of these Nordic entertainment products?