by Rickard Linder
New Alinea Analytics hire – Tobias Sjögren
We’re delighted to announce that Tobias Sjögren has joined the Alinea Analytics leadership team as our Head of Business Development, adding an executive flair to our talented, diverse team.
Tobias is a true industry veteran whose career spans three decades and nearly every facet of the business – from programming and game development to consulting, investing, and high-level strategy. He’s perhaps best known for his recent tenure as CEO of Starbreeze Entertainment. Tobias’s resume also includes leadership roles at Paradox Interactive, DICE, and the international agency DDM. Notably, he helmed DICE’s Stockholm studio during the era-defining launch of the first Battlefield.
Tobias has also served as a board member at Ztorm AB, Starbreeze AB (public), Smart Eye AB (public), and the Swedish Game Industry Association. He has also held other executive positions, including as the CEO of Fox in a Box, VP of Mobile Games at Stardoll, and CEO of White Wolf Entertainment. With such a rich and varied background, it’s no surprise that Tobias is frequently invited to share his insights and experience at major industry events and on leading panels worldwide.
At Alinea, Tobias will leverage his deep institutional knowledge to accelerate our growth trajectory and give our clients dedicated, executive-grade support that only a seasoned industry leader can offer.
As you can tell, we’re excited to have Tobias on board as we continue to redefine market intelligence for the gaming world.
Here’s our interview with Tobias.
Q: Tobias, we are thrilled to have you join the team! Could you start by telling us a bit about your background and why you were drawn to the games industry?
When I started programming games in 1996, the Swedish industry was small and still emerging. Having the opportunity to be part of that growth in the Nordic region has been a real luxury. I saw the potential early, and knew I wanted in. I quickly realised that my personal skills were better suited for leadership, strategy, and business development. I was fortunate to develop those abilities during a period of massive industry expansion, witnessing the rise of digital distribution and the constant evolution of game publishing.
There is never a boring moment in this business. My analytical mindset and love for crunching numbers in Excel have always been significant benefits when trying to navigate the next steps of the industry or analysing future trends.
Q: With three decades of leadership experience across some huge industry names, what drew you to Alinea?
The pure joy of playing with numbers, finding patterns, and helping companies understand our industry has always been a driving force for me. I have spent my career doing this, so the opportunity to work with and develop a tool that connects the industry is incredibly rewarding. Anyone who knows me understands how much I love that process!
Utilising a platform as capable as Alinea’s is a privilege, and I am eager to help the wider industry flourish by providing access to better data. Great data powers great decisions, and Alinea’s platform is the most accurate in the business. It is also remarkably fast, both in terms of data delivery and how responsive the platform feels to use. I wish a tool like Alinea had been available to me when I was making high-stakes executive decisions in my previous roles.
Q: Can you describe your new role at Alinea and what you are most excited to tackle first?
First and foremost, I want to ensure everyone in the industry knows what an amazing tool we have here. The team has already done a great job of spreading the word over the past year or so, and I’m eager to help move things along even further. My focus is on creating specific use cases to solve the industry’s biggest challenges.
I already have ideas, of course, but I want to gather direct input from my peers across the sector to understand exactly what people need and then implement those features into our platform. This tool would have made my own decision-making so much easier in the past, and I want to make sure current leaders have that advantage now.
Q: We couldn’t agree more – we’re lucky to have you. Now, a tough one: of all the projects you’ve been involved in, which remains your favourite game to have worked on?
It is hard to say. I have worked with so many incredible people and products that picking just one is difficult. However, I am very proud of releasing RalliSport Challenge as a launch title for the original Xbox in Europe. We built that game in a very short window on unfinished hardware with a team of only 24 people.
I loved that challenge and the accolades we received despite the intense development timeline. That experience of working so closely and intensely with a team will always be a fond memory. I know that many others in this industry share that feeling, and I cannot wait to help those teams succeed today with data and context.
Q: Last question – and it’s another toughie: What is your favourite game?
The game I appreciate the most and have spent the most time in is Red Dead Redemption 2. We talk a lot about immersion in the games industry, but Rockstar really succeeded in creating an environment where you have the freedom to do things your own way. The emergent gameplay rocks, the story rocks, and the characters, humour, and drama are all top tier. It is an incredible combination where they nailed every single aspect.
I’ve already discovered a few games I want to play while sifting through the data in the Alinea platform. I’m already obsessed and can’t wait to keep browsing; the possibilities are endless. In fact, I’m hopping into the platform right after this call!
Want to see why Tobias is so excited about our platform? Reach out to us here for a free trial of our platform, with three days of unlimited access.