For Clint Siu it sounded enticing. After spending two months in a Swedish forest with the best game developers in the country, he was obsessed with the idea of ​​leaving his life in America behind and becoming a digital Viking in Stockholm.

When he arrived, he realized that his paradise was a stain: there were no dwellings.

"You have to wait years to find anything," said the 34-year-old developer. The experience was in stark contrast to what he was accustomed to from Los Angeles.

State-wide and regional building regulations lead to long-term warrants for legally leased apartments and terrified property investors through stringent rental price controls and architectural specifications. New employees of the start-up scene are often forced to look for apartments in the semi-legal "Graumarkt" - and hire illegal rooms. Without reforms, housing shortages are becoming an Achillesfere in Stockholm's IT hotspot.

Start-ups require political reforms

"The biggest challenge currently being experienced in Sweden and particularly in Stockholm is the situation on the housing market. This is very, very serious, "says Oskar Burman, who used to work as a programmer for the game" Angry Birds ". "In recent years it has become particularly bad. Ten years ago, it was already difficult, but today it has become impossible to get even one foot into the apartment door. "

Swedish companies are doing a lot to win new talents. The brightest minds in the industry have launched the "Stugan" program, which has paid IT professionals such as Siu All-inclusive trips to Sweden. With like-minded people, they spend 60 days in a forest a few hours north of Stockholm and develop video games.