The exhibition “A Fantastic Failure” tells a story about failure that sowed the seeds of the next success. Even though the N-Gage crashed and burned, it helped to build the foundation for the later success of Finnish games. The exhibition showcases users of the N-Gage, game developers and the engineers who developed the device.

In 2003, Nokia was the world’s largest manufacturer of telephones. At the height of its power, the company released the N-Gage in order to expand into the game industry, which was worth $40 billion at the time. 

The N-Gage was not warmly received by gamers; instead, it met total rejection. It became an international object of ridicule and one of Nokia’s largest failures.

In its time, the situation with the N-Gage was an initial warning sign of the problems at Nokia, which later resulted in the collapse of the mobile giant that shook all of Finnish society. 

In Finland, the pride that people had regarding Nokia turned into anxiety. However, we should not be ashamed of our past mistakes, as lessons learned from them can be a stepping stone for new success and new innovations.

A Fantastic Failure is a travelling exhibition realised by the Finnish Museum of Games in Museum Centre Vapriikki.

Museum of Technology

3.4.-8.11.2025

Tue, Fri & Sun 11.00-17.00

Wed & Thu 11.00-20.00

Sat 11.00-18.00

Admission fee 6-15€