'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Developed by Norsfell, Tribes of Midgard puts the player in a world inspired by the Nordic mythology where he, alongside other players in a 10 player co-op, must scavenge resources, craft armors, and battle against opponents like the Giants to protect the seed of Yggdrasil.
In an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda’s Suryadeepto Sengupta, Julian Maroda, co-founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Norsfell, opened up about the hurdles faced, the team at Norsfell, hopes for the future, and of course, Tribes of Midgard.
Trending
The following is an excerpt of the conversation.
Looking for Crossword hints & solutions? Check out latest NYT Mini Crossword Answers, LA Times Crossword Answers, and Atlantic Crossword Answers
Julian, tell our readers a bit about yourself and the journey you have had. What was the idea behind creating Norsfell and developing video games?
Julian: Well, hi! I’m Julian Maroda, and I’m Co-Founder, CEO, and Creative Director at Norsfell. The team started the studio in 2013, and our mission has always been to forge new genres that bring people together. This was one of our main inspirations with Tribes of Midgard - to go where no genre had gone before.
We combined that mission with our love for Norse mythology (as you can tell by our studio name!), and the concept for Tribes of Midgard was born! We went into Tribes of Midgard with a focus on co-op play and the survival genre but shifted the focus to surviving as a community.
Tell us a bit about Tribes of Midgard. In a marketplace filled with AAA games from multibillion studios, what about Tribes of Midgard sets itself apart?
Julian: Tribes of Midgard is what we characterize as a co-op action “survival” rogue-lite that lets players live out their Viking fantasy by dropping them in the world of Midgard to stop the end of the world, Ragnarök. Players must work together in up to a 10-player co-op to survive and protect the Seed of Yggdrasil - the World Tree, from legions of evil creatures and fearsome Giants. There’s of course much more to the gameplay that makes all of this come together into a fun game.
A lot of things set Tribes of Midgard apart, but our main features are the bright and vibrant art style and the collaborative survival co-op. Fighting for yourself or hoarding resources from your fellow Vikings will only hurt you in the end.
What are some of the hurdles you have faced during the development process of Tribes of Midgard? Did the response at launch exceed your expectations?
Julian: The pandemic was the biggest hurdle we, and likely many other studios around the world, faced during development. We all had to work from home, and it was challenging to finish the game, test co-op, and do so on three platforms without being able to work in a room together.
However, it made us more adaptable game-makers in that we found new ways to collaborate and problem solve, and we’re a better, more communicative team for it. We’ve come so far that we now plan to move forward with a hybrid model when we return to our office.
The response at launch has been truly beyond our wildest dreams. We knew we had a good game, but to see the love and excitement shown for it once it was out in the wild is indescribable - we are simply overwhelmed and humbled. We just hit 500,000 players a week after launch and expect our community to keep growing!
Do tell us a bit about Norsfell’s partnership with Gearbox Publishing. How has Gearbox Publishing brought the game to previously untapped player bases?
Julian: Shortly before the pandemic began, we signed with Gearbox Publishing because we thought they were the best possible partner to launch our game. We had other offers on the table, but our decision ultimately came down to how well we got along and our shared vision for the game. They have been an incredible partner and we are so fortunate to have them in our corner.
Tribes of Midgard launches with Season 1, The Wolf Saga where the players will face off against the giant wolf Fenrir. Looking into the future, the mid-season update is scheduled for September and Season 2 in November 2021. Any hints on what players can expect from the mid-season update and Season 2?
Julian: It’s too early for us to give any hints, but we have a lot of exciting things on the way that we can’t wait to share with players soon. What we can say is that when a new Saga comes out, you can still play through the past Saga and the new one will stack on top of it. For players up for a challenge, they can even try to knock out those multiple Saga Quests and Bosses in the same session!
Five years down the line, where do you see yourself and Norsfell?
Julian: Ha! That’s a long time. Right now we’re very much focused on addressing feedback and preparing what’s next for Tribes of Midgard, including our September Mid-Season update and the kick-off for Season 2 in November.
After four years of development, this launch has brought us much joy, and the number of ideas we have for the future will keep us busy with new content for years to come!
All kidding aside, we can confidently say that five years from now, we’ll still work on games that bring people together and that Tribes of Midgard will have become one of the best co-op games available.
Any words of advice for an aspiring game developer?
Julian: You should never be afraid to experiment and try new things. In game development, it takes time to figure out what works and what is fun. Don’t be afraid to put your game in players’ hands early. With Tribes of Midgard, we ran Closed Alphas and Open Betas more than two years before the actual release, which allowed us to see what our audience liked and validate some of our core principles.
Finally, there are also many avenues to learn programming and development, so if you think you want to make a game, just remember that “you can!”
Are you stuck on today's Wordle? Our Wordle Solver will help you find the answer.
