Interview: we spoke with the creators of Viking City Builder

Q1: This is your first game on the Steam platform. How does it feel to make a game that will be available to millions of gamers?

Our very ambitious goal is to deliver one of the best city-builder games gamers have ever played! The entire world of our game will be available for players to rule and conquer new lands while fully immersing themselves in the world of Vikings. With this belief in our minds, we feel a massive duty to meet the community's expectations and deliver the best possible city-building experience. We are excited and motivated to continue working on the project.

Q2: How did you come up with the idea to make a Viking settlement game?

Initially, the game was developed after working hours, first solo (Emil Wasiak, Editor's Note) and soon the whole team joined! The idea came from a great love for the Viking world. We always wanted to make something we enjoy playing, such as city builders and RTS games. Some of our favorite games are Banished, Age of Empires, and Anno 1800; and since there are big fans of Norse and Viking culture among us, the world we decided to create was very clear. That is why today we are happy to have such a complex team and the opportunity to develop a game that aligns with our interests.

Q3: In these times, gamers have seen a large number of city-building and management games. What sets your game apart from the average?

It's true that city-building is a saturated genre, but our game gives you a unique experience in a realistic recreation of the brutal reality of Viking life and implements a level of tactical combat. To achieve such results, we spent a large number of hours researching historical documents to as faithfully as possible recreate the buildings, life, and habits of a Viking settlement. This experience is further enhanced with highly detailed graphics and an emergent gameplay system. One of our main goals is complete immersion in ruling over the Vikings. Players will have the option to become true leaders from their first steps until the moment they put a crown on their head. We are also the first city builder to use RTX technology.

Q4: What is the hardest part of your project?

We have set unique selling points to deliver the best and most unique gaming experience for our community. Considering how extensive the economy of VCB (Viking City Builder, Editor's Note) is, the hardest thing was balancing the gameplay. We have to create massive economic simulations to calculate and balance the proper flow of resources. A high degree of realism often sets us against the difficult task of merging historical accuracy and fun in gameplay.

Q5: Will the game receive future updates and expansions?

Very likely. The game contains a lot of potential just waiting to be tapped into, and we have many ideas for possible future expansions. At this moment, however, we are focused on the development of the main game and player testing options – first as a playtest, and later we will see. We will keep you informed!

Q6: Is it harder to self-publish a game compared to having a publisher who will handle that part of the job for you?

Each of these options has its pros and cons. We believe that despite being a young studio, we can handle the modern gaming market. We have young people full of ideas, as well as game dev veterans who unselfishly offer their knowledge and experience. This combination gives us a solid foundation for production. As independent developers, we have much more freedom to produce what we want without any pressure, including the biggest one – time. However, we haven't ruled anything out yet. We are also considering other options.

Q7: Will the title have an endgame or can we play the game “forever”?

You asked about one of the cool designs we will deliver in our game, but unfortunately, we can't explain all the details yet. Let's just say we take realistic immersion seriously and want our players to feel as if they actually are a Viking leader in spirit and body 🙂

Q8: Would you describe your game more like Cities: Skylines or Banished in terms of gameplay?

Viking City Builder is primarily a city-builder in the "settlement simulation" style, like Banished, Farthest Frontier, or Patron. We put great effort into constructing the entire economic simulation of a Viking settlement; from basic resource generation to making parts that will eventually be used to create goods. But it's hard to imagine Vikings without raids, so you can expect tactical battles. In those, we can mention Total War and Ancestors Legacy as inspirations.

Q9: Do you have any plans for future projects? Will you stay in the city-building genre?

It's hard for us to decide right now. This game is our priority, and all our attention is dedicated to it. Viking City Builder is in production all the time; much has already been done, but we still see potential for additional development. Our entire work is connected to this project, so... if there are new projects in the future, they will be implemented after Viking City Builder. There must be an order for everything 😉

Q10: As this is your first title, do you have any advice you could give to people who have similar ideas and want to make their first game?

Don't be afraid to do things differently. Sometimes a great composition of game features lies in the unknown. That’s exactly why we are combining a city-builder with a realistic, fully developed combat mode.