‘Tribes of Midgard’ creates new genre

When game developer Norsfell was first created, it had a simple motto: to create new genres that bring people together.

The studio’s upcoming game, “Tribes of Midgard,” is the result of that thinking.

“It’s a game that is better played than explained,” Norsfell CEO and Creative Director Julian Maroda said. “There are so many mechanics and there’s so much depth. Once you get your hands on it, you’ll get it.”

At its core, players take control of a Viking tasked with defending Seed of Yggdrasil, the tree of life. The game can be played solo or with up to 10 players and mixes elements of survival, RPG, crafting and more into a unique package.

The game’s map and enemies will be scaled based on how many gamers are playing at a given time.

“We’re huge fans of ‘Don’t Starve” and especially ‘Don’t Starve Together,’ ” Maroda said. “It’s super fun, but it’s not very easy to get into. How can we expand on that? How can we make a game that’s a survival game but is way more accessible to a larger audience that aren’t looking for that type of super hard challenge, but can also appreciate the beauty of a survival game?”

The game, due out on July 27 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC, has been in development since 2017. During that period, Norsfell made a bet on the future — that survival games would become more popular, cooperative gaming would make a comeback and Vikings were ready for the spotlight in popular culture.

Time has proven that wise and Norsfell is excited to add new elements to the survival genre. Norsfell has conducted numerous open betas and used feedback from its audience to fine-tune the game.

“It was always in our core to do multiplayer games,” Maroda said. “But something that is extremely important to us and I think it shows, is we’re involving the community in the designing phase. I think that’s one of the reasons Tribes gained so much traction so early. We kind of shifted our model and our community saw that.”

The result is an experience tailor-made for its audience. And launch won’t signal the end. Players also can expect more seasons and content — for free — going forward.

“This is just the beginning,” Maroda said. “We’re going to release Tribes with this first season and it’s just the start of the great adventure.”