In an interview with PC Gamer, Henrik Törnqvist, co-founder of Iron Gate Studios, developer of co-op survival game Valheim, spoke about the game’s influences, which he says are more linked to single player RPGs like Zelda and Skyrim than conventional survival games, and the tiny team that worked on the game.
Törnqvist also revealed that the success of Valheim, which has since sold more than three million copies, was unexpected. "We had a feeling that it would sell pretty well, at least to sustain us, you know. But it being a million seller, and now two million seller, is something we could never have guessed. It's quite incredible, and very humbling also, I might add." said Törnqvist.
According to Sebastian Eriksson of Coffee Stain Publishing, publisher of Deep Rock Galactic and Satisfactory, the Swedish publisher was optimistic about the game’s performance, but it still exceeded everyone’s expectations. The company is also set to release Hunt-down, Midnight Ghost Hun and Songs of Conquest.
Eriksson admits that since Valheim was released, he’s spent quite a bit of time reading the game’s subreddit. "And I really want to thank all of the people who are posting such amazing, like... everything from really impressive structures that they've built, be it huge castles or just super-interesting interpretations of trolls. But also, the tons and tons of tree deaths. And, like, videos of that happening. It's so much fun."
The surprise hit, which was developed by a team of only five people, has players take on the role Vikings in an afterlife where they have to craft tools, build shelters and fight enemies to survive. Given the success of the game, the studio is now considering expanding.
"I would like to thank everyone who bought the game. It's very... it's mind-blowing. And really awesome. We will hire some people, absolutely. We are currently starting up that process. Yeah, there will be more people to handle everything, because we have reached our limit by now of everything we can do,” Törnqvist said.
Source: PCGamer