VGTimes interview with a Valheim developer: how five people with a minimal budget created a hit in two years

Iron Gate Studios gave us a brilliant survival Valheim, capable of fighting on equal terms with a real AAA. Since its release, the project has been leading the Steam charts and drawing more and more players into its net. A few days ago, I interviewed Henrik Törnqvist, the co-founder of the studio, tried to find out the secrets of the developers' success and am ready to tell you about our conversation. Spoiler: no one seems to understand the reasons for the incredible rise.

VGTimes: Henrik, Valheim has become incredibly successful: it seems that almost the entire gaming community is playing it. Did you expect such popularity?

Henrik Tørnqvist: To be honest, we did not expect this at all. The game's rise was a big surprise for us.

VGTimes: What do you think was the main reason for this?

Henrik Tørnqvist: It's hard to single out the main one, but there are many reasons. Firstly, Valheim is designed for co-op interaction — people like to play with friends or fight against them. Secondly, the pandemic played a big role... Gamers need new games to take their minds off their worries.

VGTimes: Gamers do need games, but they could easily hang out in, for example, Marvel's Avengers, and Valheim's one-time online is many times higher than that of the famous franchise...

Henrik Tørnqvist: (Laughs) I would also like to know the answer to this question, but I just don't know how it happened! I'll assume that the reason is the power of the Internet. We didn't have the most impressive marketing before the release, but when gamers played Valheim, they started recommending it to their friends. This is the main reason for the high online.

VGTimes: Valheim is full of interesting details, for example, excellent physics. It was amazing to see when a fallen tree knocked down neighboring trees or crushed the hero himself. How long did you develop the game to achieve such results?

Henrik Tørnqvist: The game was developed for two and a half years. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and we did not encounter any difficulties in the process. My partner Richard (Iron Gate co-founder) and I have been making games since 2004, so we have a lot of experience, and that definitely played a role. We also had a clear vision for Valheim, we knew what it should turn out like in the end.

VGTimes: I can't help but ask the question that every fan is interested in: when will the full release of Valheim take place?

Henrik Tørnqvist: Sorry, but I can't answer. To be honest, we ourselves haven't decided on a specific date yet...

VGTimes: Maybe there is information about upcoming updates: new bosses and biomes?

Henrik Tørnqvist: Right now we are working on the Mistlands, where there will be new bosses, enemies, resources and items, but what will happen next... We don't know for sure yet, but there will definitely be more and more content.

VGTimes: The game features a number of famous characters from Scandinavian mythology. Is there a chance to see the Allfather or Loki in the game?

Henrik Thornquist: The Allfather is definitely in our plans, he will appear in the game. We haven't thought about Loki yet... I'm not saying «no», but how to fit him into the world of Valheim is still unclear. However, you can already meet Thor. I won't say how exactly, but be careful when you hear thunder.

VGTimes: Many gamers are asking about balance: with the onset of the Bronze Age, there is an unrealistically large amount of grinding. Should we expect changes in the balance?

Henrik Thornquist: Of course. If players think that the grind is becoming excessive, then we will make adjustments. We are completely open to changes, and agree that some periods may seem tedious. We listen to the audience and constantly collect feedback. Soon, even more gamers will get to the late stages of the game, which means there will be more reactions. Rest assured, no feedback will go unnoticed.

VGTimes: Valheim is in early access, but the game has surprisingly few bugs. Personally, I only encountered one, when a troll unexpectedly flew into the sky during a fight. How did you achieve this if even many AAA projects like Cyberpunk 2077 fail to cope with the task?

Henrik Tørnqvist: You shouldn't compare our project with Cyberpunk 2077, after all, CD Projekt RED's creation is much more complex and multifaceted. Valheim is a simpler game, and by definition there will be fewer bugs. In general, it helped us that we used the ready-made Unity engine and thanks to this we could concentrate on creation, without worrying about stability.

VGTimes: You have only five people on your team, and in two and a half years you have developed a truly huge and impressive game. Did you have any days off at all?

Henrik Tørnqvist: (Laughs) Good question! We tried to take people on for the summer holidays, but there was still an unrealistically large amount of work. Luckily, our publisher Coffee Stain understood how game development works and did not put much pressure. However, we ourselves wanted to finish Valheim as soon as possible... Of course, now we are only talking about early access, but this point is very important for us. After all, the beta presents seventy-five percent of the planned mechanics and fifty percent of the content. By the way, almost everything was ready in December last year. The beta was originally scheduled for December, and the reason for the postponement was Cyberpunk 2077…

VGTimes: It's amazing that you achieved such a result with a small team. It's equally amazing that Valheim, with its incredible scale, weighs only one gigabyte. How did you do it?

Henrik Tørnqvist: Believe me, for me as a developer, one gigabyte is not so little. The main reason is that the game has no cutscenes and voiced dialogues. More often than not, they take up the most space. Of course, there are other reasons: few polygons, low texture resolution, a limited number of assets on which each location is built. They may look different, but there aren't many unique elements, and that's also a big part of why Valheim fits into just one gigabyte. Plus, we have a procedurally generated world, which doesn't take up much space on your hard drive to create.

VGTimes: Gamers often compare Valheim to other survival games like Rust or The Forest. Where did you get the inspiration for the game: from similar «survival games» or something else?

Henrik Tørnqvist: The inspiration came from classic story-driven games like The Legend of Zelda, The Elder Scrolls series or even Dark Souls, if we talk about the combat system. We didn't look at other survival projects at all.

VGTimes: You mentioned The Elder Scrolls… Just a couple of days ago, gamers recreated a village from Skyrim in Valheim, and before that, they built the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. What do you feel when you see such fan creativity?

Henrik Tørnqvist: I feel something indescribable… it's pure happiness. I admire the activity of gamers, and their creativity is simply incredible.

VGTimes: What advice would you give to players who have just found themselves in the world of Valheim?

Henrik Tørnqvist: My advice is simple: build a workbench and a roof over your head as soon as possible. This will require some resources, but they are not difficult to gather.

VGTimes: What other games would you recommend to players who liked Valheim?

Henrik Tørnqvist: I would definitely recommend another project from our publisher — Satisfactory. The game is not like Valheim, but it is beautiful. I would also recommend playing Terraria — many will definitely like it.

VGTimes: What project would you call the best in 2020?

Henrik Tørnqvist: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. It came out in 2019? Oh, I played it in 2020, so for me it's definitely the best game of last year.

In the interview, Henrik gave the impression of a modest and professional person who does not throw words to the wind, does not try to hype and gives the most honest answers. Thanks to the developer for finding time for a dialogue and putting up with my awkward English for half an hour. We'll keep an eye on Valheim for now, but in the meantime, I wish Iron Gate continued success.

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VGTimes has been operating since 2011 and during this time has visited dozens of exhibitions and festivals, where our journalists have collected many exclusive materials. For example, in 2019 we got to a closed screening of Cyberpunk 2077 at gamescom, in 2017 we prepared a photo report from WG Fest, in 2020 we were at the largest gaming event in Central Asia CAGS, and also visited IgroMir several times, where we saw Hideo Kojima and other famous developers.