To launch a game, an indie studio must be able to count on several things. Help and financing are 2 important components. But fortunately for Norsfell, the community and Ubisoft Entrepreneurs rose to the occasion.
At the time, the Montreal-based company was considering how to make their game Tribes of Midgard a reality. Since the ambitious project takes place in Midgard, the legendary kingdom of Viking mythology, the production was going to require a lot of work – literally. Monsters and mythical creatures roam everywhere in this team-based exploration and survival game, but nothing comes close to its fearsome giants. It was going to take a ton of work to design the game.
So the company participated and won the Ubisoft Indie Series, presented by National Bank, in 2017. In addition to a $50,000 prize, the studio received a tremendous amount of mentoring, creative and marketing tools, as well as financial advice. A huge step closer to their goal. Julian Maroda, the studio’s CEO and Minister of Creation, recalls how this victory opened doors for them.
Because of the Indie Series win, we were able to go out and get funding with the Canada Media Fund. We were then able to sign an exclusive agreement with Sony to be an exclusive game on the PlayStation 5. Then, we could sign with a publisher – Gearbox – one of the best known publishers in the world, to finance and ship Tribes of Midgard.
The Norsfell team built a plan to create a strong community around the game so it’d be recognized in the industry and by investors. An article in Les Affaires attests to the company’s success which created a community of over 100,000 players, even without the game being public yet.
The legendary kingdom of Midgard will soon be a reality with its scheduled release July 27, 2021. And with so much support, the Montreal indie studio is now ready for anything – even Ragnarok.
The Ubisoft Indie Series, a Ubisoft Entrepreneurs initiative, is presented by National Bank and powered by La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec.
