The Viking game Valheim is one of the most popular in the world on the gaming platform Steam right now.
This is despite the fact that the company Iron Gate, which developed the game, only consists of five people.
- I do not really know what to think, it is absolutely fantastic, says game developer Henrik Törnqvist.
He has several explanations for why the game has sold so well.
- Vikings are always popular and then there are not so many collaborative games on Steam, ie the platform where we release the game.
Spelstaden Skövde
And that their company is located in Skövde is no coincidence.
At the University of Skövde, about 500 people study game development and in Skövde, with the help of a so-called business incubator, they try to support former students to start companies in the computer game industry.
- It is fantastically impressive that teams of this size can achieve world success, which is talked about both in Sweden and internationally, says Marcus Toftedahl, game researcher at the University of Skövde.
When was the last time such a small team had such a great success?
- What I would like to compare with is Minecraft, and that is fifteen years ago.
Rock-hard global competition
Every year, about 10,000 games are released just the most popular platform for PC games, Steam, so the competition is tough.
What then does such a success mean for Skövde as a gaming city?
- It means a lot.
We will be a place on the map in the gaming industry, says Per Holmén Dahlin, business developer at Science Park Skövde.