"Norse": Excitement building for new Viking-themed game

When the independent game developer Arctic Hazard dropped a trailer for its upcoming Viking-themed game Norse at the start of July, the team didn't expect it to make too much of a splash. 

Yet, in the first two days of release, the video garnered more than 100,000 views and left gamers drooling in anticipation thanks to its stunning graphics, engaging characters, and – above all – the concept. 

Unlike many Viking-themed games, Norse seeks to create an authentic and believable world based on historical fact. 

With the game in the latter stages of development, The Viking Herald speaks to CEO Terje Lundberg, narrative director Phil Stevens, and writer Giles Kristian to find out more.

An indie gem 

Terje told us that Norse had always been the main goal when he founded an independent game studio with two colleagues in 2010. 

"I'm the founder of Arctic Hazard and the CEO and creative director of Norse," Terje begins. "I've been working with major Triple-A games since 2000, so I've been in the industry for almost 25 years, but I needed a change. 

"I wanted a smaller environment where I could collaborate with people on something cool. We only started the main production on Norse in 2021, but this has been the aim of the company all along." 

"We now have around 30 people working on this project worldwide, including many experienced developers." 

From the start, Terje had a clear picture of a Viking-themed, turn-based strategy game. 

"My two co-founders and I are big fans of some of the older X-Com games. And coming from Norway, we have always been interested in the Vikings. We take real pride in trying to be as authentic as possible when we portray the Viking era." 

• READ MORE: A Viking history of Norway - Part 1

The recruitment of talents like Giles Kristian and industry veterans was vital for crafting "Norse's" immersive, historically rich experience. Source: Arctic Hazard Studios

Hiring the best 

One of Terje's most important initial steps was to secure the right creative talent for the game, beginning with award-winning and Sunday Times bestselling author Giles Kristian. 

"I first approached Giles back in 2016 or 2017," Terje tells us. "I think there were only four of us in the studio at that time – the three founders and one other guy." 

"I just googled 'best Viking writer in the world,' and his name showed up. I managed to get in touch, and he was a really cool guy. We just clicked instantly." 

Giles, who has written two Viking-themed trilogies, the Raven Saga and The Rise of Sigurd, was only too keen to get on board. 

"Terje said he was making a Viking game and asked if I would be interested in climbing aboard his longship to write the narrative and the story arc," Giles tells us. 

"I jumped at the chance. I hadn't written a Viking novel for a while, and I was missing that whole world. So I've been getting my Viking fix through the world of Norse ever since!" 

Phil, who previously worked as a film director, was similarly excited about entering the world of the Vikings. 

"I'm really excited to be telling cinematic stories about Viking Age history – it's one of my passions and always has been." 

"It's been fantastic to work on a game that has such high cinematic quality and dealing with a subject matter that's so close to my heart." 

The game, coming soon to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, follows a classic revenge tale set in early Viking Age Norway. Source: Arctic Hazard Studios

A compelling tale 

Norse, which will be available for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, is set in the rugged landscapes of Norway in the early years of the Viking Age. 

"It's a kind of classic revenge tale," Phil explains. "We follow the story of a young Viking warrior named Gunnar and his sister Sigrid." 

"Their father, the jarl, is betrayed by Steinarr Far-Spear, who decides to kill the jarl and take power for himself." 

"The siblings are forced to flee their small community. They go to their uncle to ask for help, and he gifts them a small piece of land on the west coast of Norway." 

"He tells them, 'If you can grow strong and build yourselves something, then you can go back and take back what's yours,'" Phil continues. 

"The goal of the game is to build your community and your forces, your skill set – to grow stronger. You need to bring warriors and craftspeople to your banner and your settlement." 

"Gradually, over the course of the game, you become strong enough to face off against your ultimate enemy and take your revenge against the man who killed your father." 

The development involved creating colorful, engaging characters with the help of trained actors to bring them to life. Source: Arctic Hazard Studios

"The most fun you could possibly have!" 

Giles is keen to emphasize just how much work has gone into creating a truly immersive Viking world. "It's hugely collaborative," Giles tells us. 

"Writing novels is pretty much a solo pursuit, but with a game, you can't just cut loose and go where you like. There are certain criteria you have to fulfill." 

"For example, Terje said that we need a blacksmith for the village and that he was going to be a key character," Giles adds. 

"The blacksmith then needs to learn his skill set and produce more advanced things as you progress through the game. You're also going to need someone to make your clothes, a hunter, and a farmer." 

"So there were certain elements that we knew we had to put into the story. But you can still be really creative in how you do that – we try to make the characters really colorful and engaging, with distinct personalities and voices." 

The studio also employed a set of trained actors to help bring the characters to life. "That was one of the things we had a lot of fun with – getting our actors aboard to play these characters and really inhabit them," Giles says. 

"Hopefully they will be really persuasive when people are playing the game, and they're going to want to listen to what these characters have to say." 

"They can be quite funny and coarse, quite unreformed, which is great fun from our point of view – just sitting and trying to write Viking dialogue and having the most fun you could possibly have!" 

• READ MORE: What did a day in the life of a Viking look like?

The game's goal is to build your community and forces, growing stronger by recruiting warriors and craftspeople. Source: Arctic Hazard Studios

An air of authenticity 

During the development of the game, the team has focused on creating a world that is as authentic as possible. 

"Of course, being a game, we have to do some things to engage the players," Terje acknowledges. "But as much as possible, we try to stay true to the historical facts that we have." 

"You've got to compromise to a certain extent," Giles admits. "If you want your warrior classes to look slightly different when you upgrade, then you have to have slightly different kits." 

"If we were being strictly historical, there would be no distinctions between the classes and foes and allies. So we have to take certain liberties. But it's all Viking – we're trying to keep it grounded in that kind of experience." 

"There is no way of pleasing everybody, so we have to please ourselves in terms of how comfortable we would be as fans of Viking history," Phil explains. 

"But we're not creating a historical documentary – it's meant to be engaging. We hope someone can play the game and have a really good impression of what it would be like to live during that period." 

"But we also have to remember that at the end of the day, it is entertainment." 

Currently, "Norse" remains in the latter stages of development, with the team working diligently to finalize the game. Source: Arctic Hazard Studios

Heightened anticipation 

As the views of the trailer for Norse across all platforms near the half-million mark, Terje admits he has been delighted with the initial reaction. 

"The reception of the video is beyond belief," he tells us. "It's the first thing that we posted about the game; and coming from an unknown studio, it's performing really, really well." 

"IGN called it AXE-COM instead of XCOM, and I really loved that." 

"We thought we might get a reasonable amount of views, but certainly not on the scale that we have had now. It just keeps growing and growing," Phil adds. 

"I think it's highlighting just how much appetite there is for this kind of content. It offers the ability to explore that world with a level of freedom beyond film and television, and that has a really big appeal." 

Right now, the game remains in the latter stages of development, and gamers will have to wait a little longer for a release date. 

"It's not far from completion in a practical sense," admits Phil. "But of course, that is just one small piece of the game release puzzle. All we can say is that we are well on the way to making that happen." 

"It's not years away, let's put it that way," Terje adds. "Let's just use that old phrase," says Giles with a smile: "The Vikings are coming!" 

You can read more about Norse on the official website. You can also add it to your personal wishlist by visiting Norse's Steam page.

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