It’s always nice to celebrate a game that continues to thrive, especially when its a fun – and free! – mobile game. That’s why today, we’re talking about The Battle of Polytopia by Midjiwan. We got the chance to talk about all things Polytopia with its creator, Felix Ekenstam, from where it began to where it’s going in the future.
Midjiwan initially released The Battle of Polytopia in 2016, and the game has gone on to win IMGA and Lovie awards, then in 2024 received a nomination for Best Indie Developer. Over the years it’s garnered millions of players, over 23 million downloads, and operates on mobile devices, Nintendo Switch, and even Tesla Cars.
Ekenstam started programming early in life at age 12, but his first milestone came in 2016 when he made Polytopia. Originally a hobby project, he turned it into a “turn-based strategy game [he] could play on [his] phone”, which found success upon release.
“It has been very fun and challenging to be able to work on one project for so long, and that is only possible with the support of all our players”. Not only has the game, and associated team, grown, but Ekenstam feels he has grown as a designer alongside it. He compares making a game to raising a child, and that he “feels oddly attached to this little world that we have created”, which makes perfect sense as it’s a long-running project, beloved by many. Just look at the 4.3 rating on Google Play – it’s not often that a mobile game achieves and keeps such a high score.
There was plenty of learning to be done in terms of development. Ekenstam learned a lot about design and how to make a game entertaining, saying “My method is simply to dream about the game, make the game, play the game, and then repeat until perfection”. However, he also mentions that it’s ‘fascinating’ how often a dream about a fun game leads to a less fun version in real life.
Ekenstam mentions the biggest challenge was adding amusement into the game while also giving the ‘perception of purpose’. After managing this, development came easy as he and the team “kept simplifying and removing stuff until they reached the core.”
Keeping the game fresh is another challenge, as new content needs to be balanced, but interesting enough to keep players engaged – and reach out to new ones. However, Ekenstam – in his own words – is restrictive when it comes to additions and changes. “I always test it a lot internally to make sure it carries its weight and then do quite intense alpha testing with a small group of hardcore players before we release it to a wider beta audience”. Turns out that about 80% of ideas get scrapped, so only the best of the best make it into the game.
That means the 15 tribes featured in Polytopia went through some rigorous testing before making their way into the Battle. Each added tribe goes through more testing and experiments than any other content. “The first 12 tribes have very little gameplay differences but that tiny difference affects the way you play quite a lot. [With] special tribes I take the liberty to experiment a lot more. They take a lot more work and play testing to get right, but they are also a lot of fun”. The short answer, Ekenstam says, is that it’s “really (really!) hard work to keep balance”, and is why new tribes don’t pop up constantly.
Let’s say all rules are suddenly gone – is there anything totally off the cuff that could make it into Polytopia? Surprisingly, as the game’s creator, Felix can “add anything [he] wants to the game and that is what [he does] all the time”. He would like an AR tabletop version of Polytopia, though, as it would be a pleasant experience with friends and family getting together. He also has ideas of making a “full futuristic skin for Polytopia”, changing it to have lightsabers and spaceships, but be the same game at its core. “I think that could be perfect as in-flight entertainment for a space cruiser”.
Looking to the future, we wonder if there’s anything coming up. “I have a few ideas of spinoffs in the Polytopia universe that I would like to pursue,” Ekenstam says. But similar to ConcernedApe of Stardew Valley fame, he just loves his game and likes to keep working on it – clearly, this is the best strategy as the game continues to evolve and gain popularity.
He also has some advice for himself, and anyone else looking to make a game – or continue working on their projects. “It is a very good idea to follow your heart, to make something that you truly love, and not listen too much to other opinions”. Making a game that you enjoy and would play yourself is key. Ekenstam also notes that you should not let yourself be governed by numbers and statistics – while this may be difficult, it’s sage advice.
We hope the game continues to be one of the best free mobile games out there, and if this has inspired you to pick up some new titles, we can recommend the best gaming phones for you to try them on.