MB: How have you kept things fresh over the last decade to make sure fans keep coming back? CL: We are always adding polish - improving graphics, balancing gameplay and fixing bugs - whilst introducing new content like tribes, skins, and additional functionality. We strive to create new challenges for our players whilst simultaneously enhancing the existing experience. The drive to build our perfect game motivates the team every day.


Original release – “Super Tribes”


MB: Community interaction is important for a game’s long- term success; what is Midjiwan’s philosophy when it comes to community engagement? CL: From the start, we recognised that a strong community is vital for longevity. We maintain close contact with our players through platforms like Discord and Reddit. We’re fortunate to have a passionate community that provides constant input and ideas. While we are careful about which suggestions we implement, the community remains our most significant growth factor. With over 25 million organic installs, our dedicated players are our best advocates, sharing the game with friends because they want to see it thrive as much as we do. My personal favourite community initiative we’ve done was last


year’s Polytopia World Championships. Players and fans came from all over the world to Stockholm for the finals, and this was the first time we got to meet many of our players in person, some of whom we’ve known for many years only through our community platforms.


MB: How does the team decide on what new features to add to the game? CL: The Midjiwan team and the community both suggest ideas, but Felix, as the game’s director and designer, makes the final decision. When a promising idea surfaces, we run extensive tests with a private group of playtesters. Personally, I think “Weekly Challenges” is the most interesting new feature we’ve added since it gives players a chance to replay the same map seed several times. The game mechanics get altered a little bit each time but since you can learn the map through repeated games, players can really plan their strategy in advance.


MB: What’s a notable feature Midjiwan tested, but ultimately cut from the game? CL: We experiment with many concepts, but the vast majority do


May/June 2026 MCV/DEVELOP | 29


MB: What does the future of Polytopia look like? CL: We work with a long-term mindset, intending to keep The Battle of Polytopia relevant for decades. In addition to regular game updates, we have successfully launched eSport World Championships for our competitive base. We are also expanding the franchise with a physical card game expected to launch in 2027. Our ultimate goal is to keep evolving Polytopia until it reaches that “perfect game” status, enjoyed by players for years to come.


not make the cut. Only a small percentage of tested features are ever released to the public. One example was a new tribe that we worked on for four years but ultimately cut. Adding new tribes might look like a simple thing but our standards are very high and it’s crucial that it really adds something new to the game as well that it blends in with the lore. And, most importantly, that it is fun to play. That tribe had more code written for it than all other tribes


combined, but we still cut it because it wasn’t good enough. Hopefully we can restart this project and finally get it released.


MB: The game is free-to-play and has no adverts, so how has it made revenue all this time? CL: On mobile, our largest platform, we use a transparent DLC model. Players purchase expansions that they keep forever. We avoid in-game currencies, loot boxes, and deceptive monetisation. This clarity builds trust; many players have told us that Polytopia is the only mobile game they’ve ever felt comfortable purchasing. We target serious gamers who prefer a fair value proposition over being spammed by adverts or shady monetisation mechanisms.


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