The upcoming life simWalk of Lifeis the second game by Icelandic developer Porcelain Fortress. Its first,No Time to Relax, has sold over 300,000 copies to date and has proven to be really popular with streamers. The game challenges players to compete against each other whileworking through all of life’s major events, such as getting a job or owning a house. With plenty of witty humor and a unique art style,Walk of Lifeis looking to double down on everything that madeNo Time to Relaxso popular.
Game Rant sat down with Porcelain Fortress CEO Ingólfur Ævarsson and lead designer Diðrik Steinsson to talk aboutWalk of Life,but they were also keen to stress the emerging force of the video game industry in Iceland over the past few years. Referencing other Icelandic companies like CCP Games, as well asNordic countries such as Finland and Swedenas inspiration, the Porcelain Fortress team is optimistic about the road ahead.
Walk of Life Devs Are Proud of Their Icelandic Roots
In recent years, Nordic countries have become a major force in video game development. Sweden’s Mojang Studios (Minecraft) andFinland’s Remedy Entertainment(Alan Wake, Control) are just two examples of this, and the Porcelain Fortress team is aware of the success of their neighboring countries. Ævarsson explained how proud he is that his own country of Iceland is playing a part in that success now too:
‘‘Iceland is in the middle of nowhere, on an icy rock, and it feels like we live in a different world where we need to be creative in multiple ways. There is a very strong heritage and history in Iceland of storytelling, being creative, and that is just something that’s very strong within the Icelandic community, so we are kind of taking that into the gaming world.’’
Iceland’s Video Game Development Funding is Still Trailing Behind Other European Countries
One of the biggest developers in Iceland isCCP Games, the studio behindEVE Online. Despite having no official affiliation with Porcelain Fortress, Ævarsson explained that the developers in Iceland very much see themselves as a big family, and all revel in each other’s successes. Having a company like CCP Games to aspire to serves as great motivation for Ævarsson and his team, particularly because Steinsson explained that Iceland doesn’t have the same benefits for video game developers as some other countries have:
‘‘With Iceland, even though we are slowly gaining more support from the government, there are no specific gaming grants, any specific gaming tax reductions, or anything like that. Other countries are way ahead of us in this regard, and we’re lagging behind when it comes to government funding, stuff like that. We’ve been lucky enough to tap into technological development funds, but we are competing with countries that have their own specific gaming funding and tax reductions on gaming specifically.’’
Even after the launch ofWalk of Life, Porcelain Fortress will continue to try and make fun games that resonate with gamers around the world. ‘‘Our vision for the company is that we look to the games of yesteryear andcreate them with the technology of tomorrow’’ Ævarsson explained. Fans of the Icelandic studio will no doubt want to keep an eye out for whatever comes next.
Walk of Lifewill be released on Steam early access in 2025.
