Lavapotion

Lavapotion AB is a Swedish game development studio operating in the entertainment software industry, with a clear focus on creating turn-based strategy games. The company was established in Gothenburg, Sweden, in February 2017 by a group of industry veterans from the game and film sectors. The founding team was driven by a shared passion to develop the kinds of games they cherished in the 1990s, specifically titles like Heroes of Might and Magic and Age of Wonders.

The initial four-person team included CEO Magnus Alm and Technical Artist Patrik Liljecrantz, who had previously co-founded a mobile games studio. Disenchanted with the free-to-play market, they sought to create premium PC and tablet games. Alm, with an extensive background in the games industry including roles at Palringo and Free Lunch Design, reached out to his childhood friend, Carl Toftfelt, who had an 11-year career as an actor and singer. Toftfelt's penchant for dissecting complex strategy games made him a natural fit for the Lead Game Designer role. The founding quartet was completed by Lead Programmer Niklas Borglund, a former colleague of Alm's.

Lavapotion’s business model centers on the one-time sale of its flagship title, "Songs of Conquest," distributed digitally through platforms like Steam. The company received early seed investment from Coffee Stain Studios, which acquired a minority stake and now acts as the game's publisher. This partnership allowed Lavapotion to focus on game design rather than profit maximization strategies typical of the free-to-play model.

"Songs of Conquest" is a turn-based strategy adventure game that merges kingdom management, tactical combat, and RPG elements. Players control powerful magicians called Wielders, leading armies to explore maps, manage resources, and engage in grid-based combat. The game features a distinct 2.5D pixel art style, four unique factions, single-player campaigns, and various multiplayer modes. A significant feature is the in-game map editor, which allows the community to create and share custom content, adding to the game's replayability. Following a period in Early Access that began in 2022, the full version 1.0 was launched in May 2024, and the company has plans for future DLCs and expansion to more platforms.

Keywords: turn-based strategy, adventure-strategy, PC gaming, indie game developer, kingdom management, tactical combat, pixel art games, fantasy strategy, Songs of Conquest, Coffee Stain Publishing, Magnus Alm, Carl Toftfelt, Gothenburg games industry, game development studio, strategy RPG, map editor, 2.5D graphics, Wielders, classic strategy games, HOMM-like