In an era of increasingly aggressive monetization efforts, The Battle of Polytopia takes a different approach - capping player spending at $35 and focusing on non-consumable, value-driven purchases. Midjiwan, the indie studio behind the game, aims to challenge exploitative mobile gaming tactics by fostering trust, transparency, and long-term player satisfaction. This strategy, prioritising goodwill over short-term profits, raises a crucial question: Can fair monetization models thrive in a landscape shaped by loot boxes, paywalls, and "whale hunting"? Midjiwan’s success suggests that an alternative path exists - one where games prioritise joy over financial pressure. We talk to Midjiwan AB's CEO, Christian Lövstedt, to explore.

The Battle of Polytopia caps player spending at $35, a stark contrast to many mobile games that rely on aggressive monetization. What motivated Midjiwan to adopt this approach, and how do you balance profitability with player satisfaction?

It’s important to clarify that the $35 maximum spend cap isn't set in stone forever. We are continuing to add purchasable content to the game, which will gradually raise the maximum spend. At the heart of our monetization strategy is a commitment to ensuring players get real value for their money. All items we sell are non-consumable, meaning you get to keep them forever. Think of it as being similar to DLC’s on platforms like Steam - expansions, such as Tribes & Skins, that enhance gameplay or provide new aesthetic options.

Our in app purchases range from $0.99-$3.99, keeping the threshold low for players to make a purchase. These are one-time expansions rather than consumable items or in game currencies that require ongoing purchases to progress. Additionally, we offer four tribes completely free of charge, enabling players to enjoy the game indefinitely without encountering paywalls or progression slowdowns.

Aggressive monetization has become a defining feature of many mobile games. How do you think this trend is impacting the perception of the mobile gaming industry as a whole?

We sometimes hear from players that this is the only game they’ve ever spent money on. This is a direct side effect of the aggressive monetization practices that dominate many mobile games today. Players often feel that they are being gradually tricked into spending more money just to keep playing, which eventually leads to frustration, churn, and a bad aftertaste.

Our goal is to create an entirely different experience - where players purchase content because they genuinely want it and feel good about their decision afterward. Unfortunately, the mobile gaming industry as a whole has earned a reputation for prioritizing profit over player satisfaction, which we aim to challenge with our approach.

Many developers argue that aggressive monetization models are necessary to sustain game development. How has Midjiwan managed to achieve success with a more restrained monetization model?

We strive to achieve a higher volume of players, but earn less per player. The large number of players helps us remain profitable, even if some never spend anything in the game. Additionally, this approach generates a lot of goodwill among our community.

At Midjiwan we feel that games should provide joy and value, rather than pressure or frustration. We build trust and long-term loyalty by respecting our players, proving that success doesn’t require exploiting players.

With a spending cap like $35, how do you ensure that The Battle of Polytopia remains financially viable and competitive in an industry driven by recurring revenue streams?

Players love seeing fresh updates, and there’s strong demand for more features and expansions. As we continue to add new content to the game, we also stay connected with our community through tournaments, competitions and being accessible. Note that we never implement something that the community wants unless we really like it ourselves.This keeps players engaged and excited about the game. By paying careful attention to what we and the players want and focusing on quality content, we’ve found a way to stay competitive without resorting to aggressive monetization. 

What is your stance on the use of predatory practices, such as loot boxes or "whale hunting," in mobile games? Was The Battle of Polytopia’s model explicitly designed to avoid these tactics?

Our monetization strategy is rooted in transparency, ensuring that players clearly understand the cost of items and purchases. In many games, the pricing structure can be deliberately confusing and difficult for players to track their spending. 

We take a different approach. You could say we target the "minnows" instead of the "whales." Predatory practices often create a constantly churning player base, relying on the need to attract new players all the time. Instead, we focus on retaining the players we have, and steadily building our player base

How do you think your monetization strategy has impacted the trust and loyalty of The Battle of Polytopia’s player base compared to other mobile games?

We find that this approach helps us build a large, loyal player base who stay with us for a long time and eventually purchase many of the tribes and skins.

Do you believe that the success of games with aggressive monetization models is shifting consumer expectations? How does The Battle of Polytopia challenge these expectations?

I hope we can help improve the reputation of mobile games, but I’m not sure what impact we’ve had. One of the saddest consequences of aggressive monetization tactics is how they stifle creativity. The major earners completely dominate visibility in the app stores, making it extremely difficult for fresh and innovative titles to be discovered. 

In contrast, Steam has become a hub for gaming innovation. The wishlist system and the ability for developers to communicate directly with their audience through wishlists are invaluable tools. I really wish mobile app stores had something similar. It would be beneficial not only for building anticipation before launch, but also for keeping that momentum going post launch. 

As the CEO of an indie studio, where do you see the future of mobile game monetization heading? Do you think the industry will eventually gravitate toward fairer, capped systems like yours, or continue down the path of aggressive monetization?

That’s a very good question. Currently, we are somewhat stuck with the type of monetization culture dominating the top charts. Perhaps the success of a premium model, like Balatro, could help turn the tide. It’s tricky. Mobile games have become such a significant earner for the app stores, and as long as new players accept these monetization tactics, I expect things will remain this way for a while. Maybe, as the market matures, players will grow tired of these tactics and gravitate toward games with more sensible monetization models.

Personally, I feel that aggressive monetization makes many mobile games unplayable. Either they are cluttered with ads, or it becomes too expensive to keep playing. This is especially frustrating because many of these games are actually great games.