It’s time for a name change, a new look, and a chance to meet the developers of the upcoming Web3 tower defense title from Gala.

The upcoming Gala tower defense game is ready to share more of its development with the community. First, the game formerly known as Fortified is now…

Fortitude

Do not worry, the name change is merely due to unforeseen licensing issues and the boring legal details are not at all epic, or even pageworthy. Fortitude is the Web3 strategy tower defense game you have been waiting for.

Gala Games is thrilled to formally welcome South Korea-based developer ROUND2 to the Ecosystem. Let’s get to know the developers.

This section was presented to the ROUND2 team as a series of written questions.

All details mentioned are entirely subject to change for any reason.

Let’s start right off with what everyone wants to know. How is development going? On a percentage scale, how complete is the game?

(Youngjun) We are working hard to release the Alpha build. But we are still at the Alpha stage, so I’d say the progress in development would be at about 50–60%. We still have a long way to go, but we are making steady progress.

Are there any estimates yet on when the community may have its first playable demo or beta version?

(Youngjun) Our plan is to release the Alpha version that we are working on at Galaverse Malta as a playable demo. You know when Galaverse is, right? We aim this autumn for the Beta release.

What is it about the PvP Tower Defense genre that lends itself especially well to Web3, reward economies and non-fungible tokens?

(Youngjun) PvP tower defense is a genre where you compete your strategies against other players, such as how to place towers and how to mobilize your army consisting of Hero/Troop/Spell in battles.

(Seulki) It is a traditional genre that offers the elements “proven” to be fun, where you get to build your town and increase its value, protect my value and compete with others.

(Youngsik) I believe combining Web3, reward economy, and NFT will allow players to create added value to their towns (that they built and grew), to raise the value of the towns, and distribute the values. As the values are created by players themselves, they are entitled to appropriate rights and rewards, and this new system will make it possible.

(Youngjun) Accordingly, we expect that will even reinforce the purpose of gameplay. Also, by turning various in-game elements (e.g. Tower/Hero/Troop) into NFTs, it will further amplify the importance of strategy in combining different elements, like a trading card game.

(Youngsik) I am curious how high an NFT’s value can go depending on its in-game power or rarity.

Other than the Towers that have already been sold, can you give us some idea of what types of in-game NFTs will be presold for Fortitude?

(Youngjun) Above all, we plan to sell NFT Lands, which will be at the core of the game. The ecosystem of Fortitude starts from buying or leasing this NFT land. I believe we will have an opportunity to explain details to the Gala community. Other than the land, we are discussing with Gala Games which one we can pre-sell out of Hero, Troop, and Tower.

(Seulki) In the future, we hope to listen to the community and make NFTs that will make players satisfied.

Can you list some of the games that ROUND2 has developed or worked on in the past?

(Seulki) We worked on Brawl Busters, which is a brawl action game released on PC. As for mobile games, we also worked on a variety of games, including Water Margin, and Attack on Titan (Tower Defense); Enneas Saga, and First Summoner (RPG); and Defense War: Destiny Child (Puzzle Defense). We take pride in having introduced various high-quality games to the market.

How did you first hear about Gala Games?

(Seulki) When you are working in the industry for over 20 years, you get to hear many stories. With the rise of the NFT in recent years, I got to know about Gala Games when many people in the field mentioned the company, which had been attracting a lot of attention for its most pioneering activities.

Fortunately, a former colleague of mine at Nexon was working at Gala Games and he reached out to us, so we were able to join this amazing vision.

Other than Fortitude, what upcoming game in the Gala Games Ecosystem are you most excited about?

(Youngjun) I am personally excited about Superior, Legends Reborn, and Last Expedition. Superior because I like Rogue-like, Rogue-lite genres; Legends Reborn because I like Deck Building genre; and Last Expedition because I am curious how FPS and P2E will be combined.

Will any members of the team be attending our Malta Galaverse event in June?

(Youngjun) Probably yes? It is quite a long trip from Korea to Malta, though.

(Seulki) Definitely yes. It is geographically very far, but it will be a very important event to reveal and promote Fortitude to the world.

Can our Discord community look forward to any new Fortitude leaks coming soon?

(Youngjun) We have been sharing our development status, progress, and game resources development with Gala Games on a regular basis. I am sure Gala Games will continue to leak? I am grateful for the amazing support and interest that the community has shown every time there was a leak. Please note that not all leaks will be used 100% in actual game development, though.

Will Fortitude include any fantasy creatures like Orcs, Goblins, Elves? If so, which ones?

(Youngjun) Fortitude basically has a variety of fantasy-based creatures. It has a sense of dark fantasy, where the creatures that are classified as “monsters” appear more among others. In addition to well-known Orc and Goblin, we have Knoll, Ogre, Skeleton, Gnome, and Wraith.

(Seulki) You will see well-known races as well as our original creatures and heroes. You will not be disappointed.

Is there any backstory or lore prepared for Fortitude that can be shared at this time?

(Youngjun) Do you know a game called Serious Sam? There is a rumor that someone in the development team is plotting to put Easter eggs related to Serious Sam to pay homage to the game.

At Gala Games, we absolutely love our jobs, and day after day we’re able to pursue things we love and are passionate about. What do you love most about making video games?

(Seulki) We are committed to making a game which we can be proud of and we can enjoy playing ourselves. We are talented developers but picky users as well.

I know we can’t satisfy everyone, but Fortitude will be a great game for those who have a similar taste as ours.

Can you describe some of the opportunities you see for our industry in the future, once gamers everywhere are empowered through real ownership and rewards?

(Youngjun) Shouldn’t this question be directed to a scholar, not a developer? (laughter) I think my answer will be somewhat narrow-sighted. I can think of an opportunity where gamers’ opinions exercise a more direct influence on the developer and where the developer can start communicating with the actual buyers of the content from the development stage. I believe Gala Games already has its node community, which exercises such impact on the company. I think it can be a double-edged sword; While it can definitely be an advantage in that a game is a consumer product, it may also limit the “freedom” of the developers. So I think we need a lot of diverse experiments and enter into a more mature stage to see a clearer direction to take advantage of these new opportunities.

(Youngsik) I believe the hegemony that used to be in the hands of the provider will shift to the hands of the gamers. Their relationships will also shift from a somewhat one-sided relationship of “supply and consumption” to a relationship of “mutual community”.

Outside the blockchain gaming world, gamers do not have any ownership. They have “a right to use” (concept of rental), whose continuity is not even guaranteed if the game is no longer serviced. Until now, the game industry (developers, publishers) created and provided games (virtual world), and most of the added values generated in the process were taken by the providers. However, in the future, I think the two parties will be partners or collaborators to be together in the virtual world, that is, to create and grow the world together, share the values reasonably, and head in the same direction.

A gamer pool used to be filled with gamers, but now there will be new users or participants, which will further grow and expand the pool, resulting in a new and bigger “User Pool”. Wouldn’t we be able to create the virtual world where we can be and do together with this new pool of users, which go beyond the boundaries of gamers?

Here are some personal interview questions answered by a few members of the ROUND2 team: Youngjun, Youngsik and Seulki.

Youngjun KANG — Director, System Designer

FAVORITE VIDEO GAME — I’m an omnivore when it comes to games. I love Turn-based Strategy the most, followed by 4X., XCom-like, Deck Building, etc. Honestly, I enjoy playing any game.

FAVORITE FOOD — I like quick and easy meals, like Bibimbap for a Korean dish or one-dish meals or bowls.

WORKED ON ANY WELL-KNOWN TITLES? — I don’t think it was “famous” enough, but I am proud to have been the Lead Designer of Brawl Busters.

DO YOU OWN ANY NFTs? — Not much because it is my first involvement in NFT game projects. Gala Snow Globe, which you distributed last year, may be the only NFT I have.

FAVORITE HOBBY — I spend a lot of time playing games (obviously). And I love music. I have been a huge metal and rock fan since I was a teenager. Also, I have practiced kendo, although I haven’t been able to go to the dojo since the pandemic.