Mobile Vikings: an urban game that connects worlds

Business context

Mobile Vikings is a Belgian MVNO known for its unconventional approach to customer engagement. In 2015, the company decided to bring this innovative mindset into the world of mobile gaming, responding to the growing popularity of titles that combine digital entertainment with real-world urban exploration.

The business goal was to build an engaging application that would encourage users to be active outdoors while strengthening their relationship with the brand. A customer base of over 250,000 in Belgium provided a strong starting point for the rapid adoption of the new product.

The application was designed not only to deliver exciting gameplay, but also to improve the Mobile Vikings customer experience by integrating self-service features into one convenient channel.

Challenge

The key challenge was to design an urban game that credibly connects the physical and digital worlds, promotes collaboration and exploration, and maintains a high level of engagement over the longer term. The concept needed to work both at the scale of a single city and across the entire country.

This required precise use of GPS and clear location-based rules so that the place-capture mechanics would be fair and motivating for both individual players and clans. The balance between difficulty levels, object “strength”, and team member power needed to encourage cooperation rather than solo play.

Additionally, the gameplay elements had to be seamlessly combined with Mobile Vikings account management features, enabling users to manage services without distraction and without losing the pace and dynamism of the game.

Solution

Leaware developed the Mobile Vikings application — a real-world urban game in which players formed clans, searched for buildings in different locations, and captured them once they entered a designated GPS radius. The gameplay was based on real movement across cities and the country, naturally encouraging users to explore their surroundings.

Each building and clan member was assigned power levels, and the object-capture mechanics rewarded team-based actions, especially when facing “high defence”. This design fostered a sense of community, increased retention, and gave the game a rhythm of events that required coordination.

At the same time, the application integrated key Mobile Vikings features: balance and service usage overview, Viking Points management, and quick contact with the helpdesk. Users received one coherent tool for both entertainment and self-service, which further strengthened the brand experience.