Ibidil is a creative type, always telling
stories in whatever way he can, and
he found recognition in the modding
community for his work on Iberia:
Total War, the 2005 total conversion
mod to Rome: Total War. Ibidil
became involved after a community
of Spanish gamers felt its nation was
portrayed with too many historical
inaccuracies; Iberia: Total War was
developed in part to address these
issues. Ibidil dealt with
documentation relating to the mod,
as well as editing the battle system
and organizing the work of those
modding models and textures—giving
him a well-rounded suite of
experiences to bring forward.ROME TO ROCHESTER
Like Britain itself, Ibidil progressed
from Rome to the Dark Ages. This
change came from reading about the
fall of the Roman Empire, and
post-Roman Britain. “It was a world
with very defined dynamics, of small
and warlike kingdoms, with kings
who knew that everything played out
on the battlefield,” he says. It was
perfect for a game. Not many records
remain from the period, hence the
name ‘Dark Ages’, but this only
empowered Ibidil. He loved the rich
and complex history of seventh
century Britain, and wanted to bring
the period to life—he found it a
shame “names like Penda or
Cadwallon were only known by
historians”. He even translated the
Canu Heledd, a series of early Welsh
poems, into his native Spanish.
At this time he was moving on to a
new passion. Mount and Blade:
Warband is popular among modders,
with the freedom of the base game
translating well to popular contexts.
The game, with its medieval settingM
ount and Blade:
Warband is a
playground for mod
lovers, transporting
players to Middle-
earth, Westeros, or Star Wars’
galaxy far, far away. Arguably, its
most significant mod isn’t set in
some fantastical land, but 7th
century Britain. Brytenwalda is the
passion project of Alberto ‘Ibidil’
Fuentevilla de Diego, a Spanish
modder who transformed Britain’s
Dark Ages into a mod, then DLC,
and established an indie studio. He
couldn’t have known how far his
passion would get him.
ABOVE: Brytenwalda
tasks you with
invading—or
defending—BritainMAIN: Mount and
Blade mods range
from retextures to
total overhaulsMount and Blade
FEATURE