Over the last decade, Paradox Interactive has evolved from being a niche developer of PC strategy games. In addition to their grand strategy titles like Europa Universalis, they have released popular sims like Prison Architect and RPGs like Pillars of Eternity. This is all thanks to the expansion of Paradox as they sign new publishing deals and acquire additional developers.
Each year, Paradox throws a convention called PDXCon. It gives everyone a chance to get a first glimpse at the latest games and expansions under development. At PDXCon 2019 in Berlin, which took place on October 19-20, there were plenty of new announcements to get excited about.
Age of Wonders: Planetfall Revelations Expansion Revealed
Age Of Wonders: Planetfall only launched in August but Paradox has already been working on expansions for the 4X title. The first is called Revelations and will introduce a brand new faction to the game. These Heritor will attempt to resurrect dead followers using long-forgotten technology. Additionally, players will get access to dozens of new locations to play through as well as a collection of campaign missions. Paradox has also promised other content when Revelations releases on November 19.
A New BattleTech Expansion In November
BattleTech, the turn-based strategy mech combat game, is getting a new expansion in November. Players will be able to choose from an extra eight new mechs and eight fresh weapons. There will also be a new Flashpoint mini-campaign with several missions to complete.
Anyone who has already purchased the Season Pass for the game won’t have to spend anything else to get access. They will automatically be able to download the expansion as soon as it launches on November 21.
A Stellaris Mobile Game Is Set to Release
Stellaris has proved popular on both PC and consoles since its launch in 2016. Paradox has now announced that it is developing a mobile version of the title for Android and iOS entitled Stellaris: Galaxy Command. A beta version launched on October 15 but was quickly taken down after players discovered artwork from Halo 4 inside the game.
“We have learned that artwork inside Stellaris: Galaxy Command was taken from another source,” Paradox tweeted. “We are immediately removing this content from the game and we are deeply sorry to our fans and to the affected creators.” The publisher has not yet set a date for the return of the beta.
In the game, users will take control of one of several alien races. Various other factions will then compete against them to try and gain ultimate control in the galaxy. Unlike the original title, the mobile edition will be a multiplayer experience.
Surviving the Aftermath Launches Early Access
Surviving the Aftermath is a follow-up to the city-building simulation Surviving Mars. Paradox announced the sequel during the convention, where it immediately went into Early Access for players to try out. Rather than Haemimont Games, Iceflake Studios take the helm as the setting shifts from Mars to a post-apocalyptic Earth. Filled with outlandish humor, players have to try and manage their few survivors through perils and catastrophes.
Crusader Kings III Is Releasing Next Year
Crusader Kings II is regarded by many to be one of the most accomplished grand strategy games ever made. Paradox has continued to support the 7-year-old game but fans have been eagerly awaiting a proper sequel.
Thanks to the biggest announcement at PDXCon 2019, we now know that Crusader Kings III will launch in 2020. The reveal also made clear that the new game would launch on both Steam and Xbox Game Pass.
Along with a series of graphical improvements, the team has also streamlined the gameplay and menus as much as possible. The hope is that this will make the game more accessible to new players.
New Races and Expansions Will Release for Stellaris
The popularity of Stellaris is such that support for the game has been constant since its initial launch. The next big update will be an expansion known as Federations. As well as giving the player more options when it comes to diplomacy, it also establishes a galactic senate representing member races. A release date has not yet been announced.
Paradox also detailed a new race coming to Stellaris. The Lithoids are a rock-based species that focus on colonizing inhospitable planets and mineral production. They are available now on PC and will come to consoles in the near future.
Prison Architect Is Getting New Expansions
Paradox bought the rights for Prison Architect from its original creators Introversion back in January 2019. Since then, UK-based studio Double Eleven has been working on new updates for the game. The publisher has now revealed exactly what the team has been doing.
The Psych Ward: Warden Edition DLC, which was previously exclusive to console users, will arrive on PC. This will add a variety of themed content dealing with housing criminals suffering from mental health problems. Besides the $5.99 DLC, another expansion will arrive for PC at some point in 2020.
More Games Coming to Consoles
For most of its existence, Paradox Interactive has been primarily a developer and publisher of PC games. It makes sense considering that they are best known for grand strategy titles. The genre requires a large amount of processing power to render the large worlds. That just wasn’t available on consoles, while traditional controllers could not handle the complex management tools.
All that looks likely to change soon. After all, modern consoles are now capable of running these types of games and have plenty of controller customization options. During the convention, Paradox revealed that they would be looking to bring more of their future titles to other platforms. This would mark a big shift in policy for the publisher going forward.
What Paradox announcement are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below!
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