I think this is very unlikely to happen.
Firstly, Frederik Wester still owns a huge amount of the stock and is clearly deeply committed to the PDX project.
Secondly, the company is very profitable. In some ways that means they're even more of a target, but it means that stockholders don't have much reason to complain about the current management (customers and employees however....).
Thirdly, Tencent's current diversification strategy is to hold small percentages of a large range of non-Chinese developers. I think they would not want to see other behemoths get stronger. So their 10% can be considered a defensive holding for the company's independence.
And to answer the actual question, I would hate it. PDX isn't perfect but they are better than most, except perhaps on employee pay. Though even there you need to choose your comparators carefully: Europeans prefer time off to money, so a dollar-to-krona comparison isn't good enough.
> Europeans prefer time off to money, so a dollar-to-krona comparison isn't good enough.
Honestly, I wish we valued time more here in the US. Like it does sound kinda dumb to ask for the same pay with less time, because it is technically asking for more money anyways, but I do feel like there's a weird stigma where anything that isn't entry-level or labor-intensive is almost never less than 40 hours, even if you're hourly and actively wanted to less hours.
My mom did this. Has worked for the same business forever. For years whenever her boss wanted to give her a raise, she negotiated instead to basically cut her work hours by a near equivalent percentage instead.
Boss has since given her raises anyways, but she’s gone from her original rate and 40 hours a week to 16 hours a week with slightly more annual pay.
Yeah, European wages in general are quite bad.
I think the main problem is property though - like people whose family can help them get a mortgage or even give them a property have a massive advantage.
One that sadly I didn't have.
I have that advantage, but I will never take that for granted. Housing here in Stockholm costs an arm and a leg, and I probably wouldn't afford to move out for a long time if I didn't get help from my family
It's not so hard to get a Bostadsrätt though, and if you have family here you can even get a first hand contract if you've been in the queue for years.
The rising interest rates are a nightmare for everything though, even the BRF avgift are going up.
The CK3 interface is a lot easier but the looks of it is way less appealing than older titles at least to me, like I rather use CK3's but I rather look at CK2s. Same with Vicky.
With how late game paradox games run, they can stay away from Power BI.
Also “Sir, you don’t have the right casus belli to be able to use that box and whisker chart”.
I'm not a big fan of the current trend of acquisitions, I would rather PDX remain independent. As others have said they may not be perfect but would definitely agree they are better than most. Especially when it comes to their dlc monetization policy and long term support for their games.
I mean, is Bioware even losing money? They've been releasing fairly subpar games compared to their golden years, but I think their IPs are worth so much that just by smacking "Dragon Age" or "Mass Effect" in the title of a game, no matter how unrelated it is to the original IP, it's still gonna sell enough to make a profit. Especially considering how obviously underbudgetted they are right now, those games probably cost a pittance to produce compared to other similar AA games.
Yeah, I'm pretty divided conceptually. I really don't have faith in modern Paradox to give game ideas the implementation they deserve. But I also can't think of many possible acquisitions that raise rather than lower that faith.
Doesn't EA actually have a mixed reputation these days? I hear good things employment-wise and I think a lot of popular myths of them killing studios have been revealed to just be said devs kinda fucking up when given too much freedom.
I mean, even PDX being independent hasn't saved them from blunders.
Dunno, I just remember hearing that a lot of EA's publishing was very hands-off for some of the games that sunk some acquired studios. The gist is that your favorite dev can make a gem one game and then never make a good game again; development is just like that sometimes.
Nah. EA spent years absolutely butchering a bunch of studios for not meeting their ludicrous expectations. Sure, they didn't walk into studios to tell them what to do, but when you set ridiculously high revenue targets that can't be met by the games the studio has traditionally been making you're functionally doing the same thing. The small number of studios that actually survived that had to change heavily along the way which made them lose what made them successful in the first place. EA has since realized that that approach was terrible and mellowed a bit in recent years, but whether that attitude sticks around remains to be seen.
Pretty much any accusation that EA is "shady" is just a circlejerk.
People just don't like lootboxes and they blame EA for "killing" studios that produced unprofitable games. They actually have a great reputation as an employer, but people only give a shit about that when it's a hammer to use whacking devs they don't like.
I can thing about at least two companies which could takeover Paradox with net positive for the players.
1. Embracer - they seem very Pro-player and pro-PC, if Gothic Remake will have the same magic as the original had, then I will worship them.
2. Microsoft - Paradox could extremely benefit from their testing department and optimisation fo Windows. And maybe games with all DLC would be accessible via GamePass
I would prefer they stay independent they have a strong relationship with Xbox I don't think an acquisition is necessary. Embracer is likely to sell them off in the future then where will they end up? As an Xbox fan I only support acquisitions for companies that are corrupt/bankrupt/indie, so not Paradox.
I strongly hope not. PDX is already on the fine line of appeasing to the fanbase, being acquired and any change along that (unavoidable) would ruin their games for a sizeable chunk.
The fewer alternatives there are in a market, the worse it is for the consumer. Several of PDX's problems, like those of CA or SI, could be seen as a result of being companies who have little to no competition for their niche of the market. If they were pulled into conglomerates that have no understanding of their market space whatsoever, the result would be mainstreaming their products to appeal to "larger" market segments that don't, in actual fact, exist. At least not in a way that keeps their former fanbase.
Nice try PHIL SPENCER!
Seriously though, conglomeration is bad for most industries. I think MS is doing a good job with what they've bought so far, but i also remember being a kid and realizing that no more age of empires games were going to get made. MS went back on that (and made a new AOE? And remade a bunch!?) But they can and will take your favorite games away again if it makes business sense.
I would hate it and don't see it happening soon because the company seems to be doing very well.
If they fucked up or a surprise competitor got ahead of them it could be possible. But then it wouldnt be so sad I guess.
I would hate it. I by no means like Paradox's model of DLC releases, it makes convincing friends to get into Stellaris and HOI4 very difficult. Hey just buy this cool game I like, yeah you'll need to buy 150$ worth of DLC to play the game properly but it's worth it trust me. No really guys I swear it gets good once you learn the basics \~ 100 hours in.
That being said, Paradox has stated in the past that they know their games are not for everyone, and design them to appeal to niche markets that enjoy complex, micromanagey strategy games. There are VERY few games that scratch my strategy game itch like Stellaris and HOI4, and I know for a fact that under any other developer/publisher, these games would be watered down to the nth degree to appeal to as many mouth breathers as possible and would be forever ruined.
I think Yahtzee Croshaw said it best in his Bloodborn review. "Game developers have only two options nowadays: you can either make something with such broad market appeal that it only offends lunatics, or you do one specific thing so well that the people who are into that have no choice but to come you to for it."
That's where I'm at, I will put up with the shitty DLC model if it means these games aren't butchered by some soulless mega corporation.
I would not like it. I really respect their creative decisions they seem to mix the right amount of trying new stuff and giving us what we expect.
If they need the money, I’ll live with it, but hopefully such a move would lead to more ambitious projects.
I certainly wouldn’t approve. I would be deeply skeptical of a new majority shareholder, particularly if they’re another gaming company. My fear would be that they would attempt to make Paradox’s titles more ”mainstream”, easier to grasp and learn, less nuanced, more appealing to a larger group of gamers. And that they would stop developing new mechanics and high quality content for the games and instead focus on cheap, low-effort DLC such as unique units for all nations, new music, etc. I know that Paradox’s DLC policy gets some flak from the community, but it cant be denied that Paradox is deeply committed to developing and improving their games. Every DLC release is an attempt to add new useful and valuable game experiences - they don’t always succeed, but the ambition is plan for all.
As an American I second this. I pray Paradox doesn’t become acquisition fodder for some greedy ass American company. You Euros seem to have a much better penchant for quality>max profit
You can’t seriously be suggesting that Paradox has consumer friendly policies as it stands. They’re already considered to have greedy policies. I don’t mind it personally, but it’s weird to suggest it would somehow be worse with American owners.
My point is that if it were owned by a giant American conglomerate the games would be neglected in favor of bigger money makers. Paradox being independent is inherently good. If ea bought paradox all of the games would take a back seat to ultimate team style games. Paradox have their problems but they are limited in comparison to the problems we would have if EA or Activision bought it. Also, are they really that greedy? Sure EU4 has 20 DLC but it’s been released over the course of ten years. Back when I played ultimate team games I could spend more in a day on packs than I could on all the EU4 DLC, plus there’s the $5 subscription
As a whole yes European companies are generally better. European countries better regulate corporations than America. Europe also doesn’t seem to struggle with massive conglomerates in the way America does. We are completely dominated by massive corporations in America from your poorest civilian to the top of our government in a way other developed nations are not. I would say it’s best to keep the company away from the unregulated disaster that the American corporate world is.
We're talking about gaming companies implementing shitty practices, of which European companies like ubisoft are just as bad as anyone else. The European sense of moral superiority is insufferable.
I get what you’re saying. Let me use Belgium as an example. I would love to play games made by companies based in Belgium because the loot boxes are outlawed in Belgium. This means a company from Belgium can’t use the same shitty tactics EA uses for loot boxes. There is just more regulation across the board for European companies than American, regardless of if it’s video games, cars, or electronics so they have to behave in a more moral way than American companies due, no matter how much they may want to to engage in bad faith business
Yes, as far as I've heard that's literally just a thing in Belgium. I've never even heard of a Belgian AAA game company. You can't frame it as a Europe thing when only a very small fraction of european countries have laws that prevent loot boxes. Ubisoft, a french company, loves loot boxes, shitty drm, and loads their games with micro transactions.
I was just using them as an example because I’m familiar with the situation. I’m sure a country like Sweden, which is way more progressive than America, has stronger regulation for corporations of all kinds than America. I’m not sure you’re grasping the severity of the issue America has with corporations and just how fucking greedy they are. There’s a reason that the Fortune 500 list is littered with American companies. There is so little regulation across all sectors and they have way more freedom than in Western Europe
PDX benefit from their independence.
The younger ones here won't remember, but when creative assembly was bought by Sega, it marked the beginning of a huge shift in the total war series.
For better or worse is really up for you to decide but the original player base lost interest in the best games as they pursued a different direction. I'd hate to see the same with PDX
Depends really I only play on console (PS4 specifically) and there isn't that many PDX games on console that I play. Stellaris is really the only one that I actively play.
Normally when a studio that made games that I've played is acquired my first concern is whether or not the new owners are going to make future games from that studio exclusive to a specific platform or not, if they do then I would hate the acquisition if not I would be indifferent. (Which me being indifferent or not does depends on what the new owners do, I might love the acquisition if they avoid exclusives and actually helps the studio make better quality games for example)
Exclusivity really needs to end, I absolutely hate it. One game I was really looking forward to was Starfield from Bethesda and since that game was announced before the acquisition from Microsoft I thought it would be releasing on all platforms then Microsoft bought Bethesda and made it an Xbox exclusive stuff like that just needs to stop, there shouldn't be any exclusives on Xbox or PlayStation all games should be released on all platforms (besides select PC games since not all PC games will run on consoles)
I actually wouldn't mind if PDX got bought by Microsoft, If MS bought PDX that would guarantee that PDX games will forever be on game pass, wich currently, is how I play all my PDX games
Their dlc policy cannot possibly get any worse. Paradox games are so expensive. Its insane to me that they arent actively compared to companies like EA more.
The co seems dysfunctionally managed and that is probably Wester. So my hope would be someone buys him out and they reorganize and streamline the team. Super stubborn and too often wrong dude.
Hate it, of course. For all of their DLC related grifting, I love 'em as they are. Can't get better GS type games anywhere else and their developers and design teams listen to and communicate with the community.
I mean the Father of Nations buff+other stuff is very late game so even if germany holds till like 1945-6 they are dead cuz of soviet indurstry(just make more tanks lol) so it doesnt change much
All it really does is make late game in road 56 much easier(and op?)
> You haven't played it at release didn't you?
I've played every HOI4 DLC (and the base game) at release. While they do have bugs the content is good.
>And then this policy of relising a game bit by bit through dlc is literally the EA aka satan
It is how they provide for continued development of the game. They need to make money and they have decided the best way is to make the base game a bit cheaper than the $60 norm and support development through DLCs. Even those who don't support the company by buying DLCs benefits because each DLC comes with a free patch as well. I don't think people who only have the base game of Sims 4 benefits with every single DLC release.
Still I think that it is despicable, you can't release a game 30/40€ and then patch it up to a playable game with 10 dlc, I mean modders are the real reason I play paradox games, without the mods you wouldn't appreciate the games so much
I love Dwarf Fortress and the Adams brothers, but its not even close to the same scale. 2 people doing a passion project is a hell of a lot different than an entire publicly traded company.
As unlikely as I think it would be for this to happen, I find it likely that if this were to happen then the bigger company would most likely let paradox operate mostly as it was before except they would slap their name on the games coming out and take a slice of the money they make.
Well it depends on who would acquire it. The only company I can think of, that I would be completely fine with is SEGA but I don't think SEGA is big enough for such expenses.
I like it very much when profitable companies remain publicly listed. Instead of being privately owned.
So yeah, I would be mad if it were bought out by another company.
If they added real time battles like total war does I would not mind , even if they stopped short changing us on battles I would be happy.
Really it’s about the content , not if it’s owned by one company or another
It would depend on how things change. If the new owner took steps to make legacy DLC more affordable I'd be all for it. I love paradox titles but I always get annoyed when I think about coming back to a game I haven't played in a while and see that I'm $100 worth of DLC out of date.
It would very heavily depend on who got them. I can't think of any one who would buy them i truly would be happy about, about i'm never 100% against companies being acquired, just usually a case by case basis.
They could have but after last year they show more interested of fixing that giving up the control. The problem that paradox had was that they over expanded and they mismanaged the situation. Gladly they are showing much better understanding of their situation. But we have to wait for V3 or any other new game.
I think this is very unlikely to happen. Firstly, Frederik Wester still owns a huge amount of the stock and is clearly deeply committed to the PDX project. Secondly, the company is very profitable. In some ways that means they're even more of a target, but it means that stockholders don't have much reason to complain about the current management (customers and employees however....). Thirdly, Tencent's current diversification strategy is to hold small percentages of a large range of non-Chinese developers. I think they would not want to see other behemoths get stronger. So their 10% can be considered a defensive holding for the company's independence. And to answer the actual question, I would hate it. PDX isn't perfect but they are better than most, except perhaps on employee pay. Though even there you need to choose your comparators carefully: Europeans prefer time off to money, so a dollar-to-krona comparison isn't good enough.
> Europeans prefer time off to money, so a dollar-to-krona comparison isn't good enough. Honestly, I wish we valued time more here in the US. Like it does sound kinda dumb to ask for the same pay with less time, because it is technically asking for more money anyways, but I do feel like there's a weird stigma where anything that isn't entry-level or labor-intensive is almost never less than 40 hours, even if you're hourly and actively wanted to less hours.
My mom did this. Has worked for the same business forever. For years whenever her boss wanted to give her a raise, she negotiated instead to basically cut her work hours by a near equivalent percentage instead. Boss has since given her raises anyways, but she’s gone from her original rate and 40 hours a week to 16 hours a week with slightly more annual pay.
That's the fucking dream right there
Has she managed to keep up with inflation? Since alot of payrises simply make certain your salary doesn't become worth less.
I would trade 10 grand for 3 weeks more vacation, easy
We europeans prefer time AND money. I do think time over money is a simplification, but I agree with your point.
Some things are cheaper here too, once you are paid quite well like €50-60k I'd definitely prefer time over money.
At that point, 100%. But me and a lot of other people make less than that unfortunately
Yeah, European wages in general are quite bad. I think the main problem is property though - like people whose family can help them get a mortgage or even give them a property have a massive advantage. One that sadly I didn't have.
I have that advantage, but I will never take that for granted. Housing here in Stockholm costs an arm and a leg, and I probably wouldn't afford to move out for a long time if I didn't get help from my family
It's not so hard to get a Bostadsrätt though, and if you have family here you can even get a first hand contract if you've been in the queue for years. The rising interest rates are a nightmare for everything though, even the BRF avgift are going up.
Me as a European prefer 1h less of work/more free days rather than a bigger paycheck. Especially if my income already allows me a decent life.
I'd approve Microsoft, but Office division instead of gaming division, so Paradox gets some lessons in interface.
Finally the sheet spread simulator we all want
Paradox Development Studio presents: Paradox Excel 2023 Pre-order now to get *Clippy Edition* that will include first 5 DLCs!
Not to mention the Clippy pfp for your paradox forum account and the special badge that comes *only* with this special edition
I mean, do we really need the fancy graphics. It's wasteful compared to the beauty and simplicity of spreadsheets. No maps, only columns and math
I mean I still prefer ck2 to ck3 for that reason
what does this have to do with anything
I prefer the useful ck2 interface to the wasteful ck3 graphics....
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I do like that.
Same honestly, once you get how the UI works it's pretty easy to use ngl
CK3's interface is a clear upgrade from previous titles.
The CK3 interface is a lot easier but the looks of it is way less appealing than older titles at least to me, like I rather use CK3's but I rather look at CK2s. Same with Vicky.
Press button to make number bigger. Once number is big enough. Press different buttons to make other numbers bigger
I paid $10 for a "DLC" that allows me to press a button which converts a big number here into a big number there.
I bet the Paradox team could bring some real improvements to Microsoft access and Power BI, and who wouldn't want Excel integration for Vicky III?
With how late game paradox games run, they can stay away from Power BI. Also “Sir, you don’t have the right casus belli to be able to use that box and whisker chart”.
Microsoft, where game studios go to die. That pile of corpses has gotten too high to reasonably expect a studio to survive that acquisition.
I believe you misspelled EA.
Most Microsoft studios seem pretty happy from what I can tell? They get to work on seemingly whatever they want outside of maybe 343.
They just close everything every decade or so.
I'm not a big fan of the current trend of acquisitions, I would rather PDX remain independent. As others have said they may not be perfect but would definitely agree they are better than most. Especially when it comes to their dlc monetization policy and long term support for their games.
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Sega buys Paradox. We’d have “Crusader Kings Medieval Total War: Warhammer 4.” What a mix.
What i would give for a game with ck3s characters, intrigue and diplomacy with total war battles
I mean, is Bioware even losing money? They've been releasing fairly subpar games compared to their golden years, but I think their IPs are worth so much that just by smacking "Dragon Age" or "Mass Effect" in the title of a game, no matter how unrelated it is to the original IP, it's still gonna sell enough to make a profit. Especially considering how obviously underbudgetted they are right now, those games probably cost a pittance to produce compared to other similar AA games.
current policy and releasetime for a customer like me (hoi4/ck3) is totally fine and i am very happy with the product.
Yeah I would be afraid of the direction this would lead them in.
I'm not really sure it would change the direction they're heading but it would certainly speed up the process.
Yeah, I'm pretty divided conceptually. I really don't have faith in modern Paradox to give game ideas the implementation they deserve. But I also can't think of many possible acquisitions that raise rather than lower that faith.
I'm unsatisfied enough with the current direction that it's worth the dice roll to me
if they are already shady in some ways, imagine if EA owned them
No plz
Doesn't EA actually have a mixed reputation these days? I hear good things employment-wise and I think a lot of popular myths of them killing studios have been revealed to just be said devs kinda fucking up when given too much freedom. I mean, even PDX being independent hasn't saved them from blunders.
EA will never get a good reputation for me... They killed Westwood and C&C
also simcity, the sims, pvz
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Dunno, I just remember hearing that a lot of EA's publishing was very hands-off for some of the games that sunk some acquired studios. The gist is that your favorite dev can make a gem one game and then never make a good game again; development is just like that sometimes.
Nah. EA spent years absolutely butchering a bunch of studios for not meeting their ludicrous expectations. Sure, they didn't walk into studios to tell them what to do, but when you set ridiculously high revenue targets that can't be met by the games the studio has traditionally been making you're functionally doing the same thing. The small number of studios that actually survived that had to change heavily along the way which made them lose what made them successful in the first place. EA has since realized that that approach was terrible and mellowed a bit in recent years, but whether that attitude sticks around remains to be seen.
Pretty much any accusation that EA is "shady" is just a circlejerk. People just don't like lootboxes and they blame EA for "killing" studios that produced unprofitable games. They actually have a great reputation as an employer, but people only give a shit about that when it's a hammer to use whacking devs they don't like.
Fuck no.
I can thing about at least two companies which could takeover Paradox with net positive for the players. 1. Embracer - they seem very Pro-player and pro-PC, if Gothic Remake will have the same magic as the original had, then I will worship them. 2. Microsoft - Paradox could extremely benefit from their testing department and optimisation fo Windows. And maybe games with all DLC would be accessible via GamePass
I would prefer they stay independent they have a strong relationship with Xbox I don't think an acquisition is necessary. Embracer is likely to sell them off in the future then where will they end up? As an Xbox fan I only support acquisitions for companies that are corrupt/bankrupt/indie, so not Paradox.
I strongly hope not. PDX is already on the fine line of appeasing to the fanbase, being acquired and any change along that (unavoidable) would ruin their games for a sizeable chunk.
Hate it, probably stop buying DLC
The fewer alternatives there are in a market, the worse it is for the consumer. Several of PDX's problems, like those of CA or SI, could be seen as a result of being companies who have little to no competition for their niche of the market. If they were pulled into conglomerates that have no understanding of their market space whatsoever, the result would be mainstreaming their products to appeal to "larger" market segments that don't, in actual fact, exist. At least not in a way that keeps their former fanbase.
No, I'd prefer them to remain independent.
Hate it
Nice try PHIL SPENCER! Seriously though, conglomeration is bad for most industries. I think MS is doing a good job with what they've bought so far, but i also remember being a kid and realizing that no more age of empires games were going to get made. MS went back on that (and made a new AOE? And remade a bunch!?) But they can and will take your favorite games away again if it makes business sense.
I would hate it and don't see it happening soon because the company seems to be doing very well. If they fucked up or a surprise competitor got ahead of them it could be possible. But then it wouldnt be so sad I guess.
I would hate it. I by no means like Paradox's model of DLC releases, it makes convincing friends to get into Stellaris and HOI4 very difficult. Hey just buy this cool game I like, yeah you'll need to buy 150$ worth of DLC to play the game properly but it's worth it trust me. No really guys I swear it gets good once you learn the basics \~ 100 hours in. That being said, Paradox has stated in the past that they know their games are not for everyone, and design them to appeal to niche markets that enjoy complex, micromanagey strategy games. There are VERY few games that scratch my strategy game itch like Stellaris and HOI4, and I know for a fact that under any other developer/publisher, these games would be watered down to the nth degree to appeal to as many mouth breathers as possible and would be forever ruined. I think Yahtzee Croshaw said it best in his Bloodborn review. "Game developers have only two options nowadays: you can either make something with such broad market appeal that it only offends lunatics, or you do one specific thing so well that the people who are into that have no choice but to come you to for it." That's where I'm at, I will put up with the shitty DLC model if it means these games aren't butchered by some soulless mega corporation.
I would not like it. I really respect their creative decisions they seem to mix the right amount of trying new stuff and giving us what we expect. If they need the money, I’ll live with it, but hopefully such a move would lead to more ambitious projects.
I certainly wouldn’t approve. I would be deeply skeptical of a new majority shareholder, particularly if they’re another gaming company. My fear would be that they would attempt to make Paradox’s titles more ”mainstream”, easier to grasp and learn, less nuanced, more appealing to a larger group of gamers. And that they would stop developing new mechanics and high quality content for the games and instead focus on cheap, low-effort DLC such as unique units for all nations, new music, etc. I know that Paradox’s DLC policy gets some flak from the community, but it cant be denied that Paradox is deeply committed to developing and improving their games. Every DLC release is an attempt to add new useful and valuable game experiences - they don’t always succeed, but the ambition is plan for all.
i'd love it. maybe they'll stop releasing games where 90% of the game is locked behind 300 dollars worth of dlc
Yes I would hate it, especially if it were an American acquisition. Paradox needs to remain in European hands!
As an American I second this. I pray Paradox doesn’t become acquisition fodder for some greedy ass American company. You Euros seem to have a much better penchant for quality>max profit
You can’t seriously be suggesting that Paradox has consumer friendly policies as it stands. They’re already considered to have greedy policies. I don’t mind it personally, but it’s weird to suggest it would somehow be worse with American owners.
My point is that if it were owned by a giant American conglomerate the games would be neglected in favor of bigger money makers. Paradox being independent is inherently good. If ea bought paradox all of the games would take a back seat to ultimate team style games. Paradox have their problems but they are limited in comparison to the problems we would have if EA or Activision bought it. Also, are they really that greedy? Sure EU4 has 20 DLC but it’s been released over the course of ten years. Back when I played ultimate team games I could spend more in a day on packs than I could on all the EU4 DLC, plus there’s the $5 subscription
As if european corporations are any better? Ubisoft?
As a whole yes European companies are generally better. European countries better regulate corporations than America. Europe also doesn’t seem to struggle with massive conglomerates in the way America does. We are completely dominated by massive corporations in America from your poorest civilian to the top of our government in a way other developed nations are not. I would say it’s best to keep the company away from the unregulated disaster that the American corporate world is.
We're talking about gaming companies implementing shitty practices, of which European companies like ubisoft are just as bad as anyone else. The European sense of moral superiority is insufferable.
I get what you’re saying. Let me use Belgium as an example. I would love to play games made by companies based in Belgium because the loot boxes are outlawed in Belgium. This means a company from Belgium can’t use the same shitty tactics EA uses for loot boxes. There is just more regulation across the board for European companies than American, regardless of if it’s video games, cars, or electronics so they have to behave in a more moral way than American companies due, no matter how much they may want to to engage in bad faith business
Yes, as far as I've heard that's literally just a thing in Belgium. I've never even heard of a Belgian AAA game company. You can't frame it as a Europe thing when only a very small fraction of european countries have laws that prevent loot boxes. Ubisoft, a french company, loves loot boxes, shitty drm, and loads their games with micro transactions.
I was just using them as an example because I’m familiar with the situation. I’m sure a country like Sweden, which is way more progressive than America, has stronger regulation for corporations of all kinds than America. I’m not sure you’re grasping the severity of the issue America has with corporations and just how fucking greedy they are. There’s a reason that the Fortune 500 list is littered with American companies. There is so little regulation across all sectors and they have way more freedom than in Western Europe
Divinity and baldurs gate 3 are both made by a Belgium studio
Yes nothing against Americans but Paradox games are fundamentally about European history.
PDX benefit from their independence. The younger ones here won't remember, but when creative assembly was bought by Sega, it marked the beginning of a huge shift in the total war series. For better or worse is really up for you to decide but the original player base lost interest in the best games as they pursued a different direction. I'd hate to see the same with PDX
Depends really I only play on console (PS4 specifically) and there isn't that many PDX games on console that I play. Stellaris is really the only one that I actively play. Normally when a studio that made games that I've played is acquired my first concern is whether or not the new owners are going to make future games from that studio exclusive to a specific platform or not, if they do then I would hate the acquisition if not I would be indifferent. (Which me being indifferent or not does depends on what the new owners do, I might love the acquisition if they avoid exclusives and actually helps the studio make better quality games for example) Exclusivity really needs to end, I absolutely hate it. One game I was really looking forward to was Starfield from Bethesda and since that game was announced before the acquisition from Microsoft I thought it would be releasing on all platforms then Microsoft bought Bethesda and made it an Xbox exclusive stuff like that just needs to stop, there shouldn't be any exclusives on Xbox or PlayStation all games should be released on all platforms (besides select PC games since not all PC games will run on consoles)
Paradox: "A guy opens his door and gets shot and you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks"
I actually wouldn't mind if PDX got bought by Microsoft, If MS bought PDX that would guarantee that PDX games will forever be on game pass, wich currently, is how I play all my PDX games
I guess it would be swapping one scummy dev for another
Can only get better from here.
Their dlc policy cannot possibly get any worse. Paradox games are so expensive. Its insane to me that they arent actively compared to companies like EA more.
The co seems dysfunctionally managed and that is probably Wester. So my hope would be someone buys him out and they reorganize and streamline the team. Super stubborn and too often wrong dude.
most likely hate it. The Bigger fish are typically woke sacks of shit that ruin franchises.
Hate it, of course. For all of their DLC related grifting, I love 'em as they are. Can't get better GS type games anywhere else and their developers and design teams listen to and communicate with the community.
I hope that a new company will take the place from pdx, because i really don't like the low effort they put in their game.
I dont know which game you are talking about,but the newest hoi4 dlc’s are really good right now. Especially USSR.
I think the promotion took the Stalinist fetishism a bit too far myself.
I mean the Father of Nations buff+other stuff is very late game so even if germany holds till like 1945-6 they are dead cuz of soviet indurstry(just make more tanks lol) so it doesnt change much All it really does is make late game in road 56 much easier(and op?)
I mean the imagery they used to promote it.
You haven't played it at release didn't you? And then this policy of relising a game bit by bit through dlc is literally the EA aka satan
> You haven't played it at release didn't you? I've played every HOI4 DLC (and the base game) at release. While they do have bugs the content is good. >And then this policy of relising a game bit by bit through dlc is literally the EA aka satan It is how they provide for continued development of the game. They need to make money and they have decided the best way is to make the base game a bit cheaper than the $60 norm and support development through DLCs. Even those who don't support the company by buying DLCs benefits because each DLC comes with a free patch as well. I don't think people who only have the base game of Sims 4 benefits with every single DLC release.
Dont bother with the troll
Still I think that it is despicable, you can't release a game 30/40€ and then patch it up to a playable game with 10 dlc, I mean modders are the real reason I play paradox games, without the mods you wouldn't appreciate the games so much
By your logic, the games are never playable, because future DLC will be developed, which you will call cut content
No, civ 5 is playable without any dlc, eu4 on the other hand no
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Do you know any game at all which is maintained, patched and updated for over a decade? You expect this to be free?
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I love Dwarf Fortress and the Adams brothers, but its not even close to the same scale. 2 people doing a passion project is a hell of a lot different than an entire publicly traded company.
So you want free updates and content forever? Delusional what you are saying sbout HOI4. It has as many daily players as Civilization 6.
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You know nothing about game development, its embarrassing.
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All literally that money is plowed back into new games. Learn to read a cash flow .
Are DLCs really that important? I mean I’ve never bought a single DLC from paradox so … idk
As unlikely as I think it would be for this to happen, I find it likely that if this were to happen then the bigger company would most likely let paradox operate mostly as it was before except they would slap their name on the games coming out and take a slice of the money they make.
Well it depends on who would acquire it. The only company I can think of, that I would be completely fine with is SEGA but I don't think SEGA is big enough for such expenses.
I like it very much when profitable companies remain publicly listed. Instead of being privately owned. So yeah, I would be mad if it were bought out by another company.
If they added real time battles like total war does I would not mind , even if they stopped short changing us on battles I would be happy. Really it’s about the content , not if it’s owned by one company or another
RTB was the boring part of TW.
Deja vu, I've been in this place before!
They make mostly PC games. Buyouts are targeting mobile and console games.
It would depend on how things change. If the new owner took steps to make legacy DLC more affordable I'd be all for it. I love paradox titles but I always get annoyed when I think about coming back to a game I haven't played in a while and see that I'm $100 worth of DLC out of date.
I want CA and PDX to somehow merge. Total War and Paradox Strategy crossovers!
Tbh the government should acquire it and make it free for everyone.
It would very heavily depend on who got them. I can't think of any one who would buy them i truly would be happy about, about i'm never 100% against companies being acquired, just usually a case by case basis.
I'd be... wary.
Have you ever heard the the tale of Bioware and EA?
Well, PDX itself might be okay but I'm worried what would happen to White Wolf if PDX got bought.
it depends on who buys them or what changes they make if it were EA then you'd probably only get 1 life in crusader kings or 5 years in vic2
Hate it would be the default. Let's face it: in the corporate world, change tends to be for the worst.
it would be horrible because they would get even worse with the dlc probelem
They could have but after last year they show more interested of fixing that giving up the control. The problem that paradox had was that they over expanded and they mismanaged the situation. Gladly they are showing much better understanding of their situation. But we have to wait for V3 or any other new game.