Key insights
- Paradox Interactive CCO Henrik Fåhraeus said the company needs to “stop” releasing unfinished games.
- Mattias Lilja, Paradox's deputy CEO, attributed some of the studio's recent mistakes to overconfidence.
- Paradox confirmed that Prison Architect 2 and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 are still in development after numerous delays.
A senior Paradox Interactive The official has expressed regret over the company's previous reputation for releasing unfinished games. This opinion was recently expressed during an interview with several key executives of the Swedish developer-publisher, in which they promised that Paradox Interactive will do better in the future.
The Swedish company has been on a rather bumpy road lately. The long-awaited date was canceled in June 2024 The Sims rival life through you just weeks before the planned early access launch and called it a “clear failure.” Subsequently, the game's developer, California-based Tectonic, which employed about two dozen people at the time, closed. All of this happened not long after Paradox was heavily criticized by fans for the poor state of Cities: Skylines 2which started at the end of 2023 with countless technical problems and then angered players with its first DLC. The $9.99 package, called “Beach Properties,” was widely criticized for its minimal contents, prompting Paradox to refund all buyers and give it away as an apology.
Related
According to recent developments, Prison Architect 2 is stuck between a rock and a hard place
Prison Architect 2 seems to take the concept to new levels, but even with these improvements the game could face an uphill battle.
'Paradox Must Stop' Publishing Unfinished Games, Says Exec
When reflecting on some of these difficulties in a recent interview with Game File's Stephen Totilo, Paradox Interactive Chief Creative Officer Henrik Fåhraeus expressed remorse for the company's past mistakes. “I personally hate the reputation we have of releasing unfinished games, at least on a cyclical or periodic basis,” the industry veteran revealed, adding that this practice “must stop.” Comment on the closure of Paradox life through you Studio Fåhraeus described it as “tragic”.
Paradox's CEO attributes the recent mistakes to overconfidence
Asked about the circumstances that led the company to cancel a game that took half a decade to develop, deputy CEO Mattias Lilja said the group had become overconfident. As he put it, Paradox's previous successes encouraged the company to make significant investments that were outside its “sphere of expertise.” However, in this particular case life through you Although the project seemed to fit into Paradox's portfolio at a conceptual level, the company took longer than usual to realize the extent of the problems the project faced and ultimately decided to scrap it, and all because of it had no experience creating life simulations.
Personally, I hate the reputation we have of releasing unfinished games, at least on a cyclical or periodic basis.
The interview also made Lilja think League of Lamplightersa tactical RPG that Paradox called a “huge disappointment” shortly after its debut in 2023. In his opinion, the game was just “good,” which in a niche genre was simply “not good enough.” Fåhraeus agreed with this opinion and said he would do it anyway XCOM 2 And Phoenix Point than two contemporary tactical games that were better than League of Lamplighters.
Prison Architect 2 and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 are still in the works
As for the future, the leadership duo confirmed this Prison architect 2 And Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 are still in development. While both have been delayed several times over the years, with Bloodlines 2 Even if there is a developer change in 2021, there is currently no risk of cancellation.
Paradox Interactive
- Founding date
- 00.00.2004
- headquarters
- Stockholm, Sweden
