Paradox Interactive
More info
- Released
- 2004 (as a separate company)
- Predecessor
- Target Games
- Type
- Game publisher and developer
The Stockholm company that turned maps, provinces and dynastic marriages into an export industry.
Its roots are in Target Games, the Swedish publisher of the tabletop RPG Drakar och Demoner. That became Paradox Entertainment, and in 2004 the games business was spun off as Paradox Interactive. Europa Universalis (2000), Hearts of Iron and Crusader Kings defined grand strategy: centuries of world history, one map and an interface that rewards patience. The games run on the in-house Clausewitz engine.
The business model is as famous as the games: a base game followed by a dozen or so expansions over many years, so a complete edition can cost several times the sticker price. As a publisher, Paradox also released Finnish studio Colossal Order's Cities: Skylines (2015).