It would be hard to deny that the 2010’s certainly saw the rise of Paradox and its cementation as a major player in the strategy games genre. In 2012, the game that propelled Paradox to its current stature, Crusader Kings 2, was released. Since then, winners such as Europa Universalis 4 (2013), Hearts of Iron 4 (2016), and Stellaris (2016), were released, along with games that didn’t quite find relevance to the scale of the Big Four, i.e. March of the Eagles (2013).

Please note that I’m excluding Imperator: Rome, which released in 2019 because while all of these games have had years to mature, Imperator hasn’t. The jury’s still out on that one. As for Victoria 2, it released before PDX really hit its stride, as it was released in 2010. I’m not including it with the Big Four because of of its age and Paradox’s inattention to it. That dose t mean I have forgotten it, though.

That all being said, the 2020s already looks to be an important decade for Paradox, as CK3 has been announced for release this year, in 2020. EU4 is looking at a seemingly large expansion within the next few months weeks that has still been unnamed, and Stellaris and Hoi4 are both slated for expansions sometime in 2020.

Now let’s get down to my predictions:

• The end of Eu4, and the beginning of EU5 As I mentioned in the third paragraph, EU4 is anticipating a large new DLC sometime soon. I am not the first person to think that this represents a “last hurrah” of sorts. CK2’s final DLC was Holy Fury, a huge and expansive DLC that represented the end of its development, and I can’t help but seeing something similar in this new DLC coming out soon. Seeing as how EU4 is one of PDX’s heaviest hitters, I tinker that Europa Universalis 5 has already gone into pre-production. I think, barring a surprise Vicky 3 announcement, EU5 will be the next new game announcement,

•An expansion of Paradox

 As Paradox continues to make new games and supports old ones, it will become increasingly necessary for Paradox itself to expand. It already has 4 development studios between Sweden (3) and one in the Netherlands. If they don’t go the route of just hiring more people, I can easily see Paradox opening dev studios in places like Berlin, or London, seeing as how both Germany and Britain (and the English speaking world in general) are important markets. 

•A game set in the Victorian period

 I have a feeling hat this might be my most controversial prediction, but I think it’s true. Victoria 2 is a decade old and there’s been no hint of a third. “Vicky 3” has become such a meme within Paradox’s communities that beginning a new franchise, also set within the same time frame might be what PDX needs. Disconnecting from Victoria’s reputation as a nearly-impossible economy clicker would do wonders to an era that so desperately needs some love. I’m predicting a timeframe of 1836- 1913, as WWI deserves its own game. 

• New DLC policy

 As I said about EU4, the DLCs seem to be getting larger and larger, and this is most evident with Stellaris. In Stellaris, the major DLCs (expansions) seem to become more feature-heavy and farther apart. I predict that the as PDX’s games move into the decade, we won’t see smaller, more focused DLCs from Paradox, but rather larger, more encompassing DLCs. 

•A move into 4X territory/ The death of the classical style

 Stellaris has become Paradox’s best selling game, despite a rocky launch and a difficult-to-manage endgame. I believe this is because Stellaris is not a traditional Paradox game, in that it is not a GSG, (Grand Strategy Game), but a 4X like the Civilization series. (4X means Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate.) This means that Stellaris is easier to learn and play than a different game, such as EU4 or Hoi4. Stellaris’s success may indicate to PDX that 4Xs are more marketable than GSGs. I hope this one isn’t true, but money talks. 

•A non- historical GSG

 All GSGs released by Paradox has been based on a period of history. (I’ve already said how Stellaris isn’t a GSG). It’s high time that Paradox has broken the mold to create their own universe to make a game about. Many people believe that the game teased at PDXcon in 2019 would be a fantasy game. This, of course,  turned out to be CK3. The fantastical elements in CK2, and mods like Anbennar in EU4 have proved that a fantasy setting for a GSG is viable. Of course, a non historical new GSG doesn’t have to be fantasy, but I’d say it’s more likely it is than not.