It was a big day for Paradox Interactive and strategy fans alike at the 2023 Paradox Announcement Show last night. The developer and publisher announced a wide slate of games coming out, including some long-awaited expansions and titles. All nine titles that were revealed in the show are slated for release in 2023, making this year one of Paradox’s most ambitious to date.
If you missed the 2023 Paradox Announcement Show you’re able to catch it here. But if you’re here for the highlights then we have that for you right now.
Cities: Skylines II
Biggest news first: Cities: Skylines, the world’s premier city-builder, is getting a sequel. The debut trailer is sadly all cinematic, so there’s not much to be gained from it, but the accompanying press release has a little more info:
A modern take on the city-building genre, Cities: Skylines II lets players create and maintain cities that come to life like never before, complete with fully-realized transport and economy systems, a wealth of construction and customization options, and advanced modding capabilities. Revealed during the Paradox Announcement Show 2023, Cities: Skylines II evolves the city-building genre further, letting players build the cities of their dreams with the most open-ended city-building sandbox on the planet.
Cities: Skylines II is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC later this year.
Life By You
Paradox Tectonic has finally revealed what it has been working on, and it seems to be a game similar to The Sims. Based on the trailer it appears players will spend their time in Life by You building their dream home, fostering relationships amongst digital households, and even visiting open locales like the beach. Notably, its key feature looks like players will be able to roam freely and explore as far as they like.
The studio plans to show more of the game on March 20, and life sim fans should definitely keep a close eye on it.
THE LAMPLIGHTERS LEAGUE
The Lamplighters League is a brand new IP from Harebrained Schemes – the folks behind BattleTech and Shadowrun. And it is a “tactical turn-based strategy game set in an alternate 1933″. Namely, a world on the brink of domination due to a tyrannical cult called the Banished Court. Which I’m guessing is the magical stand-in for the Nazis. All of the best heroes are dead and gone, leaving only a ragtag group of reluctant rogues. You’ll be able to recruit new outlaws, outcasts, and outsiders in a globetrotting series of missions.
The Lamplighters League And The Tower At The End Of The World will be available later this year on Steam, Epic Games Store, and The Microsoft Store. It’ll also launch on Game Pass on the same day.
Knights of Pen and Paper 3
The next chapter in Paradox Interactive’s wild pop-culture-filled turn-based RPG series is coming to PC. Knights of Pen and Paper 3 will bring players on a brand-new retro pixel-art adventure, and it will apparently improve upon everything from the previous games. A new character creation system will let players create the pixelated hero of their dreams, the skill system has been revamped, new prestige classes give players far more flexibility, and the pixel art style has been vastly improved.
It looks like it will be a lot of fun, and fans do not have that long to wait as the game will be released on March 7.
Mechabellum
Paradox Arc also announced the brand-new sci-fi auto-battler Mechabellum. Players will create armies of mechs, robots, and heavy weapons to duke it out against other players. Paradox is promising massive PvP battles filled with sci-fi carnage, and hopefully, it delivers. It seems to have everything that fans of auto-battlers could want with a sci-fi twist.
Players can get their hands on this title on May 11, and they can register for the test server right now.
CRUSADER KINGS III: TOURS AND TOURNAMENTS
Crusader Kings III is getting a new expansion called Tours and Tournaments, which like the game’s last major update, Royal Court, is geared more towards the character and RPG side of the game than its broader strategic content.
By assembling an entourage, selecting options for your travel, and hiring a caravan master, you are ready to set out on the road and travel to activities across the world. The Travel system is an integral part of activities, with both the host and guests traveling to reach them – creating a stronger feeling of place as you see your route being plotted and your character moving directly on the map.
The expansion will add three major events for you to travel to: Grand Tournaments, Grand Weddings and Grand Tours, each of them letting you strut about your realm, meet people and giving the player even more menus popping up asking you to choose a dialogue/action option.
It’ll be released in “late Spring”.
EUROPA UNIVERSALIS IV
Venerable grand strategy classic Europa Universalis IV is getting its 2168th expansion with Domination, which “offers new mission trees, new government reforms, new estate management and new events for several of the major powers in the game”.
That means powers like Britain, Spain and France have been “given new life and new balance, with greater historical depth, more promising rewards and branching mission trees so player choices can have a dramatic impact on the course of history”.
Surviving the Aftermath: Rebirth
Surviving the Aftermath is getting an expansion pack called Rebirth which will let players terraform the world. It will also introduce new buildings for players to utilize and a new mechanic that will see their research and cure the Blight infestation.
Across The Obelisk: The Wolf Wars
Across the Obelisk will also be getting an expansion pack called The Wolf Wars which will add a new character, new stories, and new skins.
Stellaris: First Contact
Finally, Paradox reminded Stellaris players that First Contact is releasing on March 14.