Sweden-based Paradox Interactive (PDX.ST) revealed several products for a 2023 release at the Paradox Announcement Show. The announcement included 3 full games, The Lamplighters League, Life By You and Cities: Skylines II.
There were also expansion packs announced for Crusader Kings III and Europa Universalis IV.
Analysis
Cities: Skylines was a surprise success when it launched in 2015. The city-building game was from a small developer in Finland, Colossal Order. Cities: Skylines competed directly with the more established SimCity franchise from Electronic Arts. It was a surprise when the game went on to supplant SimCity which had been around since 1989.
There have since been multiple expansions and ports of Cities: Skylines to console systems. This included the Nintendo Switch in 2018 and recent releases for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Paradox claims it has sold over 12 million copies. The new Cities: Skylines II launches “later this year” for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
One interesting note is that Paradox seems to be developing a close relationship with Microsoft and Game Pass. The Lamplighters League launches for PC, Game Pass, and Xbox X/S but NOT PlayStation platforms.
Paradox Interactive premium games tend to be high-end grand strategy games that have appealed to a niche PC audience. However, these are the type of cross-platform games that can take advantage of the PC to console gameplay that Microsoft Game Pass features.
