Crusader Kings III and the DLC Model

With the release of the first major piece of DLC for the Crusader Kings III title now upon us, attention has turned to the shifting and unsettled steam review page to gauge for a rough guesstimate on how well it has gone down. Upon release the conversation seemed positive - interesting features that expand upon cultures, courts and characters. However, at the time of writing these reviews have shifted down the scale and have settled upon ‘Mixed’. The main charges fundamental to the growing discontent are two fold; price and depth. I will leave it to other reviewers to decide upon the merits of the depth discussion, but the price and general model of Paradox Interactive’s titles is what I wish to discuss within this article.

It is first important to set out what that model is if you are not familiar with Paradox titles. Crusader Kings III is, of course, the third main title within the Crusader Kings series. However, due to the almost ten-year development of Crusader Kings II it is a much more barren game than its direct predecessor. Indeed, many who purchased the game enjoyed experimenting with some of the new mechanics, before putting it back down and awaiting further content that would start to create some parity between CK2 and CK3. The base game constitutes the biscuity foundation by which the rest of the cheesecake will build upon with the cream and garnish of years of further development.

Nowhere did this shift become more evident than the move to make the base game free-to-play in late 2019 and the subsequent introduction of a paid subscription service to allow users to experience the full orchestra without handing over in excess of £200.

Indeed, this phenomenon is not exclusive to the Crusader Kings IP, its closest cousin Europa Universalis 4 seems to be creaking under the load of every further expansion and flavour pack added. Although all are based on the same Clausewitz Engine, the efficiency and evolution of Crusader Kings III is noticeable when compared to the late-game stodgy feeling of the older titles. Other franchises such as The Sims have taken the model even further, boasting 51 pieces of content on the Steam store for an eye watering £789.50.

The newly released expansion, Crusader Kings III: Royal Court released in the UK for £23.79. Contrast this to Crusader Kings II DLC such as Reapers Due or Way of Life that did not release for more than £9. However, Paradox Interactive has also experienced extreme growth during this period, their stock price more than tripling with revenue and profits both up, and their development team and experience with the Clausewitz engine has demonstrably improved.

So, it seems that the current business model of Paradox Interactive isn’t ticking all the necessary boxes. On the other hand, it seems difficult to see any other model that would allow for ten years of development, research, reiteration and expansion on a game that covers hundreds of years of history and hundreds of cultures and territories. Paradox have recently stated their focus would be on larger pieces of DLC rather than the small visual and flavour packs that have filled the DLC page of previous titles. Indeed, although mostly evolutionary rather than revolutionary, there is the addition of fully 3D spaces in the the Royal Courts, something that has not been seen before within the game engine to such a scale. The option of the subscription does alleviate some concerns with the initial investment needed to get some must-have features, however, this is currently only available on Crusader Kings II.

It seems like a quandary that has no easy answers - it is unreasonable to expect Paradox Interactive to be able to release the regular stream of hot fixes, patches and updates that are available free-of-charge to the user without having a way to increase the longtail of revenue from their most popular franchises with chargeable expansion packs. As shown with the breakneck speed of Imperator: Rome’s rise and fall Paradox are clearly not averse to making difficult decisions about their properties.

However, paying half the price of the full release for a single DLC of many on the horizon is an uneasy proposition for most. With the very real possibility that a subscription model will come about, similar to that of CK2, buying the individual DLC as they arrive seems like a needless expense if you are happy and able to wait to experience a more complete and detailed experience. Considering the significant delays that have already blighted this release, I doubt that the amount of fans willing to wait are many.

With a relatively small but devoted fan base, the upcoming release of the highly anticipated Victoria III and the still nascent Crusader Kings III the debate is only destined to continue.