Key takeaways
- Paradox Interactive CCO Henrik Fåhraeus said the company “should stop” releasing unfinished games.
- Mattias Lilja, Paradox's deputy CEO, attributed some of the studio's recent missteps to overconfidence.
- Paradox confirmed that Prison Architect 2 and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 are still in development after several delays.
a senior Paradox Interactive The official expressed regret about the company's past reputation for releasing unfinished games. This sentiment was shared as part of a recent interview with several of the Swedish developer-publisher's top executives, in which they promised that Paradox Interactive would do better moving forward.
The Swedish company has been on a bumpy road lately. Back in June 2024, it made its long-awaited cancellation The Sims rival life by you weeks ahead of its planned Early Access launch, labeling it a “clear failure”. It later shut down the game's developer, California-based Tectonic, which employed about two dozen people at the time. This all happened not long after Paradox found himself harshly criticized by fans for his poor condition. Cities: Skylines 2It launched in late 2023 with numerous technical issues, and then even angered players with its first piece of DLC. Called Beach Properties, the $9.99 pack was widely panned for its minimal content, prompting Paradox to return and apologize to everyone who bought it.
related to
After recent developments, Prison Architect 2 is stuck between a rock and a hard place
Prison Architect 2 looks to take the concept to new heights, but even with those improvements, the game may be facing an uphill battle.
Paradox Should 'Stop' Releasing Unfinished Games, Says Exec
Reflecting on some of these difficulties in a recent interview with GameFile's Stephen Totillo, Paradox Interactive Chief Creative Officer Henrik Fahrais regretted the company's past mistakes. “I personally hate the kind of reputation we have, at least cyclically or periodically, for releasing unfinished games,” the industry veteran revealed, adding that the practice “has to stop.” Commenting on the closure of its contradictions life by you The studio, Fåhraeus, labeled it as “tragic”.
Paradox CEO attributes recent mistakes to overconfidence
When asked about the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of a game the company had spent half a decade in development, Deputy CEO Matthias Lilja said the group grew overconfident. As he explained it, Paradox's previous successes encouraged it to invest substantially outside its “area of competence.” In this particular instance, though life by you Seemingly fitting Paradox's portfolio on a conceptual level, it took longer than usual for the company to realize the range of problems the project was facing and finally decide to bin it, as it had no previous experience making Life Sims.
I personally hate the kind of reputation we have, at least cyclically or periodically, for releasing unfinished games.
Lilja's reflection was also seen in the interview The Lamplighter LeagueA strategy RPG that Paradox labeled a “huge disappointment” after its 2023 debut. According to him, the game was just “good”, which is “not good enough” in a niche genre. Fåhraeus agreed with this sentiment, saying he would still keep it XCOM 2 and Phoenix Point It was better than the two contemporary strategy games The Lamplighter League.
Prison Architect 2 and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodline 2 are still in the works
What lies ahead, the executive duo confirmed Jail Architect 2 and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Still in development. While both have already been delayed several times over the years, with Bloodlines 2 Despite undergoing a developer switch in 2021, neither is currently in danger of cancellation.
Paradox Interactive
- Date of establishment
- 2004-00-00
- Headquarters
- Stockholm, Sweden
