You may not have noticed, but in 2017 Paradox Interactive didn't actually release that many games. They had numerous DLC expansions and console editions of Cities Skylines and Pillars of Eternity, but actually only released one single full original game in the whole year - Steel Division: Normandy 44 from Eugen Systems. In a quarterly interim report, Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester explained why this happened, while also admitting that it was "not good enough".
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A lot happened for Paradox in the past year, including their purchase of Age of Wonders/Overlord creators Triumph Studios, but with a few games being delayed, including Harebrained Studios' eagerly awaited Battletech, Steel Division: Normandy 44 was their only full-priced release in 2017. Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester explains why:
"The underlying cause for releasing only one game during 2017 are the many decisions that we made a couple of years ago regarding the improvement of the quality of our games. As a result, we tightened the flow of games to a certain degree, with a clearer focus on improved quality. These last few years have shown that this strategy is paying off, in particular when viewed over time, but the real advantages are yet to be revealed. Now that we have more people and teams in place, we are better equipped to meet future challenges and are working with really great developers all over the world. A quick look at what we already know about 2018 reveals two exciting titles, Surviving Mars and Battletech, in our pipeline."
He also admits that "We can do better!" and "only one new game per year is just not good enough" and they are making efforts to change that. In 2016 Paradox released three full games - Tyranny, Stellaris, and Hearts of Iron IV - alongside many DLC expansions. One title in a whole year from Paradox clearly stands out as odd.
The absence of Battletech in 2017 obviously added to this, although that at least was for positive reasons as Fredrik Wester explains:
"After careful consideration, a decision was made to delay the release of Battletech until 2018. This is something that seems to have been met positively from both gamers who are anxiously awaiting the release and the market as a whole. Even if we are naturally reluctant to delay a game release, it is something that we are willing to accept if we see that it makes good business sense regarding the quality of the product."
We'll have more on Battletech very shortly. Very, very shortly.
