This is a communications disaster!

[cristofolmc]

Yeah I dont understand the decision. The game is not in a state really when you can say its recovered fully from the release. It was getting close and on the right path, but not yet. So if they thought they'd finish it now because it would be in a good state and would leave them with a good reputation...well, they should think again. You either finish the game 1-2 years later, once trade and diplomacy are overhauled, or you just wrap it up in 1.0-1.3.

 

[Arthrodira]

I tried the game post 2.0, but honestly whenever I boot up I:R I just think "why bother".
I'm not sure why, but it just feels so generic and formulistic that it does not push me to explore the game.

You just described CK3 to a tee for me. I can't put my finger on why exactly, but CK3 is just boring. It's a dull bland game (to me at least) and I end up quitting each game I start maybe an hour in (sometimes less).

Now IR 2.0 - this is one of my favorite PDX titles by far. Pretty much the only game I play these days. I put it in a category with V2, CK2, and EU4 - classic timeless titles that remain fun even 12 years down the line.

I'm pretty sure Stellaris is one of their most popular titles, and in 2 years I've already played IR more than Stellaris in 5 years. It's funny how different player's tastes can be...

 

[gianlucad]

Is it really so hard to believe that you are basically being told the truth about what happened and why and the devs don't actually have a Secret Master Plan to kill Imperator that for some reason involved spending a lot of money on it for two years first?

Not a conspiracy theory. Since when are the devs the one who decide to drop development on a game and not management?

But I guess reading out loud the writing that was on the wall is a conspiracy now.

 

[King Size]

At the end of the day Paradox is not a company driven by passion anymore, it is driven by the interests of the stakeholders. You could see it at the release of Imperator: Rome and you can see now. They push things out to hastily and what is the result? A game which gets heavily criticized. Of course, it is hard to change a bad first impression, but after PDX gained sympathy once again they put salt into a healing wound.

The investors in Paradox naturally want to maximize their investment which most likely forces the management to take unpopular decisions amongst its community and fans, but PDX shuld look at their core values which have made them beloved by their fans. However, I think the big Asian market does not really have the same kind of dedication as the European and probably also American fans. It is the same story with the Football Super League project - at the end of the day you do not care about the people who brought you your succes.

I am economic liberal, but modern corporate greed has ruined the soul of many companies. Just skim through the financial report 2020 from Paradox. Of course, it is not a resource problem, the company is thriving, partly due to COVID-19.

Maybe my critique is a bit too harsh, but hopefully it puts things into perspective.

This is not a critique of the Paradox Team, they are doing a great job and are very good at engaging their community in their games. This is just to highlight that Paradox has become like most global companies are - focused on their bottom line to please the investors, which the management and employees has to navigate under.

 

[Roy1012]

At the end of the day Paradox is not a company driven by passion anymore, it is driven by the interests of the stakeholders. You could see it at the release of Imperator: Rome and you can see now. They push things out to hastily and what is the result? A game which gets heavily criticized. Of course, it is hard to change a bad first impression, but after PDX gained sympathy once again they put salt into a healing wound.

The investors in Paradox naturally want to maximize their investment which most likely forces the management to take unpopular decisions amongst its community and fans, but PDX shuld look at their core values which have made them beloved by their fans. However, I think the big Asian market does not really have the same kind of dedication as the European and probably also American fans. It is the same story with the Football Super League project - at the end of the day you do not care about the people who brought you your succes.

I am economic liberal, but modern corporate greed has ruined the soul of many companies. Just skim through the financial report 2020 from Paradox. Of course, it is not a resource problem, the company is thriving, partly due to COVID-19.

Maybe my critique is a bit too harsh, but hopefully it puts things into perspective.

This is not a critique of the Paradox Team, they are doing a great job and are very good at engaging their community in their games. This is just to highlight that Paradox has become like most global companies are - focused on their bottom line to please the investors, which the management and employees has to navigate under.

They've always been greedy with their exorbitant prices for DLCs, which I didn't mind and would wholeheartedly buy in support of a company with such amazing titles like Victoria II, CK2, EU4 and the like. When greed was checked by passion, not only was I okay with the high prices, but I wanted to pay such so they would have the capital required to make amazing games. It is only in the recent years when the passion has been largely abandoned that my confidence in Paradox wavers.

Paradox has forgotten the lessons of this old promotion; I fear that the Paradox I grew up with, who made things like that, is gone.

 

[Chehabian]

You just described CK3 to a tee for me. I can't put my finger on why exactly, but CK3 is just boring. It's a dull bland game (to me at least) and I end up quitting each game I start maybe an hour in (sometimes less).

Now IR 2.0 - this is one of my favorite PDX titles by far. Pretty much the only game I play these days. I put it in a category with V2, CK2, and EU4 - classic timeless titles that remain fun even 12 years down the line.

I'm pretty sure Stellaris is one of their most popular titles, and in 2 years I've already played IR more than Stellaris in 5 years. It's funny how different player's tastes can be...

I played something like 100 - 150 hours in CK3. While I think it's got a good foundation - it just doesn't have enough there to keep me playing.

Even with Northern Lords, the flavor is nice but it's simply not enough to make me want to return. One of those games that I feel I'll end up playing again once there are 2-3 more DLC's out for it.

 

[Godd_Howard]

Developers and Management live in different worlds, my friend.

 

[Godd_Howard]

Ah... on a bright note...

If Paradox actually wants to restart development of this game.

It's likely all the files get copied to a new title with a new name and marketing. Then the first release will be a hybrid of Imperator and the new contents, with likely 30 to 50% cut to existing contents.

The prae-2.0 brand simply isn't good enough to restart in 2022.

Yay, a new game that won't get finished!

 

[macd21]

Yeah I dont understand the decision. The game is not in a state really when you can say its recovered fully from the release. It was getting close and on the right path, but not yet. So if they thought they'd finish it now because it would be in a good state and would leave them with a good reputation...well, they should think again. You either finish the game 1-2 years later, once trade and diplomacy are overhauled, or you just wrap it up in 1.0-1.3.

Circumstances changed.

Back in the 1.0 - 1.3 days, when they were deciding how to proceed with IR, we lived in a different world. They couldn’t foresee that they’d be struggling with a staffing shortage due to a global pandemic.

 

[KassandrosF]

they should be grateful.

I will not be grateful for an unfinished product, what is wrong with you