Because the original EU:Rome wasn't very good.
Fortunately CK2 was a hit, and so a brand new Classical era ip from Paradox using those mechanics as a base (though modified to fit in with the less stringent rules of monarchy) would sell like umbrellas on a rainy day. They were probably waiting to see how TW:Rome 2 panned out. The campaign play in that game is quite poor, so there is plenty of room for a Paradox game to fill those boots.
Why does there need to be such a focus? Why not have a game with start dates between 500BCE and 27BCE, giving us from the start of the Persian wars all the way forward to the dawn of the Roman Empire?
Fortunately CK2 was a hit, and so a brand new Classical era ip from Paradox using those mechanics as a base (though modified to fit in with the less stringent rules of monarchy) would sell like umbrellas on a rainy day. They were probably waiting to see how TW:Rome 2 panned out. The campaign play in that game is quite poor, so there is plenty of room for a Paradox game to fill those boots.
Would rather see an Ancient World game focused on Greece vs Persia. There are already a fair number of Roman games (including EU Rome if you really want Paradox) much less covering the Ancient period
Why does there need to be such a focus? Why not have a game with start dates between 500BCE and 27BCE, giving us from the start of the Persian wars all the way forward to the dawn of the Roman Empire?