Paradox launches optional Europa Universalis 4 subscription service today
Following limited trial last year.
Following the introduction of a monthly subscription service for Crusader Kings 2 last month, Paradox Interactive has launched a similar model for its dizzyingly rich flagship grand strategy game Europa Universalis 4, providing an easier entry point for its mountain of DLC.
Paradox initially began exploring a potential subscription model for Europa Universalis 4 last January, offering the feature to a "limited group of people" in an experimental capacity.
At the time, it explained, "We have heard for years from existing and potential new players that the cost of getting the game and all expansions all at once is quite expensive (and might be discouraging for completely new EU4 fans), it's been supported for almost 7 years after all. A subscription model has been suggested to us on many occasions, so we thought we'd run a test to see how popular such a service would be."
Those experiments were clearly a success. Not only did Paradox launch a fully fledged subscription model for Crusader Kings 2 in February, it's now offering - as announced during its Paradox Insider event over the weekend - a similar service to all Europa Universalis 4 players.
Interested parties will need to own the Europa Universalis 4 base game to take advantage of the subscription service, which costs £3.99/€4.99/$4,99 USD a month and provides "immediate access to all additional content ever created for the game" - currently amounting to 14 major expansions, 3 immersion packs, and 9 content packs, costing around £275.
Paradox has stressed this is an optional route into the game's mass of DLC, and that everything will remain available to purchase and play individually for those that prefer to do so.
In related news, Paradox shared more on Europa Universalis 4's upcoming Leviathan expansion over the weekend, explaining it'll introduce a range of new features for those wanting to play the game tall rather than wide - that is, focussing their energies on their existing land space rather than expanding across the map - as well as adding more diplomatic options.
Leviathan will, for instance, let players deploy a diplomat to proactively gain Favours with a nation (previously they were accrued over time), which can then be used to perform useful diplomatic functions - such as abandoning an alliance, having a nation return a core province, and more - without having to declare war.
There's no release date for Europa Universalis 4's Leviathan expansion yet, but Paradox says it's due to arrive "soon".