Publisher Finds Gamers Less Tolerant of Buggy Game Launches

Paradox Interactive Explains Recent Games' Cancellation and Delay

Players Have Expectations, and Some Technical Problems are Hard to Fix

In the wake of recent challenges, including the cancellation of Life By You and the troubled launch of Cities: Skylines 2, Paradox Interactive has shared its strategy for moving forward. During a recent Media Day, CEO Mattias Lilja and CCO Henrik Fahraeus discussed player expectations and the company's approach to game development.

Lilja highlighted that modern gamers have "higher expectations" and are "less trusting" that developers will resolve issues post-launch. This sentiment was echoed by Fahraeus, who emphasized the importance of early player feedback. "If we could have brought players in to try it on a larger scale, that would have helped," he remarked about Cities: Skylines 2. The company aims to increase "openness with players" before future releases.

Following these insights, Paradox decided to indefinitely delay Prison Architect 2. Lilja expressed confidence in the game's gameplay but noted "quality issues" that necessitated the delay. "We're pretty confident that the gameplay is good, but we had quality issues, which means to give the players the game they deserve, we decided to delay it," he explained. This decision contrasts with the cancellation of Life By You, which was due to unmet demands. Lilja clarified that the delay for Prison Architect 2 stemmed from an inability to maintain the desired development pace and issues that were "harder to fix than we thought."

The focus for Prison Architect 2 is primarily on resolving "certain technical issues rather than design," according to Lilja. He stressed the importance of delivering a technically robust game, especially given the current gaming market's "winner-takes-all type of environment." Players, with their squeezed budgets, have become more discerning and less patient with post-launch fixes.

The launch of Cities: Skylines 2 last year was marred by significant issues, leading to a fan backlash that prompted a joint apology from Paradox and developer Colossal Order. The first paid DLC was also delayed due to performance problems. Meanwhile, Life By You was canceled earlier this year as it couldn't meet the standards set by Paradox and its community. Lilja admitted that some problems were not fully understood by the team, taking full responsibility for these oversights.

Paradox Interactive's approach going forward will focus on greater transparency, early player involvement, and meticulous attention to technical quality to meet the high expectations of today's gaming audience.