The games they release are complete in them selves, and with 15-20€ dlces every ~6 months they keep the games fresh with new content.
People rarely complain that features are missing from their games until it gets added in a DLC. Then suddenly it’s a mandatory feature.
Your last paragraph is just untrue. One of the biggest complaints is that they routinely lock stuff in a DLC that should be in the base game.
Hell, their first sentence fragment isn’t even always true lmao
Question is: Good for who?
IMO compared to what the base game costs, the price of DLC is often inflated. And this is not limited to Paradox.
If you would split up the base game, with all its base content into separate DLCs, the base game would cost a lot more. And this is what DLC is all about. This is a bit a race to the bottom at how much content can we rip out content from the base game and sell it to the customer with inflated prices separately, without incurring too much of a public shit storm.
DLC also plays with peoples completionists desires. Many just want to have the full experience, so they buy stuff, they would like not do, if it was a separate game.
DLC also fragments the community, mods or multiplayer might not work for someone not owning specific DLC. Yet another psychological manipulation into buying them.
So good for company stockholders, but not really good for people that prefer transparent and consistent pricing and quality.
I don’t mind it either, they need some way to finance the development. However I wish they would make packs of older DLCs and sell those cheaper.
For example in Europa Universalis IV you need a whole bunch of DLC, and buying seven 5 year old DLCs for full price is just not very appealing. Sure, you can try and wait for sales but they are not always available when you want to get them.
I think if you like the base game, and it’s your kind of crazy, the paradox model is great cuz you constantly get drip fed more of the thing you like.
I think the paradox model is proven that paradox can buy a great game, and sustain it long-term.
However, paradox because of their model is unable to make a great game in house. Every attempt they’ve made at a new game more or less fails completely. At least in the last few years
So if paradox buys the game you love, great you’re going to get more content. But I don’t hold hope for paradox making a game for the love
paradox because of their model is unable to make a great game in house. Every attempt they’ve made at a new game more or less fails completely. At least in the last few years
I’m pretty sure Crusader Kings III would beg to differ. As would Victoria 3 and, depending on whether 2016 counts as "the last few years, Hearts of Iron IV and Stellaris.
All of those are Paradox Development Studio originals that are considered classics and follow the Paradox model of more or less complete games followed by excessive amounts of expensive DLC…
How would you feel if a car manufacturer was to release a car with no sits and wobbly steering?