Ask Paradox (almost) Anything Thread

[artfox]

Trouble is then you run the risk of flooding betas with people who are less interested in testing and more interesting in freebies.

I am actually working a lot right now on improving the beta tester signups. Honestly I don't know if flooding wouldn't in the end lead to more and better bug reports... I mean, I don't think so, but I will try to evaluate several different models just to see what works best. In the end everybody wants a better quality of the games at release. Right?

It may show that this trouble isn't really a trouble.

[Death6]

From all the Paradox games which was the most profitable and made the most sales?

Why do you think it sold the most?

[Shams]

From all the Paradox games which was the most profitable and made the most sales?

Why do you think it sold the most?

Magicka.

Great game design, ok execution, great marketing, good timing, smart pricing, fantastic post release followup and a fair bit of luck.

/s

[Raph]

I am actually working a lot right now on improving the beta tester signups. Honestly I don't know if flooding wouldn't in the end lead to more and better bug reports... I mean, I don't think so, but I will try to evaluate several different models just to see what works best. In the end everybody wants a better quality of the games at release. Right?

It may show that this trouble isn't really a trouble.

There really should be differnt stages or types of beta testing though, bug hunting is one thing but my impression is that PDS is interested in ideas, suggestions and feedback from players as well, and that might be more difficult to do if you're flooded with "casual" testers? Maybe it ought to be either two separate groups of betas or the "flooding" should only occur in the later stages? I guess that's what most companies do though, like I preordered StarCraft II and got to play the "closed" beta but that sure as hell had nothing to do with influencing the game making.

Magicka.

Great game design, ok execution, great marketing, good timing, smart pricing, fantastic post release followup and a fair bit of luck.

/s

What about PDS games?

[steveh11]

From all the Paradox games which was the most profitable and made the most sales?

Why do you think it sold the most?

Magicka.

Great game design, ok execution, great marketing, good timing, smart pricing, fantastic post release followup and a fair bit of luck.

/s

What about PDS games?

Question possibly better asked in the PDS subforum? PI seem to have been forced by natural business pressures to grow beyond their original core, and Shams' answer was for the company as a whole?

[Chromos]

Some numbers I know:
IIRC Magicka sold over 1.4mio times main game and over 800k of additional DLC's last year.(Speech of Fredrick Wester before gamescon last year iirc..)
And for the PDS, iirc Johan posted lately that HOI3 is still the untouched champion.. (Didn't gave any numbers..)
IIRC it was stated that for VickyII it was anticpated to be a success with 50k sold ones. Wich happend rather quick..


Cheers!
Chromos

[Raph]

Question possibly better asked in the PDS subforum? PI seem to have been forced by natural business pressures to grow beyond their original core, and Shams' answer was for the company as a whole?

I'm pretty sure that the people in PI have numbers for all their separate developers as well...

[RedRalphWiggum]

Some numbers I know:
IIRC Magicka sold over 1.4mio times main game and over 800k of additional DLC's last year.(Speech of Fredrick Wester before gamescon last year iirc..)
And for the PDS, iirc Johan posted lately that HOI3 is still the untouched champion.. (Didn't gave any numbers..)
IIRC it was stated that for VickyII it was anticpated to be a success with 50k sold ones. Wich happend rather quick..


Cheers!
Chromos

IIRC, V2 had to sell 70k copies to break even, and while we have no numbers I think the base game and AHD more than broke even.

[Chromos]

IIRC, V2 had to sell 70k copies to break even, and while we have no numbers I think the base game and AHD more than broke even.

The higher number is maybe right. I was uncertain if it was 50k or 80k, so I went for the lower value as I remebered at least right that breck even was reached rather quick.
I read much official notes from around PI but didn't take exact notes from everything.
IIRC it was again F.W. who was interviewed about his bet and the need to shave his hair off. He then said aboout how high the numbers had to be to be a success and how fast they reached that goal. VickyII was sure a success or AHD would have not been around.


Question for Paradox:
As you don't give us numbers on your PDS games, but a list with a ranking of the most successful games and add-ons could be given?

Cheers!
Chromos

[Orinsul]

Would you ever consider making games on the paradox EU3/CK2 foundation with no military element? [i.e. political, corporate, etc strategy games]. Or do you see the military and war side of things as essential to the format?

[Svip]

I went for a walk with podcat today.



I still couldn't convince him of more Ulm focus in Paradox games.

[Shams]

Chromos is right - for PDS HOI3 is in the lead.



/s

[Raph]

Chromos is right - for PDS HOI3 is in the lead.



/s

By a wide margin? How did V2 fare?

[Shams]

By a wide margin? How did V2 fare?

Yes. CK2 is on a great start tho - V2 fared well as well but it doesn't have the same pull or wide net as the other franchises.

Jesus, I can't believe I described HOI as having a broad audience. I guess it's all relative

/s

[Raph]

Yes. CK2 is on a great start tho - V2 fared well as well but it doesn't have the same pull or wide net as the other franchises.

Jesus, I can't believe I described HOI as having a broad audience. I guess it's all relative

/s

Okay, thanks for the replies! CK2 is the first PDS game that random people I know have been playing (without me advertising it), I think you've really hit a bigger audience with it.

[Balor]

If i recall correctly, hoi3 was not that far behind magicka in revenue.. Eu3 is 3rd.

[Davisx3m]

Did you get any nice comments on the Crusader Kings 2 Seven Sins videos beside from "customers"?

[ashandresash]

If i recall correctly, hoi3 was not that far behind magicka in revenue.. Eu3 is 3rd.

I'm glad to see it. HoI3 is terrific after patches and expansions (For The Motherland was IMHO the 'breaking point' from correctness to sort-of-masterpiece).

I just hope you'll be giving it the development it deserves... yes, I know a new expansion is in the oven

So I guess the order in Clausewitz games would be something like the following (being '...' a leap). I suppose that CKII could come into the first group with following releases.

1. HoI3
2. EUIII
...
3. CKII
4. Vicky2
...
5. Rome
...
6. Sengoku

[artfox]

There really should be differnt stages or types of beta testing though, bug hunting is one thing but my impression is that PDS is interested in ideas, suggestions and feedback from players as well, and that might be more difficult to do if you're flooded with "casual" testers? Maybe it ought to be either two separate groups of betas or the "flooding" should only occur in the later stages? I guess that's what most companies do though, like I preordered StarCraft II and got to play the "closed" beta but that sure as hell had nothing to do with influencing the game making.

I think that you are right about that. Right now I really need to make sure that this (and some other) theories follows reality. I will try several different models to see what works best for different kinds of games.

[Alex_brunius]

Yes, we get more money at full price.

I think I read somewhere that the Steam share is 30%.

So I imagine other digital distribution is around that too, not sure if that is including or excluding other possible fees and patch/update services though.

First of all - we love sales - the big secret of digital distribution is that nothing drives sales and increases revenue than a sale and I'm talking about AFTER the sale is over. So yes, our sales dept continuously talk to Steam and plan for sales.

That makes alot of sense.

People are social beeings and if you sell a crapload of games on a cheap sale and just 10% of these people have friends that want to buy and play the game with them after the sale is over... then the success is a given.

I imagine the games that reinforce this effect the most should be the recently very popular style of dedicated Coop games like for example Magica and Dungeon defenders.