Paradox is quietly trialling a subscription service for expansions that could be used to alleviate its DLC woes.
The Stellaris and Europa Universalis developer has come under fire in the past for the way it handles add-on content, with some claiming its continuous DLC model pressures players into spending out of fear of being left behind.
Take Europa Universalis 4, for instance. Since launching in 2013, the game has been bolstered with over 20 paid expansions and content packs that, combined, would cost hundreds of dollars.
To soften the financial blow of staying up to date, the company is testing a new subscription model that would let players gain access to all of the DLC for a specific game for a monthly fee.
Right now, Paradox is trialling the service with a limited number of Europa Universalis players, and explained it still hasn’t decided whether the experiment will be taken any further.
“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 seven years after all,” reads a post on the Paradox forums.
“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. We are not replacing the current model or changing how anything works now. We are simply adding another option
“Expansions and other DLC’s, both existing and upcoming, will still be available for purchase as usual for those who prefer that. We will not remove any content from anyone or make future content exclusive to people with a subscription.
“Nobody will be forced to pay again for content they have already purchased, and you will get to choose if you want to subscribe to get future DLC or continue purchasing the items individually just as you’ve always done.”
Given Paradox is still gauging interest in the model, the company explained it still hasn’t settled on a price point. Those details will be hashed out based on feedback from the current group of testers, who’ll help determine how the service will be shaped moving forward.
You can find out more by checking out the full explainer over on the Paradox forums.