21

Time for the Swedes to weigh in!

Fredrik Wester wants “aggressive growth” through acquisitions and wants to target more console and mobile opportunities.

22

This will be the death of Paradox as we know it.

It has seen a slow and steady growth as a publisher, while developing a number of core properties (EU since 2000, HoI since 2002, Vicky since 2003, CK since 2004 and Stellaris from 2016 onward).

Sweden tends to be relatively good for finding investment for small-medium indigenous companies.

There are generally only two reasons to go public : investment for growth and/or payoff for founders.

They had revenues of $71m USD last year, and net profit after taxes of $20m. They do not need to go public for large growth with such figures, and those figures combined with the investment ecosystem in Sweden offers many opportunities for rapid growth outside of going public.

23

Fredrik Wester posted a small update:

24

Here is a quick summary of the Swedish article.

The owners are looking for long-term investors, and they will aim to get employees and gamers to sign up. Though they have not ruled out institutional investors. They plan for aggressive growth during the next four years and they want shareholders that will take part in that journey. The growth will come from three areas:

  • PC games
  • Console games
    and…dont hold your breath…Mobile games.

Furthermore, they will explore the White Wolf brand through boardgames, books and, eventually, PC games.

The company does not need any additional capital today as their current cash and potential debt financing will be enough for future acquisitions. The chairman is quoted in a poorly worded comment that implies that the IPO consists of shares from the current major shareholders as there has been a substantial increase in the value of the company since the last share issue.

The IPO is still in the planning stage so the details can change.

25

I would not be surprised if the purpose of this IPO is to provide incentive to the staff to accept the hard work required to achieve the growth plan. In the US this would be solved with an option programme. Swedish tax rules makes such arrangements rather expensive.

26

Why didn’t you just say so, buddy! :) When I hear “[gamers] are upset on the internet” I think the things I mentioned above, I think GamerGate, and specific to Paradox I think about the people crying about how all features of the DLC should be free or they didn’t get the color of Duke McFuckledink’s beard right and Paradox needs to issue an apology right this instant. Meanwhile, people like me just buy and play the expansions because I like them.

But you’re not people, you’re jpinard. You haven’t been happy with their last few DLCs and now this news comes along, I can understand the trepidation (which I share, but hopefully Fredrik’s statement and Norrsken’s analysis helps put me at ease. We’ll see).

27

I don’t know about the last DLC for EUIV or CK2, but one issue that’s cropping up with Paradox games and their endless amount of DLC is trying to keep in sync with other people you play with. 3 of us have EUIV and CK2… none of us have the same DLC. TWO of us did a side by side comparison trying to find the “real” content/expansions, that we’re missing. Don’t get me wrong, I like some of the smaller things, like new potraits, and I realize you don’t have to be in sync, but I bought these during sales and they didn’t…

28

This has been an issue that has been cropping up for me in a few games, I fault Steam for it. It’d be nice if on a Store page Steam categorized “Expansion/Content” and “Cosmetic” SKUs separately instead of being all lumped into a generic DLC category.

29

If team could categorize it that way they would have to rely on the publisher to actually label them right? And labeling something cosmetic, wouldn’t that be a a disincentive to buy it for some games… lead to sell sales and therefore not be wanted? I’m not faulting cosmetic items persay, I get a kick out of new portraits while others want their ping-ponging units to look unique…

But I agree, in a world of Expansions, DLC, Season Passes… a way to categorize them would help a lot, especially for games that have MP components.

30

I’d been quite the Paradox fanboy for years :)

So back on topic. Anyone else feel like mobile gaming has kinda peaked? There’s a few winners right now (King Digital - I don’t think their profits will continue as people tire of their offerings), but it will only get harder and harder for developers to get noticed in a market with 50 bajillion different games. It reminds me of the MMORG market. Everyone rushed to get a piece of the lucrative pie and for many years it held, but then when the cracks started to appear, it quickly swallowed many. Mobile won’t crater but I think growth will not be what it’s been. Outside of Marcus Pinkus being a horrible person the fact they couldn’t turn things around no matter how much money they threw at the wall is kinda interesting. Well, there’s a ton of other things wrong with Zynga and it’s business, but it’s an interesting note as to whether Paradox diving headlong into that market will pan out.

31

How is mobile gaming back on topic?

32

What investors are backing this IPO? What investment bank is managing it? It’s hard to imagine financial types being very eager in the current climate.

33

Because Paradox wants to get into mobile gaming. That’s one of the three pillars of Wester’s push for more financing.

  1. Acquisitions
  2. Console gaming
  3. Mobile gaming
34

Seriously? Christ, it’s worse than I had thought.

35

I don’t know. Last time I looked at Japan and other market’s, we weren’t even close to the to the level of output they have. And last I checked, I thought Nintendo wanted to go into mobile. Not that I think Nintendo is a company to back everything on… but people who bet against them usually loose. I think we might be near where total crap won’t sell a gazillion but someone of the quality stuff is doing great.

let me put it this way, I don’t know many kids over a certain age without a mobile phone… I know a ton that don’t have a PC or a console. Does that equate to sales, no exactly, but the younger generation are lot more likely to have a phone over a gaming machine or even a TV.

36

Europa Universalis: Pocket

Would you like to?
-Develop a province
-Discover an idea
-Core a province
-Seize colony
-Forced march
-Change culture of province

<Tap><Tap>Core a province

I’m sorry, but that requires 10 Administrative power points per development (3 in Province). You only have 17 Admin points. You earn 1 Monarch power point a day to distribute as you wish.

Alternatively, you can purchase Ducats through the in-app store that you can then convert into Monarch power points.

Handful of Ducats: $0.99
Purse of Ducats: $4.99
Chest of Ducats: $19.99
Carriage of Ducats: $49.99
Castle Keep full of Ducats: $99.99 <–Best Value!!!

-Todd

37

I just sent a diplomat to set up a royal marriage with France, and it says he’ll return in 10 days. Literally 10 days.

38

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JXNPQRP

Paradox survey about mobile games.

edit: Actually, I have no idea if this is official. I found it on reddit. more edit: It’s linked to on the top of the Paradox forums in a giant banner.
Another interesting thing I found on reddit, was this post

39

Shit, I hope it is official, I actually bothered completing it.

40

I edited at the same time you posted, I think:

“more edit: It’s linked to on the top of the Paradox forums in a giant banner.”

So don’t worry, your clicks have not been wasted!