Paradox Interactive Establishes a New Studio in Barcelona

Paradox Interactive, a publisher and developer of games that age well, has recently announced the opening of a new development studio in Barcelona, Spain. The studio, named Paradox Tinto, will focus on creating classic grand strategy games, such as Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, and Stellaris. This is an exciting news for fans of Paradox games, as well as for the gaming industry and community in Barcelona and beyond. In this article, we will explore what Paradox Interactive is, why they opened a new studio in Barcelona, and what are the implications and expectations for Paradox Tinto.

Paradox Interactive is a Swedish company that was founded in 1999 as a spin-off from Target Games. The company is best known for publishing and developing strategy games, simulation games, role-playing games, and management games. Some of their most popular titles include Cities: Skylines, Surviving Mars, Prison Architect, Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, and Empire of Sin.

Paradox games are often characterized by their depth, complexity, replayability, moddability, and historical accuracy. They cover a wide range of genres and themes, such as medieval politics, space exploration, urban planning, post-apocalyptic survival, horror, fantasy, and more. Paradox games are also known for their emergent storytelling, where the players can create their own narratives and scenarios based on their choices and actions.

Paradox games have a loyal fan base that spans across the globe. The company has sold over 15 million copies of its games as of 2020, and has over one million monthly active users. Paradox games have also received critical acclaim and awards from various media outlets and organizations. For example, Crusader Kings II won the “Best Strategy Game” award from PC Gamer in 2012, Cities: Skylines won the “Best Simulation Game” award from Gamescom in 2015, and Stellaris won the “Best Strategy Game” award from IGN in 2016.

On June 1st, 2020, Paradox Interactive announced the opening of Paradox Tinto, a new development studio to be located in Barcelona. This is the seventh studio operated by Paradox Interactive, now present in four countries. Paradox Tinto will start operations in Barcelona in the immediate future under the direction of studio lead Johan Andersson, who is the creator of the Europa Universalis video game series. Andersson will assemble a small core team to initially oversee ongoing development on Paradox’s iconic grand strategy game, Europa Universalis IV, and later move on to new games in the grand strategy genre.

Paradox Tinto will focus on developing classic grand strategy games[^