paradox-interactive posts

Announced as part of publisher Paradox Interactive's massive press event last January, the RTS-RPG hybrid game Pirates of Black Cove is looking for folks to join its upcoming closed beta test. Today the publisher announced that sign ups for the beta are being taken at Paradox's web site. Folks have until March 31 to sign up and will be notified by April 7 if they have been selected to participate in the beta test.

Developed by Nitro Games, the title puts you in charge of a pirate crew in the 16th century as you roam searching for missions and treasure with the goal to become king of all pirates. The game is due for release sometime in the second quarter of 2011.

The fantasy free-to-play MMO RTS game Dreamlords, announced and first launched several years ago, now has a new life. Today the game was officially relaunched as Dreamlords Resurrection by developer Lockpick Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive. Paradox announced that it would be taking over the game's publishing duties back in August 2010. To celebrate the re-launch of the game, Paradox is offering all new players 1,000 in-game Paradox Ducats that are valued at $10. The ducats can be used to purchase in game items or to add enhancements for your player character.

This game is actually the first of a series of free-to-play game titles planned for release by Paradox as it seeks to expand beyond its strategy game niche. Dreamlords Resurrection will also use Paradox Connect which will let players gain achievements and use other community features.

After releasing a small DLC pack for free a couple of weeks ago, the team at developer Arrowhead Game Studios have now released the first paid downloadable content pack for its hit fantasy RPG Magicka.

For a mere 99 cents, Magicka players can add the Wizard's Survival Kit to the game. The kit adds a Wizard' Hat, a Sharp Sword, a +1 Staff and a new magic spell, the Meteor Shower that brings down burning rocks on your foes. As reported last week, a new expansion pack, Magicka Vietnam, is set to be released by Arrowhead and publisher Paradox Interactive "soon".

While it's a bit surreal to see a game about conjuring magic delve into the Vietnam War as its first expansion, we can't say that we are too surprised. After all, Magicka is filled with pop culture references, and you can even get a modern light machine-gun (the M60) to blow apart goblins and trolls. This trailer for Magicka: Vietnam is primarily focused around guns and explosions, but there's also plenty of magic using to be had. After all, who wouldn't want to be able to summon an instant barricade against enemy fire? We also love the little send-off at the end to Bad Company 2's menu screen.

Download Magicka: Vietnam Announcement Trailer
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The two latest trailers for Mount And Blade: With Fire And Sword have arrived, and they strike a sharp contrast. The first, above, shows off mostly ambient elements. Soft, menacing music plays as it sets the stage for brief bits of action at the very end. The second, below, is a bit more action-oriented. It shows a player fighting and dying in various battles, each of which (we presume, due to the respawn notice) is multiplayer. Both of these trailers are good primers for the changes to Mount and Blade, as they showcase both the setting (historical Europe) and mechanics (firearms) alterations.

Download HD Mount And Blade: With Fire And Sword 'Ambience' Trailer
Download HD Mount And Blade: With Fire And Sword 'Action' Trailer
Check out all Mount And Blade: With Fire And Sword downloads

Magicka, the surprise downloadable RPG sales hit, is getting an expansion pack but its one that you never saw coming. Today publisher Paradox Interactive announced Magicka: Vietnam from developer Arrowhead Game Studios.

Yes, you will soon be able to control those four goofy wizards in places and locations that Chuck Norris and Rambo used to shoot people. The press release states that the wizards "try to do what so many 80's action stars have done in the past: blow stuff up." Magicka Vietnam (that still sounds weird) will be available via download "soon" but no price point was announced today. You can check out a trailer for the expansion after the jump.

Paradox Interactive isn't done with announcing new games, despite a massive press event last month that revealed a ton of upcoming PC titles from the publisher. Today Paradox announced a new internally developed strategy game Sengoku.

Set in 15th century Japan, the game has you in control of one of the country's Samurai famolies. Unfortunately civil war has decided to break out so its up to you to unite the country. You will also be able to make deals with the Portuguese and the Dutch trading companies and even employ ninjas to do your dirtier work. There's no word yet on a release date.

Magicka has had its share of patches since it was released a month ago but most of them have been for fixing various bugs and issues in the fantasy action-RPG game. Today there was a new "Mea Culpa" update to the game, via Steam, that actually adds some new and free content to the game.

The folks at developer Arrowhead Game Studios, as they usually do, have a little fun with the names of the new items which so for make fun of all the game's technical bugs. For example the new Bugged Staff unleashes a swarm of bugs while the new "magick" spell, which takes out any friend or foe, is called Crash to Desktop. A "broken" sword and a "patched" robe are the other new items.

Ship Simulator Extremes. It's a game that, well, doesn't generated the kind of excitement as, say, Bulletstorm. But there is an audience that goes for playing a game that accurately simulates driving boats and ships around. Now the game's developer VSTEP and publisher Paradox Interactive have announced that fans of the game will get the chance to grab a new mini-expansion called the Ferry Pack.

Yep, the DLC will let players drive a wide variety of ferries that will be available in the game's campaign, sandbox and multiplayer modes. There will also be a mini-campaign that focuses on ferries with 10 missions that take place in a variety of locations. The DLC is expected to cast off via download on March 8 for $14.99

Paradox Interactive's latest old fashioned strategy game now has a release date. The publisher announced that Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game will be released on March 29 via various download sites.

The game itself was developed by a team of mod makers from Paradox's own forum community who wanted to do something different with the Europa Engine that is the basis of the WWII strategy game Hearts of Iron II. The end result is this upcoming stand alone game that has a number of different campaigns from the start of the Great War to the beginnings of the unofficial Cold War. The game also has a redesigned map, better dipomacy features and an AI system that's "now able to react to hundreds of different situations simultaneously."