Europa Universalis 5 won't launch with a subscription - but it might get one later

Grand strategy country crusher Europa Universalis 5 was announced yesterday, revealing a complex century-spanning historical sim. But one thing we still don't know is the price or how it'll be sold. If you want to buy the previous game in the series, Europa Universalis 4, you'll find a slew of subscription models and a big library of DLC alongside the base game. Which might cause some fans to worry that the sequel will launch with some sort of similar subscription model. But this won't be the case, say developers Paradox Tinto. They're going to sell it normally. At least for now.

"Obviously, when we have enough DLCs there will be subscription models, because subscription models are great," said game director Johan Andersson in an interview with RPS. But when asked if the publisher was planning to have a subscription model straight out of the gate, he said no.

"No, unless we have DLC. I mean, of course, I would love to have a subscription model where people paid me five euros a month, or ten euros, whatever. But unless we actually have any content, I'm not sure people want [to be told]: 'Hey! Pay ten euros now for January, February, March... and in April you'll get DLC!' No."

Paradox started experimenting with subscriptions to their biggest and most expandofied games like EU4 back in 2020, and later offered a subscription to all Stellaris's space stuff in 2024. It costs £8.50 a month and you don't get to keep anything when you unsubscribe. You can still buy each of these games normally, of course. The sub is just an option - one I don't really recommend. It certainly wouldn't make a lot of sense for the publisher's latest grand strategy sequel at launch, and the devs agree.

But there is another familiar problem for Paradox. Europa Universalis 5 will be sized up next to its predecessor. How can the new strategy game compete with a decade of DLCs and extras? Will there be enough in the base game of Europa Universalis 5 to entice veterans to hop over to the new game? Andersson thinks so.

"Almost all of the EU4 features that are in its DLCs right now are part of the base game in EU5," he told us. This means EU5 will inherit all of the systems that EU4 has built up over years of expansions and updates. Which theoretically gives it as much value as the entire catalogue of EU4 expansions. Of course, players will be able to verify that promise once EU5 is fully released.

As for DLC plans, Paradox Tinto are not worrying about that just yet, says Andersson.

"We have visions," says Andersson, "but I think it's a bad idea to write ideas and work on things... before you have wrapped up and shipped the game. That's my experience. Of course, salespeople want [to say]: 'we need to have 12 DLCs ready ASAP!' But, yeah... I don't want to do it because it takes away from the base game."

That's quite refreshing and reassuring to hear. Paradox are sometimes accused of milking it when it comes to their many cosmetic packs and expandobits. They have even been accused of "fixing" games with paid DLC - something the company's CEO refuted by comparing their process of making games to painting a piece of art. "When is a painting done?" he mused. "When you stop painting it, I guess."

My own view is that Paradox DLC is always, by its nature, going to be hit or miss. And you can easily dodge the duff stuff by reading up on reviews. It's the best way to tell what's a thin soup of hats and what is a rich stew of adventure. You don't need a subscription model when you've got Rock Paper Shotgun, is what I'm saying, friend.