When it comes to grand strategy games, few names are as well-established in the PC scene as Paradox Interactive. Dominating the field with the likes of Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings, Stellaris, Victoria, and Hearts of Iron, alongside its forays into adjacent genres with its publishing of games such as Age of Wonders 4, BattleTech, Cities Skylines 2, and Transport Fever 3, it’s been a real titan of the genre. Now, it’s about to install a new CEO, and departing boss Fredrik Wester explains that the move has quietly been on the cards for years.
Wester, who was first appointed CEO of Paradox Interactive in April 2009 before becoming the Executive Chairman of the Board in August 2018, returned to his role as CEO in September 2021, between the launches of Crusader Kings 3 and Victoria 3. He notes that at the time, “the company needed a reset,” and to help make this happen, he enlisted the help of now-Deputy CEO, Mattias Lilja.
In the years that followed, Lilja “has taken on increasing responsibility for operations and the execution of the company’s strategy,” while Wester focused more on “long-term development and goals.” Now, Wester writes that he believes the company “has solid footing and with the pipeline in place has a lot to look forward to,” and that Lilja is “the best person possible to lead it there.” Wester remains Paradox’s largest shareholder, however, and will continue to support Lilja’s leadership “as a board member and owner.”
“My plan was never to be CEO for life,” Wester explains. “The goal was to build the foundation before passing the baton for the next chapter in the company’s journey.” Chairman of the Board Håkan Sjunnesson calls Lilja “the right person to lead the company going forward,” saying, “He combines a strong vision with deep operational and commercial expertise; he is more than ready to assume the role and lead Paradox towards new gaming experiences that last for decades.”
“I approach this role with great humility,” Lilja remarks. “Paradox has a unique DNA that has made us one of the greats in deep and engaging strategy and management games. Now we’re stepping up the pace: we will make further investments in our core business, push the boundaries of our game design, work even more closely with our loyal players, develop more and better tools and services that benefit both modders and players, and continue to sharpen our ways of working and our organization, with player value in focus.”
Only time will tell what that actually means. We’re now one year on from the launch of Europa Universalis 5, and it’s yet to win the approval of its audience the way EU4 did. Its recently released DLC, Across the Pillars, sits at a ‘mostly negative’ rating on Steam, with Paradox Tinto stating, “We have put care, love, and a lot of effort into it, but it hasn’t turned out the way either you, the players, or us, the devs, would have liked it to.” New CK3 expansion By God Alone hasn’t fared a whole lot better either.
Conversely, the Paradox-published Cities Skylines 2, which was transferred from its creator Colossal Order to new developer Iceflake Studios, has finally been making some gradual steps on the road to recovery after years of struggle (something I spoke with Lilja about back in 2024). Looking more broadly across the board, there’s a very ‘hit or miss’ response to many of Paradox’s DLC offerings. Those that land prove hugely popular, but many fall short of the mark set by their very dedicated player bases.
It’ll be up to Lilja to determine how to proceed. Personally, I’m tentatively very excited for the upcoming Afterword, a post-apocalyptic spin on its tried-and-tested grand strategy formula. Could we see a possible Crusader Kings 4 or Hearts of Iron 5 finally making an appearance under Lilja’s leadership? Or will he double down on long-term support rather than taking risks on a completely fresh start?
If you want to hear more from the new head of Paradox Interactive, you can read some of my other discussions with him, including a post-mortem on the cancelled Sims rival Life By You, and his thoughts on trying to compete with the might of the XCOM brand in the tactics space.