The Business of Video Games - The Paradox Podcast

Welcome back to the special episode of the Paradox Podcast! Today one of our co-hosts, Daniel Goldberg discusses the circumstances of his departure from our company with Shams Jorjani! We talk about what happens when a senior level manager leaves and what impact – good and bad – is felt in the company. 0:15 – Intro 1:58 – What we’ve been playing 11:36 - What happens when a high-level executive leaves the company? 15:57 - How do you hand over the leadership role? 21:46 – Is there anything to worry about or hope for? 28:11 – How is the “Lame Duck” period like for the departing executive? 29:36 – Daniel’s goodbyes and what’s next for the podcast? You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu​ • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo​ • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl​ • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw​ • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome​ The Paradox Podcast is now back in a bi-weekly schedule! Join us in 2 weeks to meet Shams’ new co-host! Support the show

Welcome to the Paradox Podcast! Paradox Interactive podcast about the business of video games where try to explain why we do the stuff we do. Today, Shams and Daniel are joined by our CFO Alexander Bricca, to discuss the dreaded subject of being a Publicly Traded company. You’ll learn how it’s like to have shareholders, why we decided to become a listed company & what it means in the first place. Shams also gets an internship offer. Enjoy! Timestamps: 0:15 - Introduction 2:59 – What we’ve been playing 6:45 – Subject of the day: What’s it like to be Publicly Traded? 8:01 – What does the CFO do? 12:22 – What does being a listed company mean for Paradox? 22:01 – Why would PDX want to be publicly traded? 25:28 – What happened when Paradox became listed? 32:02 – How have shareholders impacted Paradox? 34:36 – Myths about being a publicly traded company. 39:53 – What have we told the market about our future releases? 43:17 – What does being publicly traded mean for PDX employees? 46:20 – Wrapping up You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu​ • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo​ • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl​ • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw​ • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome​ Thanks for listening, and see you in the next episode, at PDXCON! Support the show

Welcome to the Paradox Podcast! Paradox Interactive podcast about the business of video games where try to explain why we do the stuff we do. Today, Shams and Daniel, discuss 2 equally horrifying scenarios: What happens when we screw up a game release? Possibly worse – what are the implications of a greatly successful game launch? Timestamps: 0:15 – Introduction & excuses tbh. 4:38 – Why can’t everything be Valheim? 8:26 – CK3’s success & its consequences. 19:09 – What happens when a game release don’t go well? 27:45 – The value of taking risks 33:13 – Wrapping up You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu​ • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo​ • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl​ • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw​ • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome​ Thanks for listening, and see you in the next episode! Paradox on YouTube: --------------------------------- ParadoxInteractive - http://youtube.com/ParadoxInteractive Trailers, Feature Breakdowns, Dev Diaries, and more. ParadoxExtra - http://youtube.com/ParadoxExtra Gameplay of our video games, convention coverage, and other fun things from Paradox! Paradox Grand Strategy - http://youtube.com/ParadoxGrandStrategy Gameplay of our Grand Strategy Games. CK2, EU4, HOI4, Stellaris, and Imperator. Support the show

Welcome back to the Paradox Podcast, where we talk about the business of video games and try to explain why we do the stuff we do. Today, Shams and Daniel are joined by Rikard Åslund, a Studio Manager at PDS, to talk about player feedback, its value, how to best submit it & how we balance your suggestions with market research! Timestamps: 0:15 Intro & Guest Introduction 10:37 Subject of the day: Player Feedback 15:02 Dev Diaries & learnings from Imperator 22:46 Player comments vs metrics & KPIs 28:23 Your games suggestions vs market research 33:50 What is the future of fan interaction? 35:23 Do we read all feedback? 36:15 What is the best & worst way to give feedback? 39:17 Wrapping up & Dad Jokes (help…) You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu​ • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo​ • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl​ • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw​ • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome​ Thanks for listening, and see you in the next episode, in 2 weeks! Support the show

Welcome to the Paradox Podcast! Paradox Interactive podcast about the business of video games where try to explain why we do the stuff we do. Today, Shams and Daniel, go over what game pitches interest Paradox as a publisher, how to maximize the chances of your game being published by us, and what makes it less likely to be canceled on the way to the release. Timestamps: 0:15 – Introduction & Daniel’s return 4:10 – What we’ve been playing 9:15 – Subject of the day: Game Pitch Assessment 12:57 – Game proposals vs PDX’s strategic goals 19:45 – Who we want to work with 22:58 – Expanding established PDX IPs 25:04 – Risk management & setting goals 33:22 - Assessing the game pitch 40:00 – Wrapping up You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu​ • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15​ • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo​ • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl​ • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw​ • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome​ Thanks for listening, and see you in the next episode, in 2 weeks! Support the show

Welcome back to this year’s last episode of the Paradox Podcast! Today we’re joined by two special guests: Larian Studios’ Director of Publishing; Michael Douse & Stealth Games Venture’s founder Helen Burnill! Together with Paradox’s own Shams Jorjani, they’ll attempt to put a lid on the year 2020 and summarize all the crazy and key events that happened in the games industry, or affected it, this year. On today’s agenda: Digital & physical events in 2020 & in the future How mainstream are video games now? New consoles generation release How did the games industry handle COVID-19 this year? Will things return to normal after the pandemic? Should we bundle vaccines with hot video games? What’s happening with VR? Our predictions for 2021 When will people put video games at the beginning of their Tinder bios? And more Timestamps: Introduction & our guests– 0:15 What we’ve been playing – 2:02 Summary of the year with Michael Douse & Helen Burnill - 6:34 Our predictions for 2021 – 33:09 Wrapping up – 43:36 You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Thanks for listening, and see you all next year! Support the show

Welcome back to Paradox Podcast! Today, Shams Jorjani will tell you all you wanted to know and were afraid to ask about “Negotiations”! Some of the things on today’s agenda: Paradox’s approach to negotiations, a guest segment with lessons from the infamous “Orange Story”, and a number of Dos and Don’ts of negotiating, which we hope you’ll find useful! Timestamps: Introduction – 0:15 Topic of the day – Negotiations – 3:22 The “Do’s” of negotiations, and the Orange Story – 5:29 The “Don’ts” of negotiations – 12:17 How to prepare for a negotiation - 17:32 How to act during a negotiation – 19:49 How to close a negotiation – 21:39 Wrapping up & reading suggestions – 24:44 You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Thank you for listening! See you in the next episode! Support the show

Welcome back to Paradox Podcast! Today, we’re joined by Paradox Interactive’s COO Charlotta Nilsson, for a 40 minute long interview! We talk about the role of a COO at Paradox, the challenges in managing operations in a video games industry vs other fields and engage in a gratuitous rant about Star Wars Squadrons! Timestamps: 0:15 - Introduction 2:03 - Ranting about Star Wars Squadrons 5:42 - Who is Charlotta Nilsson? 9:55 - What does the COO do? 21:59 - What is different about managing company operations in the games industry? 25:23 - How does the games industry compare to others? 34:21 - Tips from the COO for managing company operations during a pandemic 38:34 - Wrapping up You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Thank you for listening! See you in the next episode! Support the show

The Paradox Podcast is back with a new episode! For this mid-season occasion, we’ve invited our CEO Ebba Ljungerud to answer some of your questions! Some of the questions on today’s agenda: How do we balance our company’s growth with the gameplay depth of our games and the mainstream expectations? How do we decide when to discontinue a game, and what factors, aside from sales, determine that? How are our recent mergers working out for us? What have we learned from CK3’s success? What is our take on Unions and Crunch in the games industry? How big should Paradox grow, and is there an end goal? What is Ebba’s normal day at work like, and her experience as a CEO? Timestamps: 0:15 – Introduction 1:20 – What we’ve been playing 5:04 – Q&A session with Ebba Ljungerud 45:37 – Wrapping up You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Thank you for listening! See you in the next Paradox Podcast episode, in 2 weeks! Support the show

Welcome back to the Paradox Podcast! This week we invited Mina Boström, Paradox Interactive’s Chief Technology Officer! Today on the agenda: Timestamps: 00:43 – Paradox’s CTO, Mina Boström 07:20 - What is a CTO? 11:40 – How does a CTO’s average week at PDX look like 13:45 – Challenges before PDX in terms of technology 15:32 – What is different about working in the games industry 23:12 – Leadership and technology 43:11 – Reading recommendations & wrapping up You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Thank you for listening! See you in the next Paradox Podcast episode, in 2 weeks! Support the show

The Paradox Podcast is back, to discuss the release of Crusader Kings 3! We are joined by Christian Daflos, the Product Marketing Manager for CK3, to discuss how the game performed on release and what it took to make it the commercial success that it is! On the agenda today: - What the hell is a PMM? - The dreaded Hype - How to prepare for a major release - What was different about CK3’s marketing - What went right and what didn’t - Some boasting (a lot actually) Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 1:41 – What we’ve been playing 3:32 – What is a Product Marketing Manager & who is Christian Daflos? 5:57 – The CK3 Boasting Segment 7:55 – How we prepared for CK3’s launch? 14:54 – What went right with the release? 18:10 – What didn’t go right? 20:50 – What did we learn? 23:30 – Planning for various scenarios 27:42 – What does CK3’s success mean for Paradox? 33:40 – Hype and expectation management 38:08 – Wrapping up You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Thank you for listening! See you in the next Paradox Podcast episode, in 2 weeks! Support the show

In this episode we are joined by Kim Nordström, Paradox Interactive’s Chief Strategy Officer, to discuss the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic! On the agenda today: - What is the Epic vs Apple situation really about? - Why should the industry and players care? - Who can this situation benefit? - Who are we rooting for and why? - The drilling in Daniel’s house (Sorry for that...) Timestamps: 0:15 – Introduction 2:15 – What game we’ve been playing 4:36 – Daniel’s paternity leave, and the PDX Podcast plans 6:54 – Subject of the Day: Apple vs Epic 43:01 – Wrapping up You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Thank you for watching! See you in the next Paradox Podcast episode, on September 16th! __________________________________________________________________________________________________ ParadoxExtra is a streaming archive of Paradox Interactive. Nearly all of the videos on this channel are recorded live on http://twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive. Support the show

The Paradox Podcast is back after the holiday break! Today we are joined by Julien Wera, Paradox Interactive’s Chief Product Officer, to discuss what all Paradox games have in common, no matter the genre. On the agenda: Paradox Game PillarsWhat is a Paradox GameWhy we don’t want to publish every type of a gameWhat to keep in mind when pitching a game to Paradox Timestamps: 0:15 – Introduction 4:01 – Subject of the day: Paradox Game Pillars 31:58 – What about games that don’t fit our Pillars well? 37:00 – Wrapping up & how to use PDX Game Pillars to pitch us a game You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Thank you for watching! See you in the next Paradox Podcast episode, on September 2nd! Support the show

Welcome back to the Paradox Podcast! Today, with the help of Kim Nordstrom, Paradox Interactive’s Chief Strategy Officer we try to divine the future of the gaming industry, and reflect on our past predictions, both the accurate and the ones we were wrong about. On the agenda: - The future of gaming consoles - Cloud Gaming - Subscription Services - Impact of 5G on mobile gaming - COVID-19 and the coming recession - The perspective of indie studios on the shifts in the games industry - Interview with Bithell Games, the COO of Bithell Games, developers of John Wick: Hex - Interview with David Goldfarb, Director of the Outsiders, developers of Metal: Hellsinger - And more Timestamps: 0:15 – Introduction & Blablablablablah 4:12 – Topic of the day: The Trends and Future of the Game’s Industry 39:50 – Past & current trends we were wrong about 45:14 – Wrapping up You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Thank you for listening! We’ll be back with your regularly scheduled Paradox Podcast after the summer break! Support the show

Today we discuss the challenges and opportunity of making a sequel to a highly successful game like Crusader Kings 2. On the agenda: - The decision-making process behind greenlighting a sequel at Paradox - Measuring expectations and retaining a franchise’s spirit - How to reach new audiences and appeal to the core player base at the same time - How to prioritize content and features when developing a sequel base game - Answering your questions - A chat with guests from Larian Studios and Fatshark. Timestamps: 0:15 – Introduction & our favorite game sequels 2:55 – Topic of the day: Crusader Kings 3 and the Business of a Sequel 17:45 – Chat with Fatshark co-founder Martin Wahlund about Warhammer: Vermintide 2 27:56 – Chat with Larian Studios Publishing Director Michael Douse about Divinity: Original Sin 2 32:04 - Answering your questions with Max Weltz, CK3 Product Manager 42:38 – Wrapping up You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Thank you for watching! Next episode premiere: June 16th. Support the show

Welcome back to the Paradox Podcast! Today we talk about the subject of video game leaks & confidentiality in the games industry. On the agenda: Timestamps: You can also find today’s episode on: • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Thank you for listening! Next episode premiere: June 2nd Support the show

• In this episode we discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Paradox and the games industry. We discuss the condition of the games industry during the pandemic, the challenges of remote work and effect of major event cancellations on developers and publishers. We are also joined by our Chief Human Resources Officer, Marina Hedman, to answer your questions about the well-being of our employees and talk about what we do to keep the morale up during this prolonged isolation. Discuss this episode on our forums: https://pdxint.at/2PpwHoW • Chapters: What we’ve been up to – 0:15 Topic of the Day: COVID-19 and the Games Industry – 5:19 Answering your Questions – 28:43 • The Paradox Podcast is a podcast about the business of video games, brought to you by Paradox Interactive. Daniel Goldberg (Marketing & Communications) and Shams Jorjani (Business Development and Acquisitions) tries to shed a light on a part of the industry which is seldomly spoken of. • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9lWelcome Support the show

• On this episode of Paradox Podcast: The Business of Video Games, Shams and Daniel discuss the Subscription Services in the industry. Listen in to their musing on the present situation and some future predictions! Discuss this episode on our forums: https://pdxint.at/2PpwHoW • Chapters: What we’ve been up to – 0:15 Topic of the Day: Subscription Services – 5:45 Answering your Questions - 34:17 • The Paradox Podcast is a podcast about the business of video games, brought to you by Paradox Interactive. Daniel Goldberg (Marketing & Communications) and Shams Jorjani (Business Development and Acquisitions) tries to shed a light on a part of the industry which is seldomly spoken of. • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9l Support the show

• On this episode of The Business of Video Games we finally get the "new" CEO of Paradox Interactive, Ebba Ljugerud, to talk about the first 13 months of being the CEO, as well as the future going forward. Discuss this episode on our forums: https://pdxint.at/2PpwHoW • Chapters: 0:47 - Start 2:14 - What have we been playing? 8:29 - First 13 Months of the CEO • The Paradox Podcast is a podcast about the business of video games, brought to you by Paradox Interactive. Daniel Goldberg (Marketing & Communications) and Shams Jorjani (Business Development and Acquisitions) tries to shed a light on a part of the industry which is seldomly spoken of. • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9l Support the show

• On this episode of The Business of Video Games we answer questions that you have posed over the course of the show. Discuss this episode on our forums: https://pdxint.at/2PpwHoW • Chapters: 0:16 - Start 1:29 - Nintendo Switch Lite 7:20 - Q&A Start - - 7:38 - How Do You Feel About The Store Revenue Cut? - - 15:37 - What Projects Do You Do Research On? - - 22:04 - How Do You Manage Expectations? • The Paradox Podcast is a podcast about the business of video games, brought to you by Paradox Interactive. Daniel Goldberg (Marketing & Communications) and Shams Jorjani (Business Development and Acquisitions) tries to shed a light on a part of the industry which is seldomly spoken of. • Spotify: https://pdxint.at/2HFshtu • Soundcloud: http://pdxint.at/2EYDl15 • iTunes: http://pdxint.at/2BnBWBo • Player.fm: http://pdxint.at/2EWTCnl • Poddtoppen: http://pdxint.at/2CiqXGw • Acast: http://pdxint.at/2ExBD9l #ParadoxInteractive #Podcast #QnA Support the show