Paradox released a piece of Crusader Kings III DLC in March 2021 called Northern Lords. For over a year it has been available for $7, but that price is about to be jacked up to $13 for...a reason?
Dropping a note in the game’s forums, a community ambassador says:
As of September 13, we will be altering the prices of our Flavor Packs (Northern Lords and Fate of Iberia) to reflect the overall value of this kind of content moving forward. This means that the current price point of these two products will increase from 6.99 USD to 12.99 USD. This of course, is changed equivalent to the regional pricing of your area and may vary. This change will also be reflected in future Flavor Packs whose cost will be more in line with this price point.
The price change will not affect the price of the Base Game, Royal Court, or the Royal Edition—those prices will remain unaffected. If you are already a holder of the Royal Edition or Expansion Pack 1, you are all set and nothing will change for you and your versions of the game.
The price of Northern Lords and Fate of Iberia will not increase until September 13, so we recommend getting your copies at the original price point of 6.99 USD before the change occurs.
Excuse me, what? I can understand wanting to charge more for upcoming flavour packs—pieces of DLC that cater specifically to one of the game’s playable cultural groups—on the basis of their getting bigger and more complex. Fate of Iberia, for example, which came out in May 2022, has more stuff than Northern Lords.
But jacking the prices of existing packs up just comes across as a dick move, one that long-time fans of Paradox are sadly more than used to. As excellent as the company’s games tend to be, and as loyal a following as they muster, Paradox’s DLC pricing has for the longest time been all over the place, with some large, expensive offerings falling flat while other tiny, cheaper releases go on to change the way the games are played.
It gives fans the impression the company doesn’t really know what it’s doing when it comes to DLC pricing, and a move like this certainly doesn’t help change that. The very first reply on the Paradox forums says:
My only question is, why change the prices retroactively?
I would understand it if it was decided that flavor packs needed to expand in scope. Which obviously would mean a price bump.
But changing the price of old DLC that was well worth it’s price is just...Shooting yourself in the foot in the eyes of the community.
Pretty much! Sometimes a decision to make a few extra bucks isn’t worth the hassle it generates with the community, and this definitely feels like one of those cases.