Crusader Kings III DLC to receive a price increase, says Paradox

DLC for Crusader Kings III will receive a price increase, revealed developer Paradox. On Twitter, the developer announced that the strategy game's two Flavor Packs, Northern Lords and Fires of Iberia, would have their prices go from $6.99 to $12.99 on September 13. 

In 2017, Paradox increased the prices for several of its self-published games and accompanying DLC, including Crusader Kings II, around the world. It did this without informing players, and after a month of negative reaction, reversed its decision. 

Crusader Kings III released in 2020 to critical acclaim and, as of March 2022, sold two million copies worldwide. Paradox referred to the game as one of its fastest games to hit that sales milestone. The game's major Royal Court expansion, which released in February 2022, had sold a million copies within a month of release. 

The price change is being done to "reflect the overall value of this kind of content moving forward," and Paradox said players should expect future Flavor Packs to cost about the same as the updated price. However, this increase will not affect the price of the base game, Royal Court, or the Royal Edition. 

Capitalism is coming for us all

Throughout the year, the question of video games and game consoles costing more has been raised. 

It all started in July, when Meta announced that both models of its Quest 2 VR headset would cost an extra $100 each. The price was said to come with a benefit to the VR industry. 

Console makers Sony and Microsoft, during their respective earnings calls in July, both danced around if their consoles--Sony's PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X | S--would cost more. At the time, chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki simply said that there was "nothing specific" to share on the matter. 

When asked, Nintendo offered a slightly more conclusive answer on the matter. In Japan at least, the publisher doesn't plan on making its Nintendo Switch system cost more. A Bloomberg report from July indicated that all three console makers are waiting for one to announce a price increase, as consoles have become harder to manufacture due to a shortage of semiconductors. 

One game that notably has become a subject of price inflation is EVE Online, of all things. In May, the sci-fi MMO increased the prices of its in-game "Plex" currency (500 Plex went from $19.99 to $24.99) and "Omega" subscriptions ($14.95/mo to $19.99). Developer CCP said at the time that the prices were being done to "continue investing in EVE Online’s evolution and growth, and to realize our mission of EVE Forever."