It’s official: Paradox is working on Crusader Kings III. The announcement was just made at Paradox Con 2019, and is sure to be the biggest news of this year’s show. This follows just days after the famed strategy publisher made the base game of Crusader Kings II free-to-play – a move that split the subreddit between those who saw it as a clear sign that CK3 was definitely happening, and those who predicted, with equal confidence, that it definitely wasn’t. The signs favouring the former camp were always clear, however: the publisher had already ruled out Victoria 3, and producer Linda Tiger teased the company’s next big release in front of a suit of armour. We had a quick sneak peek of CK3 before its announcement today. Henrik Fåhraeus – who is returning as game director – explained that after CK2’s years of DLC, replicating its sheer breadth is impossible. Rather, Paradox is looking to deepen the experience, and refine the foundations at its core. That means the character system.