Paradox releases EU engine to community
Source code to be made freely available via GamersGate, which will also allow home-made content to be sold
Paradox Interactive, the company behind the popular in-depth strategy titles Hearts of Iron and Europa Universalis, has announced plans to release the source code behind the Europa Universalis II game.
The Europa engine will be made available for anybody to download and edit, while content created using the code can potentially be sold through the GamersGate digital distribution platform.
Theo Bergquist, CEO of Paradox explained the reasoning behind the move.
"In a sense it's twofold," he told GamesIndustry.biz. "On the one hand we have a community of players that have been loyal to us for a very long time, since 1999, and we feel that we want to give something back to them. The modding community for our games is huge, and they help us with beta testing, and patches, and so on. So for us, it's giving something back to them - we have the new engine now for Europa Universalis III and our upcoming games.
"And the other thing is, the deal with GamersGate, it's very easy for them to earn a few bucks on the work that they can do, because the basics are there - there's no risk for them, they can spend whatever hours they want to spend making a game or add-on."
The source code will enable people to create new games, or add-ons for the company's existing titles, and while Paradox must approve any content before it's published, Bergquist stressed that home developers have freedom of choice.
"Price points, and all that - it's in the hands of the guys doing it," he explained. "So if they wanted to sell it for USD 1, they can. If they want to sell it for USD 100, they can. I guess they will find out pretty fast what price point will work for their products.
"We're basically giving the source code, and it's open for anybody to change. If they want to change time period, they can, but they might have to change a few modules, such as AI for the different warfare.
"But we're giving them the tools to do whatever they want, and the more hours they spend on it, the better the game will be."
Applications for the license agreement are now being accepted via the GamersGate website.