Europa Universalis IV Grabs A Release Date, Debut Trailer

Europa Universalis IV is now officially in the works. We’ve got a launch date and the game’s pre-order trailer to prove it.

Though developer Paradox Interactive has been making games for years, most of you would only be familiar with the name for one key reason: Paradox is the creator of the infinitely addictive, terrifyingly deep strategy title Crusader Kings II. If this is the case, and your familiarity with Paradox stems from the dozens of hours you’ve devoted to reforming the papalcy or raiding Anglican beach settlements in search of glory, you should be pleased to hear that Paradox has announced its next project, Europa Universalis IV, a game built with the same exacting attention to detail that’s made Crusader Kings II my new favorite vice.

This morning Paradox issued a press release centering on Europa Universalis IV which claims that the title should hit retail on August 13, 2013. Described as Paradox’s “most epic historical strategy yet,” Europa Universalis IV focuses on the same sort of empire building and political intrigue that has long been a hallmark of Paradox titles. Need more? Watch the vignette embedded at top-right. That’s the game’s first trailer, and it does a solid job of covering exactly what you can expect to see in the upcoming strategy release.

Alternately, the game’s official description, courtesy Paradox:

Europa Universalis IV gives you control of a nation to guide it through the years and create a dominant global empire in the age of exploration, providing unprecedented freedom through the use of exploration, trade, warfare and diplomacy to let you rule your nation however you see fit. Strategists will face ruthless AI in an extensive single-player campaign, or be able to backstab friends and foes in 32-player online matches.

Europa Universalis IV is slated to appear on Windows, Linux and OS X platforms. On release the game will feature a $40 price tag, though there will also be a “Digital Extreme Edition” available for $45 which features a host of content not found in the standard release. Full details can be found on the game’s pre-order page.