The creators of Crusader Kings 3 have released a new DLC called Coronations. The new content is not being received well. Now the publisher is publicly apologizing for the disaster – and is facing even more criticism.
What kind of game is this?
- Crusader Kings 3 is a historical 4X strategy game where you mainly manage diplomacy, economy, and war. You play as a historical leader during the time between the 9th and 15th centuries – somewhere in Europe, North Africa, or parts of Asia.
- There are no real “goals”, other than expanding your rule and keeping your dynasty alive. Many players try to create the Übermensch through inbreeding and genetics.
- Paradox, the company behind the strategy game, is known for absurdly complex games. The studio even takes pride in the fact that no one really understands their strategy games – this also applies to Crusader Kings 3.
This is what’s happening with the new DLC: On September 9, 2025, Coronations, the most recent DLC for Crusader Kings 3, was released. The DLC brings two new features to the game: coronations and oaths, meaning a pompous ceremony followed by rulership promises. You pay 5 euros for Coronations – something that was already criticized in advance.
On Steam, the reviews are currently at a “very negative” 17% with 671 votes (as of September 15). Users are dissatisfied with the content: What the DLC offers should have been part of a free update and feels like content from a mod in the Steam Workshop.
It is deemed cheeky to charge money for something like this, they say: “Too much nothing.” The DLC brings too little new content to the game and what it does bring is either not fitting for the gameplay or completely bugged.
One player even responds with the legendary phrase: “Is this an out of season April Fools joke?”, which was used when Diablo Immortal was criticized. There is only praise for the fact that coronations were historically significant and thus a meaningful expansion for Crusader Kings 3.
“It hurts when we screw up this badly”
In an official blog post on Steam just one day later, Riad, the QA manager of PDS Black, the studio behind Coronation, publicly apologizes for the DLC. PDS Black is a sub-studio of Paradox.
In the post, Riad states that Coronations is not up to the “standard that you deserve” and he himself takes responsibility for it. They are currently investing many resources into the expansion “All Under Heaven” and have therefore neglected the DLC – that is no excuse for the quality, just an explanation.
Riad explains that they want to test better in the future to avoid bugs and set higher quality standards. Additionally, there was a patch released that already resolved many of the major issues.
In the community, the apology causes more annoyance. The thread on Steam has over 400 comments, in which users complain that such “oversights” are not happening for the first time.
If Paradox were apologizing for the first time here, one player suggests, you might believe it. However, there was already a similar outcry with previous DLCs with accusations that Paradox is getting too greedy.
The criticism does not only apply to Crusader Kings 3 but also to other games from the company. One DLC for Cities: Skylines 2, for example, was rated the worst game on Steam and the anger was reignited when a new DLC for the predecessor was announced.
Even with new games, Paradox currently seems to not have the best touch. The Swedish studio is working on Vampire: Bloodlines 2, currently tackling a beloved franchise and the sequel to one of the best vampire games on Steam – with even more frustration from the community: Esteemed vampire game for Steam and PS5 backtracks after massive criticism, but some players now have to buy it again
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