Cities Skylines. Crusader Kings. Surviving Mars. Over the years, Paradox has either developed or published some of the most beloved strategy hits on PC. However, with the emergence of Manor Lords and the arrival of Civilization 7, competition is heating up, and now a new label, founded by Paradox veterans who have since left the studio, is also throwing its hat in the proverbial ring. You’ve perhaps heard of Kaiserpunk, the alternate-history, WW1-inspired city builder and grand strategy hybrid. Already one of the most intriguing genre prospects on Steam, it’s now got the backing of a new label, founded by ex Paradox bosses.
Kaisperunk is both a grand strategy game and a city builder. Set in the ‘Interbellum Era’ between 1918 and 1945, it imagines an alternate universe where the First World War never truly ended, and the great powers were fractured into disparate and independent city states. As the overseer of one of these nascent little empires, your job is twofold. First, you need to establish a thriving capital, complete with production lines, manufacturing, and a standing army. Second, you need to expand outwards. Surveying a map of Europe, your goal is to conquer neighboring cities one by one and incorporate them into your commonwealth.
With each captured city, you can zoom back in and return to the groundwork of maximizing production and efficiency. You then go back to the map, fight another war, capture a new metropolis, and so on. Cities Skylines is naturally an inspiration, but there are also touches of Hearts of Iron and Europa Universalis. It only makes sense, then, that publisher Elda Entertainment should give Kaiserpunk its backing.
Founded by the former managers of Paradox’s own management game division, Elda is led by Sandra Neudinger, whose credits include Crusader Kings, Victoria 3, Hearts of Iron, and Cities Skylines itself. The label is now co-publishing Kaiserpunk alongside the game’s developer, Overseer, with the release date set for Friday March 21.
“For us, Kaiserpunk is the perfect first step,” Neudinger says. “We’re not here to publish just any game – we’re here to champion some of the best management games, ensuring they reach their full potential. Kaiserpunk embodies everything we love about the genre: deep mechanics, creativity, and a world that reacts to the player’s decisions. We couldn’t have asked for a better title and developer to launch with.”
If you want to check out Kaiserpunk and maybe add it to your Steam wishlist, just head here.
Otherwise, try some of the best 4X games, or maybe the very best strategy games on PC.
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